Revision 133080101 of "Benutzer:Doc Taxon/Doctor Who" on dewiki

{{About|the television series}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Infobox television
 | show_name = Doctor Who
 | image = [[File:Doctor Who 2010 title.jpg|250px]]
 | caption = Current ''Doctor Who'' main [[title card]]
 | genre = Science fiction drama
 | picture_format = {{Unbulleted list| [[405-line television system|405-line]] black & white (1963–67) | [[576i]] black & white (1968–69) | 576i colour (1970–96) | 576i [[Aspect ratio (image)|16:9]] (2005–8) | [[1080i]] (2009–present) }}
 | runtime = {{Unbulleted list| 25 minutes (1963–84, 1986–89) | 45 minutes (1985, 2005–present) | Various other lengths }}
 | country = United Kingdom
 | network = {{Unbulleted list| [[BBC One]] (1963–present) | [[BBC One HD]] (2010–present) | [[BBC HD]] (2009–2010) }}
 | on_demand = [[BBC iPlayer]], [[Virgin Media]]
 | first_aired = '''Classic series:'''<br />{{Start date|1963|11|23|df=y}}
 | last_aired = <br />6 December 1989<br />'''Television film:'''<br />12 May 1996<br />'''New series:'''<br />26 March 2005 – present
 | creator = {{Unbulleted list| [[Sydney Newman]] | [[C. E. Webber]] | [[Donald Wilson (writer and producer)|Donald Wilson]] }}
 | executive_producer = [[List of Doctor Who producers#Executive producer credits|Various]] <br />(currently [[Steven Moffat]], [[Piers Wenger]] and [[Beth Willis (producer)|Beth Willis]])
 | audio_format = [[Monaural]] <small>(1963 - 1987)</small><br>[[Stereophonic sound|Stereo]] <small>(1983; 1988-present)</small>
 | starring = '''[[List of actors who have played the Doctor|Various Doctors]]''' <br />(currently [[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]] as the [[Eleventh Doctor]])<br />'''[[Companion (Doctor Who)|Various companions]]'''<br />(currently [[Karen Gillan]] as [[Amy Pond]] and [[Arthur Darvill]] as [[Rory Williams]]) <br /><!--Please see Talk page BEFORE adding current or new companions-->
 | num_seasons = 26 (1963–89) plus one TV film (1996)
 | num_series = 6 (2005–present)
 | num_episodes = 777 <!--As of 4 June 2011. Does not count "The Infinite Quest" or ''Dreamland'' or other spin-offs.-->
 | list_episodes = List of Doctor Who serials
 | theme_music_composer = {{Unbulleted list| [[Ron Grainer]] | [[Delia Derbyshire]] }}
 | opentheme = [[Doctor Who theme music]]
 | composer = [[#Incidental music|Various composers]]<br />(currently [[Murray Gold]])
 | website = http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/
 | website_title = ''Doctor Who'' at the BBC
 | rss = http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/rss.xml
 | related = {{Unbulleted list| ''[[K-9 and Company]]'' | ''[[Torchwood]]'' | ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' | ''[[K-9 (TV series)|K-9]]''| |''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' | ''[[Totally Doctor Who]]'' }}
}}
'''''Doctor Who''''' is a British [[science fiction on television|science fiction television]] programme produced by the [[BBC]].  The programme depicts the adventures of a [[Time Lord|time-travelling]] humanoid alien known as the [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the [[TARDIS]].  Along with a series of [[Companion (Doctor Who)|companions]], he faces a [[List of Doctor Who monsters and aliens|variety of foes]] while working to save civilisations<!-- This is how the word is spelled in British English.  Per the note up above on your screen, do not change it to the American spelling that has a Z instead of an S. -->, help people and right wrongs.

The programme is listed in ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the longest-running [[science fiction]] television show in the world,<ref>{{cite news
 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5390372.stm
 | title=Dr Who 'longest-running sci-fi'
 | work=BBC News
 | date=28 September 2006
 | accessdate=30 September 2006
 }}</ref> and as the "most successful" science fiction series of all time, in terms of its overall broadcast ratings, DVD and book sales, iTunes traffic, and "illegal downloads".<ref>{{cite news|first=Liz Shannon|last=Miller |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006512.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&nid=2562 |title='Doctor Who' Honored by Guinness - Entertainment News, TV News, Media |work=Variety |date= 26 July 2009|accessdate=23 November 2009}}</ref> It has been recognised for its imaginative stories, creative low-budget [[special effect]]s during its original run, and pioneering use of [[electronic music]] (originally produced by the [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]]). The show is a significant part of [[Culture of the United Kingdom|British popular culture]]<ref>{{cite journal
 | date= 14 September 2006
 | title = The end of Olde Englande: A lament for Blighty
 | journal = [[The Economist]]
 | volume =
 | issue =
 | pages =
 | url = http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7912946
 | accessdate = 18 September 2006}}<br />{{cite web
 | title=ICONS. A Portrait of England
 | url=http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/doctor-who
 | accessdate=10 November 2007
 }}</ref><ref name="Moran">{{cite news
 | first = Caitlin
 | last = Moran
 | authorlink = Caitlin Moran
 | title = Doctor Who is simply masterful
 | url = http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article1989181.ece
 |work=The Times |location=UK
 | publisher = [[News Corporation]]
 | date = 30 June 2007
 | accessdate = 1 July 2007
 | quote = [''Doctor Who''] is as thrilling and as loved as ''Jolene'', or bread and cheese, or honeysuckle, or Friday. It’s quintessential to being British.
| location=London}}</ref> in the United Kingdom, and elsewhere it has become a [[cult following|cult television]] favourite. The show has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series. It has received [[#Awards|recognition]] from critics and the public as one of the finest British television programmes, including the [[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA Award]] for [[British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series|Best Drama Series]] in 2006, and five consecutive wins at the [[National Television Awards]] from 2005 to 2010, in the Drama category while under [[Russell T Davies]]' reign as show runner.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8471232.stm | work=BBC News | title=Doctor Who scoops two TV awards | date=21 January 2010 | accessdate=1 April 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a300378/national-television-awards-2011-winners.html National Television Awards 2011 - Winners] 26 January 2011</ref>
In 2011 Matt Smith became the first actor to be nominated for a [[BAFTA]] for portraying the Doctor, but lost to [[Daniel Rigby]].

The programme originally ran from 1963 to 1989. After an unsuccessful attempt to revive regular production with a [[backdoor pilot]] in the form of a [[Doctor Who (1996 film)|1996 television film]], the programme was [[History of Doctor Who#The 2000s|relaunched in 2005]], produced in-house by [[BBC Wales]] in [[Cardiff]]. The first series was produced by the BBC; series two and three had some development money contributed by the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] (CBC), which was credited as a co-producer.<ref>{{cite journal
 | author = Andrew Gurudata
 | title = Rage Against the Machine
 | journal = Enlightenment
 | issue = 147
 | accessdate=13 April 2009
 }}</ref> ''Doctor Who'' also spawned [[Doctor Who spin-offs|spin-offs]] in multiple media, including ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', ''[[Torchwood]]'', ''[[K-9 (TV series)|K-9]]'', and a single 1981 pilot episode of ''[[K-9 and Company]]''.

The Doctor has been [[#Changes of appearance|principally played by eleven actors]]. The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the show as [[Regeneration (Doctor Who)|regeneration]], whereby the character of the Doctor takes on a new body and, to some extent, new personality. Although each portrayal is different, and on occasion the various incarnations have even met one another, they are all meant to be aspects of the same character. The Doctor is currently portrayed by [[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]], who took up the role after [[David Tennant]]'s final appearance in an episode broadcast on 1 January 2010.<ref name="Tennantleaves">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/misc/news/
|title=And next, Steven Moffat, the Doctor Who in Doc Martens
|work=The Times
|date=1 January 2009
|accessdate=3 January 2009
}}</ref> [[Doctor Who (series 5)|A fifth series]] of the relaunched programme began on 3 April 2010,<ref>{{cite news | title='Doctor Who' airdate officially confirmed | url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/news/a209550/doctor-who-airdate-officially-confirmed.html| work=Digital Spy}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=New Trailer for the New Doctor! | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/features/bulletins/bulletin_100219_01 | work=BBC - Doctor Who - The Official Site}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Spilsbury |first=Tom |authorlink=Tom Spilsbury |date=23 July 2008 cover date |title=Gallifrey Guardian |journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=397 |page=10}}</ref> in which the [[Eleventh Doctor]] is accompanied by [[Amy Pond]], portrayed by [[Karen Gillan]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8073734.stm|title=Doctor Who assistant is unveiled|date=29 May 2009|accessdate=29 May 2009 | work=BBC News}}</ref> who was joined later in the series by boyfriend (later husband) [[Rory Williams]], played by [[Arthur Darvill]]. The show's [[Doctor Who (series 6)|sixth series]], began on 23 April 2011, with Darvill now appearing as a regular Doctor Who companion with Gillan. The series ran for seven episodes before a three month hiatus, returning in September for the remaining six.<ref>{{cite web|title=PrimeTime Unrealitytv|url=http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/doctor-who-to-air-in-us-and-uk-on-23rd-april-2011/}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Doctor Who}}
''Doctor Who'' first appeared on BBC television at 17:15 [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]] on 23 November 1963,<ref>Howe, Stammers, Walker (1994), p. 54</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/unearthlychild/detail.shtml|title=An Unearthly Child|publisher=BBC}}</ref> following discussions and plans that had been in progress for a year. The [[BBC television drama|Head of Drama]], [[Sydney Newman]], was mainly responsible for developing the programme, with the first format document for the series being written by Newman along with the Head of the Script Department (later Head of Serials) [[Donald Wilson (writer and producer)|Donald Wilson]] and staff writer [[C. E. Webber]]. Writer [[Anthony Coburn]], [[Script editor|story editor]] [[David Whitaker (screenwriter)|David Whitaker]] and initial producer [[Verity Lambert]] also heavily contributed to the development of the series.<ref>Howe, Stammers, Walker (1994), pp. 157–230 ("Production Diary").  Newman is often given sole creator credit for the series. Some reference works such as ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs 1947–1979'' by Vincent Terrace erroneously credit Terry Nation with creating ''Doctor Who'', because of the way his name is credited in the two Peter Cushing films.<br />Newman and Lambert's role in originating the series was recognised in the 2007 episode "[[Human Nature (Doctor Who episode)|Human Nature]]", in which the Doctor, in disguise as a human named John Smith, gives his parents' names as Sydney and Verity.</ref> The series' title theme was composed by [[Ron Grainer]] and realised by [[Delia Derbyshire]] of the [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]].<ref>Richards, p. 23</ref> The programme was originally intended to appeal to a family audience.<ref>Howe, Stammers, Walker (1992), p. 3.</ref>
The BBC drama department's Serials division produced the programme for 26 series, broadcast on [[BBC One]]. Falling viewing numbers, a decline in the public perception of the show and a less prominent transmission slot saw production suspended in 1989 by [[Jonathan Powell (producer)|Jonathan Powell]], Controller of BBC One.<ref name="powell">{{cite news
|url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/bbc/story/0,,1511487,00.html
|title=Doctor Who makes the Grade
|first=Jason
|last=Deans
|work=The Guardian
|quote=But Mr Grade was not at the helm when Doctor Who was finally retired for good in 1989 — that decision fell to the then BBC1 controller, Jonathan Powell.
|date=21 June 2005
|accessdate=4 February 2007
| location=London}}</ref> Although (as series co-star [[Sophie Aldred]] reported in the documentary ''Doctor Who: More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS'') it was effectively, if not formally, [[cancellation (television)|cancelled]] with the decision not to commission a planned 27th series of the show for transmission in 1990, the BBC repeatedly affirmed that the series would return.<ref name="8thdrspecial" />

While in-house production had ceased, the BBC hoped to find an independent production company to relaunch the show. [[Philip Segal]], a British [[expatriate]] who worked for [[Columbia Pictures]]' television arm in the United States, had approached the BBC about such a venture as early as July 1989, while the 26th series was still in production.<ref name="8thdrspecial">Doctor Who Magazine Eighth Doctor Special, Paninni Comics 2003</ref> Segal's negotiations eventually led to a television film. [[Doctor Who (1996 film)|The ''Doctor Who'' television film]] was broadcast on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Network]] in 1996 as a co-production between Fox, [[Universal Studios|Universal Pictures]], the BBC and [[BBC Worldwide]]. Although the film was successful in the UK (with 9.1&nbsp;million viewers), it was less so in the United States and did not lead to a series.

Licensed media such as novels and audio plays provided [[Doctor Who spin-offs|new stories]], but as a television programme ''Doctor Who'' remained dormant until 2003. In September of that year,{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} [[BBC Television]] announced the in-house production of a new series after several years of attempts by BBC Worldwide to find backing for a feature film version. The executive producers of the new incarnation of the series were writer [[Russell T Davies]] and [[BBC Cymru Wales]] Head of Drama [[Julie Gardner]]. It has been sold to many other countries worldwide (see [[#Viewership|Viewership]]).

''Doctor Who'' finally returned with the episode [[Rose (Doctor Who)|"Rose"]] on BBC One on 26 March 2005. There have since been four further series in 2006–8 and 2010, and Christmas Day specials every year since 2005. No full series was filmed in 2009 although four additional specials starring David Tennant were made. A fifth full-length series began in spring 2010,<ref name="BBC2009/10">{{cite news
|title = Series Five
|work = Doctor Who: News
|publisher = BBC
|date=3 September 2007
|url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/09/03/48471.shtml
|accessdate = 3 September 2007 }}</ref> with [[Steven Moffat]] replacing Davies as head writer and executive producer.<ref name=RTDgone>{{cite news
|title = Doctor Who guru Davies steps down
|work = BBC News
|date = 20 May 2008
|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7411177.stm
|accessdate = 20 May 2008}}</ref>

The 2005 version of ''Doctor Who'' is a direct continuation of the 1963–1989 series,{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} as is the 1996 telefilm. This differs from other series relaunches that have either been reimaginings or reboots (for example, ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' and ''[[Bionic Woman (2007 TV series)|Bionic Woman]]'') or series taking place in the same universe as the original but in a different time period and with different characters (for example, ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' and spin-offs).<ref>[http://www.gallifreyone.com/newseriesfaq.php Outpost Gallifrey: TV Series FAQ]{{Dead link|date=April 2010}}</ref>

===Public consciousness===
The programme soon became a national institution in the United Kingdom, with a large following among the general viewing audience.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/454592/index.html
|title=Doctor Who (1963&ndash;89, 2005&ndash;)
|first=Anthony|last=Clark
|work=[[Screenonline]]
|quote=The science fiction adventure series Doctor Who (BBC, 1963–89) has created a phenomenon unlike any other British TV programme.
|accessdate=21 March 2007}}<br />{{cite web
|url=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/D/htmlD/doctorwho/doctorwho.htm
|title=Doctor Who
|first=John|last=Tulloch
|work=[[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]
|quote=The official fans have never amounted to more than a fraction of the audience. Doctor Who achieved the status of an institution as well as a cult.
|accessdate=21 March 2007}}</ref> Many renowned actors asked for or were offered and accepted [[Celebrity and notable guest appearances in Doctor Who|guest starring roles]] in various stories.

With popularity came controversy over the show's suitability for children. Morality campaigner [[Mary Whitehouse]] repeatedly complained to the BBC in the 1970s over what she saw as the show's frightening or gory content;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0925766/bio|title=Biography of Mary Whitehouse| accessdate= 6 July 2007}}</ref> however, the programme became even more popular—especially with children. [[John Nathan-Turner]], who produced the series during the 1980s, was heard to say that he looked forward to Whitehouse's comments, as the show's ratings would increase soon after she had made them.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/new_media/1965981.stm|title=Doctor Who Producer Dies|accessdate=6 July 2007 | work=BBC News | date=3 May 2002}}</ref>

During [[Jon Pertwee]]'s [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 8 (1971)|second season]] as the Doctor, in the serial ''[[Terror of the Autons]]'' (1971), images of murderous plastic dolls, daffodils killing unsuspecting victims and blank-featured policemen marked the apex of the show's ability to frighten children.  Other notable moments in that decade included the Doctor apparently being drowned by Chancellor Goth in ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'' (1976) and the allegedly{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} negative portrayal of Chinese people in ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]'' (1977).

[[File:TARDIS2.jpg|thumb|The Mark II{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} fibreglass [[TARDIS]] used between 1980 and 1989.]]
A BBC audience research survey conducted in 1972 found that by their own definition of "any act(s) which may cause physical and / or psychological injury, hurt or death to persons, animals or property, whether intentional or accidental," ''Doctor Who'' was the most violent of all the drama programmes the corporation then produced.<ref name="times-violence">{{cite news|title=Violence is not really Dr Who's cup of tea|work=The Times|first=Philip|last=Howard|date=29 January 1972|accessdate=17 January 2007|page=2}}</ref> The same report found that 3% of the surveyed audience regarded the show as "very unsuitable" for family viewing.<ref name="times-audience">{{cite news|title=The Times Diary - Points of view|work=The Times|date=27 January 1972| accessdate=17 January 2007|page=16}}</ref> However, responding to the findings of the survey in ''[[The Times]]'' newspaper, journalist Philip Howard maintained that: "to compare the violence of ''Dr Who'', sired by a horse-laugh out of a nightmare, with the more realistic violence of other television series, where actors who look like human beings bleed paint that looks like blood, is like comparing [[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]] with the property market in London: both are fantasies, but one is meant to be taken seriously."<ref name="times-violence"/>

The image of the [[TARDIS]] has become firmly linked to the show in the public's consciousness. In 1996, the BBC applied for a [[trademark]] to use the TARDIS' blue [[police box]] design in merchandising associated with ''Doctor Who.''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.patent.gov.uk/tm/t-find/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2104259 |title=Case details for Trade Mark 2104259 |accessdate=17 January 2007 |work=[[UK Intellectual Property Office|UK Patent Office]]}}</ref> In 1998, the Metropolitan Police Authority filed an objection to the trademark claim; but in 2002, the [[UK Intellectual Property Office|Patent Office]] ruled in favour of the BBC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.patent.gov.uk/tm/t-decisionmaking/t-challenge/t-challenge-decision-results/t-challenge-decision-results-bl?BL_Number=O/336/02 |title=Trade mark decision |accessdate=17 January 2007 |work=[[UK Intellectual Property Office|UK Patent Office]] website}}<br />{{cite web |url= http://www.patent.gov.uk/tm//legal/decisions/2002/o33602.pdf |title=IN THE MATTER OF Application No. 2104259 by The British Broadcasting Corporation to register a series of three marks in Classes 9, 16, 25 and 41 AND IN THE MATTER OF Opposition thereto under No. 48452 by The Metropolitan Police Authority |accessdate=17 January 2007 |last=Knight |first=Mike |work=[[UK Intellectual Property Office|UK Patent Office]]|format=PDF}}<br />{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2352743.stm |title=BBC wins police Tardis case |accessdate=17 January 2007 |date=23 October 2002 |work =BBC News}}</ref>

The programme's broad appeal attracts audiences of children and families as well as science fiction fans.<ref>{{cite news |first=Sam |last=Leith |title=Worshipping Doctor Who from behind the sofa |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/07/05/do0502.xml |work=Daily Telegraph |location=UK |date=4 July 2008 |accessdate=7 July 2008 | location=London}}</ref>

The 21st century revival of the programme has become the centrepiece of BBC One's Saturday schedule, and has "defined the channel."<ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Robinson |title=Television's Lord of prime time awaits his next regeneration |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,2036415,00.html |work=[[The Observer]]|date=18 March 2007 |accessdate=19 March 2007 | location=London}}</ref> Since its return, ''Doctor Who'' has consistently received high ratings, both in number of viewers and as measured by the [[Appreciation Index]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Andrew |last=Pettie |title=Casting Matt Smith shows that Doctor Who is a savvy multi-million pound brand |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4094067/Casting-Matt-Smith-shows-that-Doctor-Who-is-a-savvy-multi-million-pound-brand.html |work=Daily Telegraph |location=UK |date=4 January 2009 |accessdate=4 January 2009 | location=London}}</ref> In 2007, [[Caitlin Moran]], television reviewer for ''[[The Times]]'', wrote that ''Doctor Who'' is "quintessential to being British."<ref name="Moran" /> Director [[Steven Spielberg]] has commented that "the world would be a poorer place without ''Doctor Who."''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/organgrinder/2008/08/steven_moffat_dont_rule_out_do.html|title=Edinburgh TV Festival 2008: don't rule out Doctor Who feature film, says Steven Moffat|first=Ben|last=Dowell|work=The Guardian |date=23 August 2008|accessdate=23 August 2008 | location=London}}</ref>

==Episodes==
{{See|List of Doctor Who serials}}
''Doctor Who'' originally ran for [[List of Doctor Who serials|26 series]] on BBC One, from 23 November 1963 until 6 December 1989. During the original run, each weekly episode formed part of a story (or "serial") — usually of four to six parts in earlier years and three to four in later years. Notable exceptions were the epic ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan]]'', which aired in 12 episodes (plus an earlier one-episode teaser, "[[Mission to the Unknown]]", featuring none of the regular cast),<ref>''[[The Daleks' Master Plan]]''. Writers [[Terry Nation]] and [[Dennis Spooner]], Director [[Douglas Camfield]], Producer [[John Wiles]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC. BBC One, London. 13 November 1965–29 January 1966.<br />{{cite episode | title = Mission to the Unknown | episodelink = Mission to the Unknown | series = Doctor Who | credits = Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[Derek Martinus]], Producer [[Verity Lambert]] | network = BBC | station = BBC One | city = London | airdate = 9 October 1965}}</ref> almost an entire series of 7-episode serials (series 7), the 10-episode serial ''[[The War Games]]'',<ref name=WarGames>''[[The War Games]]''. Writers [[Malcolm Hulke]] and [[Terrance Dicks]], Director [[David Maloney]], Producer [[Derrick Sherwin]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC. BBC One, London. 19 April 1969–21 June 1969.</ref> and ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'', which ran for 14 episodes (albeit divided into three production codes and four narrative segments) during [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 23 (1986)|Series 23]].<ref name=Trial>''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]''. Writers [[Robert Holmes (scriptwriter)|Robert Holmes]], [[Philip Martin (screenwriter)|Philip Martin]] and [[Pip and Jane Baker]], Directors [[Nicholas Mallett]], [[Ron Jones (television director)|Ron Jones]] and Chris Clough, Producer [[John Nathan-Turner]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC. BBC One, London. 6 September 1986–6 December 1986.</ref> Occasionally serials were loosely connected by a storyline, such as [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 8 (1971)|Series 8]] being devoted to the Doctor battling a rogue Time Lord called [[Master (Doctor Who)|The Master]], [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 16 (1978–79)|Series 16]]'s quest for [[The Key to Time]], [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 18 (1980–81)|Series 18]]'s journey through [[E-Space]] and the theme of entropy, and [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 20 (1983-84)|Series 20]]'s Black Guardian Trilogy.

The programme was intended to be educational and for family viewing on the early Saturday evening schedule.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} Initially, it alternated stories set in the past, which taught younger audience members about history, with stories set either in the future or in outer space to teach them about science.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} This was also reflected in the Doctor's original companions, one of whom was a science teacher and another a history teacher.

However, science fiction stories came to dominate the programme and the "historicals", which were not popular with the production team,{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} were dropped after ''[[The Highlanders (Doctor Who)|The Highlanders]]'' (1967). While the show continued to use historical settings, they were generally used as a backdrop for science fiction tales, with one exception: ''[[Black Orchid (Doctor Who)|Black Orchid]]'' set in 1920s England.<ref name=Orchid>''[[Black Orchid (Doctor Who)|Black Orchid]]''. Writer [[Terence Dudley]], Director [[Ron Jones (television director)|Ron Jones]], Producer [[John Nathan-Turner]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC. BBC One, London. 1 March 1982–2 March 1982.</ref>

The early stories were serial-like in nature, with the narrative of one story flowing into the next, and each episode having its own title, although produced as distinct stories with their own production codes. Following ''[[The Gunfighters]]'' (1966), however, each serial was given its own title, with the individual parts simply being assigned episode numbers. What to name these earlier stories is often [[Doctor Who story title debate|a subject of fan debate]].

Of the programme's [[List of Doctor Who writers|many writers]], [[Robert Holmes (scriptwriter)|Robert Holmes]] was the most prolific, while [[Douglas Adams]] became probably the most well-known outside ''Doctor Who'' itself.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}

The serial format changed for the [[Doctor Who Episode Guide 2005 - 2008|2005 revival]], with each series usually consisting of 13 45-minute, self-contained episodes (60 minutes with adverts, on overseas commercial channels), and an extended episode broadcast on Christmas Day. Each series includes several standalone and multi-part stories, linked with a loose story arc that resolves in the series finale. As in the early "classic" era, each episode, whether standalone or part of a larger story, has its own title. Occasionally, regular-season episodes will exceed the 45-minute run time; examples have included the episodes "[[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]]" from 2008 and "[[The Eleventh Hour (Doctor Who)|The Eleventh Hour]]" from 2010, both of which exceeded an hour in length.

777 ''Doctor Who'' instalments have been televised since 1963, ranging between 25-minute episodes (the most common format), 45-minute episodes (for ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]'' in the 1984 series, a single season in 1985, and the revival), two feature-length productions (1983's "[[The Five Doctors]]" and the [[Doctor Who (1996 film)|1996 television film]]), five 60-minute [[Christmas special#Television series specials|Christmas specials]], and four specials ranging from 60 to 75 minutes in 2007 and 2009. Two mini-episodes, running about eight minutes each, were also produced for the 2005 and 2007 [[Children in Need]] charity appeals, while another mini episode was produced in 2008 for a ''Doctor Who''-themed edition of [[The Proms]]. A two-part mini-episode was also produced for the 2011 edition of [[Comic Relief]].

The revived series was filmed in [[PAL]] [[576i]] [[DigiBeta]] wide-screen format and then [[Filmizing|filmised]] to give a 25p image in post-production using a [[Snell & Wilcox]] Alchemist Platinum.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} Starting from the 2009 special "[[Planet of the Dead]]", the series is filmed in [[1080i]] for [[HDTV]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Doctor Who to be filmed in HD|url=http://www.drwho-online.co.uk/news/#newseries-hd0|work=Doctor Who Online|date=4 February 2009|accessdate= 5 February 2009}}</ref> and broadcast simultaneously on BBC One and [[BBC HD]].

===Missing episodes===
{{Main|Doctor Who missing episodes}}
Between about 1964 and 1973, large amounts of older material stored in the BBC's various video tape and film libraries were either destroyed,<ref>The tapes, based on a [[405-line television system|405-line broadcast standard]], were rendered obsolete when UK television changed to a [[625-line television system|625-line signal]] in preparation for the soon-to-begin colour transmissions.</ref> [[wiping|wiped]] or suffered from poor storage which led to severe deterioration from [[broadcast quality]]. This included many old episodes of ''Doctor Who'', mostly stories featuring the first two Doctors: [[William Hartnell]]  & [[Patrick Troughton]]. Following consolidations and recoveries the archives are complete from the programme's move to colour television (starting from Jon Pertwee's time as the Doctor), although a few Pertwee episodes have required substantial restoration; a handful have been recovered only as black-and-white films, and several survive in colour only as [[NTSC]] copies recovered from North America (a few of which are domestic, off-air [[Betamax]] tape recordings, not of transmission quality).{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} In all, [[List of incomplete Doctor Who serials|108]] of 253 episodes produced during the first six years (most notably series 3, 4, & 5, from which 90 episodes are missing) of the programme are not held in the BBC's archives. It has been reported that in 1972 almost all episodes then made were known to exist at the BBC,<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.purpleville.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rtwebsite/archive.htm
|title=BBC Archive Holdings
|first=Richard|last=Molesworth
|work=[[Doctor Who Restoration Team]]
|quote=A full set was held at least until early 1972, as 16 mm black and white film negatives (apart - of course - from 'Masterplan' 7). .
|accessdate=30 April 2007}}</ref> whilst by 1978 the practice of wiping tapes and destroying 'spare' film copies had ended.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.purpleville.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rtwebsite/archive.htm
|title=BBC Archive Holdings
|first=Richard|last=Molesworth
|work=[[Doctor Who Restoration Team]]
|quote=the videotapes began to be wiped, or re-used, until the formation of the BBC’s Film and Videotape Library in 1978 put a stop to this particular practice.
|accessdate=30 April 2007}}</ref>

No 1960s episodes exist on their original videotapes (all surviving copies being film copies), though some were transferred to film for editing before transmission, and these hence exist as originally transmitted.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}

Some episodes have been returned to the BBC from the archives of other countries who bought copies for broadcast, or by private individuals who got them by various means. Early colour videotape recordings made off-air by fans have also been retrieved, as well as excerpts filmed from the television screen onto 8&nbsp;mm [[cine film]] and clips that were shown on other programmes. Audio versions of all of the lost episodes exist from home viewers who made tape recordings of the show.

In addition to these, there are off-screen photographs made by photographer [[John Cura]], who was hired by various production personnel to document many of their programmes during the 1950s and 1960s, including ''Doctor Who''. These have been used in [[Doctor Who missing episodes#Reconstruction|fan reconstructions]] of the serials. These amateur reconstructions have been tolerated by the BBC, provided they are not sold for profit and are distributed as low quality VHS copies.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}

One of the most sought-after lost episodes is Part Four of the last William Hartnell serial, ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'' (1966), which ends with the [[First Doctor]] transforming into the [[Second Doctor|Second]]. The only portion of this in existence, barring a few poor quality silent 8&nbsp;mm clips, is the few seconds of the regeneration scene, as it was shown on the children's magazine show ''[[Blue Peter]]''.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}  With the approval of the BBC, efforts are now under way to restore as many of the episodes as possible from the extant material.  Starting in the early 1990s,{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} the BBC began to release audio recordings of missing serials on cassette and compact disc, with linking narration provided by former series actors.

"Official" reconstructions have also been released by the BBC on VHS, on [[MP3]] [[CD-ROM]] and as a special feature on a DVD. The BBC, in conjunction with animation studio [[Cosgrove Hall Films|Cosgrove Hall]] has reconstructed the missing Episodes 1 and 4 of ''[[The Invasion (Doctor Who)|The Invasion]]'' (1968), using remastered audio tracks and the comprehensive stage notes for the original filming, for the serial's DVD release in November 2006. Although no similar reconstructions have been announced as of 2010, Cosgrove Hall has expressed an interest in animating more lost episodes in the future.<ref>''Flash Frames'', a featurette included on the DVD release of [[The Invasion (Doctor Who)|The Invasion]], [[BBC Video]], 2006.</ref>

In April 2006, ''[[Blue Peter]]'' launched a challenge to find these missing episodes with the promise of a full scale [[Dalek]] model as a reward.<ref>{{cite web
| month =April | year =2006
| url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bluepeter/content/articles/2006/04/19/doctor_who_feature.shtml
| archiveurl =http://web.archive.org/web/20060424144255/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bluepeter/content/articles/2006/04/19/doctor_who_feature.shtml
| archivedate =24 April 2006
| title =Blue Peter — Missing Doctor Who tapes
| work =BBC
| accessdate =24 April 2006
}}</ref>

==Characters==
===The Doctor===
{{Main|Doctor (Doctor Who)}}
[[File:Versions of the Doctor.jpg|thumb|right|251px|<div class="center">The Doctor is known to have changed appearance ten distinct times. These are the eleven known faces of the Doctor.</div><br />'''(Top)''' L-R: [[William Hartnell]], [[Patrick Troughton]], [[Jon Pertwee]], [[Tom Baker]]<br />'''(Middle)''' L-R: [[Peter Davison]], [[Colin Baker]], [[Sylvester McCoy]], [[Paul McGann]]<br />'''(Bottom)''' L-R: [[Christopher Eccleston]], [[David Tennant]], [[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]]]]<!-- FAIR USE of 10dr19.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10dr19.jpg for rationale -->

The character of the Doctor was initially shrouded in mystery. All that was known about him in the programme's early days was that he was an eccentric alien traveller of great intelligence who battled injustice while exploring time and space in an unreliable [[time machine]], the "[[TARDIS]]", (an [[acronym]] for Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space), which appears much larger on the inside than on the outside.<ref>When it became an entry in the [[Oxford English Dictionary]], the word "TARDIS" often came to be used to describe anything that appeared larger on the inside than its exterior implied.{{cite web|url = http://www.jessesword.com/sf/view/424|title = Full record for Tardis-like adj.|work = Science Fiction Citations|accessdate=7 September 2007}}</ref>

However, the initially irascible and slightly sinister Doctor quickly mellowed into a more compassionate figure (a fact later reiterated in "[[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]]" where the Tenth Doctor tells Rose that she made him better, as the incarnation she first met was angry and "born out of war").  It was eventually revealed that he had been on the run from his own people, the [[Time Lord]]s of the planet [[Gallifrey]].

====Changes of appearance====
As a Time Lord, the Doctor has the ability to [[Regeneration (Doctor Who)|regenerate]] his body when near death. Introduced into the storyline as a way of continuing the series when the writers were faced with the departure of lead actor [[William Hartnell]] in 1966, it has continued to be a major element of the series, allowing for the recasting of the lead actor when the need arises. The serials ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'' and ''[[Mawdryn Undead]]'' and the 1996 TV film suggest that a Time Lord can regenerate 12 times, for a total of 13 incarnations. However at least one Time Lord - [[Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]] - managed to circumvent this (in ''[[The Keeper of Traken]]'').<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/oct/12/doctor-who-immortal-reveals-bbc "Doctor Who is now immortal, reveals the BBC"] The Guardian October 12, 2010</ref> To date, the Doctor has fully gone through this process and its resulting after-effects on ten occasions, with each of his incarnations having their own quirks and abilities but otherwise sharing the consciousness, memories, experience and basic personality of the previous incarnations.
<!--Please do not add guest appearances or returns to the role; this is for when each actor was the lead in the programme-->

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! The Doctor !! Portrayed by !! Tenure
|-
| [[First Doctor]] || [[William Hartnell]] || 1963–1966<ref name="guestappearances">Earlier incarnations of the Doctor have occasionally appeared with the then incarnation in later plots. The First and Second Doctors appeared in the 1973 Third Doctor story, ''[[The Three Doctors (Doctor Who)|The Three Doctors]]''; The First, Second, Third and Fourth appeared in the 1983 Fifth Doctor story, ''[[The Five Doctors]]''; the Second appeared with the Sixth in the 1985 story, [[The Two Doctors]]; and the Fifth appeared with the Tenth in the 2007 mini-episode, "[[Time Crash]]".</ref>
|-
| [[Second Doctor]] || [[Patrick Troughton]] || 1966–1969<ref name="guestappearances"/>
|-
| [[Third Doctor]] || [[Jon Pertwee]] || 1970–1974<ref name="guestappearances"/>
|-
| [[Fourth Doctor]] || [[Tom Baker]] || 1974–1981<ref name="guestappearances"/>
|-
| [[Fifth Doctor]] || [[Peter Davison]] || 1981–1984<ref name="guestappearances"/>
|-
| [[Sixth Doctor]] || [[Colin Baker]] || 1984–1986
|-
| [[Seventh Doctor]] || [[Sylvester McCoy]] || 1987–1989, 1996<ref>
 {{cite web
  |date =31 March 2008
  |url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/
  |title =BBC official episode guide
  |work =BBC
  |accessdate =31 March 2008
 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/index_seventh.shtml BBC - Doctor Who - Classic Series - Episode Guide - Seventh Doctor Index]</ref><ref>
 {{cite web
  |url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/tvmovie/detail.shtml#cast
  |title =TV Movie cast & crew
  |work =BBC
  |accessdate =15 April 2008
 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Eighth Doctor]] || [[Paul McGann]] || 1996
|-
| [[Ninth Doctor]] || [[Christopher Eccleston]] || 2005
|-
| [[Tenth Doctor]] || [[David Tennant]] || 2005–2010<ref name="Tennantleaves"/>
|-
| [[Eleventh Doctor]] || [[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]] || 2010–present<ref name="doctor11">{{cite episode |title=The Eleventh Doctor |episodelink= |series=[[Doctor Who Confidential]] |credits= |network=BBC |station=BBC One |airdate=3 January 2009 |seriesno=4 |number=15}}</ref>
|}

On other occasions, the Doctor has been played by various other actors which are considered to be alternate incarnations of the Doctor. In October 2010, the ''Sunday Telegraph'' revealed that the series' co-creator, Sydney Newman, had urged the BBC to recast the role of the Doctor as a female "Time Lady" during the ratings crisis of the late 1980s.<ref>Marc Horne [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/8052694/How-Doctor-Who-nearly-became-the-Time-Lady.html 'How Doctor Who nearly became the Time Lady'] ''Sunday Telegraph' 10 October 2010.</ref>

On two occasions other actors have stood in for the lead.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}  In ''[[The Five Doctors]],'' [[Richard Hurndall]] played the First Doctor due to William Hartnell's death.  In ''[[Time and the Rani]],'' Sylvester McCoy briefly played the Sixth Doctor during the regeneration sequence, carrying on as the Seventh. For more information, see the [[list of actors who have played the Doctor]].

====Meetings of past and present incarnations====
There have been instances of actors returning at later dates to reprise the role of their specific doctor, despite this action often going against the Time Lords' rules about how to travel in time and space safely—for a Time Lord to meet his other selves, in particular, would ordinarily contravene the "First Law Of Time," which prohibits distortions of history.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}  In 1973's ''[[The Three Doctors (Doctor Who)|The Three Doctors]],'' William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton returned alongside Jon Pertwee. For 1983's ''[[The Five Doctors]],'' Troughton and Pertwee returned to star with Peter Davison, and Tom Baker appeared in previously unseen footage from the uncompleted [[Shada]] episode. Patrick Troughton again returned in 1985's ''[[The Two Doctors]]'' with Colin Baker. Finally, Peter Davison returned in 2007's Children in Need short "[[Time Crash]]" alongside David Tennant.

Additionally with official audio dramas based on the series, multiple Doctors have returned in new adventures together. Peter Davision, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy appeared together in the 1999 audio adventure ''[[The Sirens of Time]]''. To celebrate the 40th anniversary, an audio drama titled ''[[Zagreus (audio drama)|Zagreus]]'' featuring Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Peter Davison was released with additional archive recordings of Jon Pertwee.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bigfinish.com/50-Doctor-Who-Zagreus|title=Doctor Who - Zagreus|publisher=[[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]}}</ref> Again in 2003, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy appeared together in the audio adventure ''[[Project Lazarus|Project: Lazarus]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bigfinish.com/45-Doctor-Who-Project--Lazarus|title=Doctor Who - Project: Lazarus|publisher=[[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]}}</ref> In 2010, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann came together again to star in the audio drama ''[[The Four Doctors]]''.

====Revelations about the Doctor====
{{see also|Doctor (Doctor Who)#Continuity curiosities}}
Throughout the programme's long history, there have been revelations about the Doctor that have resulted in controversies primarily{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} due to plot inconsistencies. In ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'' (1976), it was hinted that the First Doctor may not have been the first incarnation (although the other faces depicted may have been incarnations of the Time Lord Morbius). In subsequent stories the First Doctor was depicted as the earliest incarnation of the Doctor. In ''[[Mawdryn Undead]]'' (1983), the Fifth Doctor explicitly confirmed that he was currently in his fifth incarnation.

During the Seventh Doctor's era it was hinted that the Doctor was more than just an ordinary Time Lord. In the [[Doctor Who (1996 film)|1996 television movie]], he describes himself as being "half human".<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/tvmovie/detail.shtml
 | title =Doctor Who: the TV movie
 | work =BBC
 | accessdate =13 June 2008
}}</ref> The BBC's FAQ for the programme notes that "purists tend to disregard this",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/faq/plot_continuity.shtml |title=Doctor Who - FAQ - Plot and Continuity |publisher=BBC |date=28 March 2008 |accessdate=30 April 2010}}</ref> instead focusing on his Gallifreyan heritage.

The very first episode, ''[[An Unearthly Child]]'', shows that the Doctor has a granddaughter, [[Susan Foreman]]. The 2005 series reveals that the Ninth Doctor thought he was the last surviving Time Lord, and that his home planet had been destroyed; in "[[The Empty Child]]" (2005), Constantine makes a statement that "before this war began, I was a father and a grandfather. Now I am neither;" the Doctor remarks in response, "Yeah, I know the feeling." In both "[[Fear Her]]" (2006) and "[[The Doctor's Daughter]]" (2008), he states that he had, in the past, been a father. Also in the latter, his cells are used to produce a daughter, played by [[Georgia Moffett]], the real-life daughter of Fifth Doctor actor [[Peter Davison]], who is subsequently named [[Jenny (Doctor Who)|Jenny]] by Donna as a result of his describing her as "a generated anomaly."

===Companions===
{{Main|Companion (Doctor Who)}}
The Doctor almost always shares his adventures with up to three companions, and since 1963 more than 35 actors have been featured in these roles.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}  The First Doctor's original companions were his granddaughter [[Susan Foreman]] ([[Carole Ann Ford]]) and school teachers [[Barbara Wright (Doctor Who)|Barbara Wright]] ([[Jacqueline Hill]]) and [[Ian Chesterton]] ([[William Russell (actor)|William Russell]]). The only story from the original series in which the Doctor travels alone is ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]''.

Dramatically, the companions' characters provide a [[audience surrogate|surrogate]] with whom the audience can identify, and serve to further the story by requesting exposition from the Doctor and manufacturing peril for the Doctor to resolve. The Doctor regularly gains new companions and loses old ones; sometimes they return home or find new causes — or loves — on worlds they have visited. Some have even died during the course of the series.

Although the majority of the Doctor's companions have been young, attractive women, the production team for the 1963–1989 series maintained a long-standing taboo{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} against any overt [[Doctor (Doctor Who)#Romance|romantic involvement]] in the TARDIS. The taboo was controversially{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} broken in the 1996 television film when the [[Eighth Doctor]] was shown kissing companion [[Grace Holloway]].

Previous companions have reappeared in the series. One former companion, [[Sarah Jane Smith]] (played by [[Elisabeth Sladen]]), together with the robotic dog [[K-9 (Doctor Who)|K-9]], appeared in [[School Reunion (Doctor Who)|an episode]] of the 2006 series nearly 13 years after their last appearances in the 30th-anniversary story ''[[Dimensions in Time]]'' (1993). Sladen also starred as the character in an independent film [[spin-off (media)|spin-off]], ''[[Downtime (Doctor Who)|Downtime]]'', in 1995. Afterward, the character was featured in the spin-off series ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''. Sladen once again appeared as Sarah Jane in the final two episodes of the fourth series of the new ''Doctor Who'', with K-9 appearing briefly in the final episode, "[[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]]".

The [[Companion (Doctor Who)#Tenth Doctor|companions of the 10th Doctor]] included a large ensemble, many of whom reappeared in "Journey's End" and/or the 2009 Christmas special ''[[The End of Time]]''.

[[Karen Gillan]] now plays the 11th Doctor's companion,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8073734.stm |title=Entertainment &#124; Doctor Who assistant is unveiled |work=BBC News |date=29 May 2009 |accessdate=23 November 2009}}</ref> named [[Amy Pond]],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/mediamonkeyblog/2009/jul/20/doctor-who-matt-smith-karen-gillan|title=Doctor Who: first look at Matt Smith and new companion|work=The Guardian |accessdate=20 July 2009|date=20 July 2009|last=Singh|first=Anita | location=London}}</ref> along with [[Arthur Darvill]], who plays Amy's husband, [[Rory Williams]].

Though not always considered a companion, [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] was a recurring character in the original series, making his first appearance alongside the Second Doctor and his final alongside the Seventh.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/nicholas-courtney-actor-known-for-his-longrunning-role-as-the-brigadier-in-doctor-who-2226111.html|title=Nicholas Courtney: Actor known for his long-running role as the Brigadier in Doctor Who|first=Michael|last=McManus|publisher=[[The Independent]]|date=26 February 2011|accessdate=15 May 2011}}</ref> The actor [[Nicholas Courtney]], who portrayed the Brigadier, had previously also starred in the 12-part ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan]]''. He appeared on television with every Doctor of the classic series except Sixth Doctor Colin Baker, but appears with him in the charity crossover special ''[[Dimensions in Time]]'' and in audio adventures from [[Big Finish Productions]]. Lethbridge-Stewart, still played by Courtney, appeared in ''[[Enemy of the Bane]]'', a two-part episode of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' spin-off in 2008, more than 40 years after the character was first introduced, making him the longest-serving ongoing character in the franchise beside the Doctor himself. He and [[UNIT]] appeared regularly during the Third Doctor's tenure, and UNIT has continued to appear or to be referred to in the revival of the show and its spin-offs.

===Adversaries===
{{See also|List of Doctor Who creatures and aliens|List of Doctor Who villains}}
When Sydney Newman commissioned the series, he specifically did not want to perpetuate the cliché of the "bug-eyed monster" of science fiction.<ref>{{cite news |title=Doctor Who (before the Tardis) |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7736130.stm |work= BBC Magazine |date=19 November 2008 |accessdate=3 January 2009}}</ref> However, [[monster]]s were popular with audiences and so became a staple of ''Doctor Who'' almost from the beginning.

With the show's 2005 revival, executive producer Russell T Davies stated{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} his intention to reintroduce classic [[Cultural icon|icons]] of ''Doctor Who'' one step at a time: the [[Auton]]s and [[Dalek]]s in series 1, [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] in series 2, the Macra and [[Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]] in series 3, the [[Sontaran]]s and [[Davros]] in series 4, and the Time Lords in the 2009-10 Specials. Davies' successor, Steven Moffat, has continued the trend by reviving the [[Silurian (Doctor Who)|Silurians]]. Since its 2005 return, the series has also introduced new recurring aliens, such as the [[Slitheen]], [[Ood]], [[Judoon]], and [[Weeping Angels]].

Besides infrequent appearances by the [[Ice Warrior]]s, the [[Yeti (Doctor Who)|Yeti]], the [[Rani (Doctor Who)|Rani]], the [[Meddling Monk]], [[Omega (Doctor Who)|Omega]], [[Black Guardian]], and [[Sil (Doctor Who)|Sil]], several adversaries have become particularly iconic:

====Daleks====
{{Main|Dalek}}
The Dalek race, which first appeared in the show's second serial in 1963,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0562905/ | title = The Dead Planet | accessdate = 30 June 2011}}</ref> are ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s oldest [[antagonist]]s. The Daleks are [[Kaled]] mutants from the planet [[Skaro]], who utilise tank-like mechanical armour shells for mobility. Their chief role in the plot of the series, as they frequently remark in their instantly recognisable metallic voices, is to "exterminate" all beings inferior to themselves, even attacking the [[Time Lord]]s in the often-referred-to-but-never-shown [[Time War (Doctor Who)|Time War]]. The Daleks' most recent appearance was in the 2010 episode ''[[The Big Bang (Doctor Who)|The Big Bang]]''. They continue to be a recurring 'monster' within the Doctor Who franchise.

The Daleks were created by writer [[Terry Nation]] (who intended them to be an [[allegory]] of the [[Nazism|Nazis]])<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/N/htmlN/nationterry/nationterry.htm | title = NATION, TERRY | accessdate = 19 May 2008}}</ref> and BBC designer [[Raymond Cusick]]. The Daleks' début in the programme's second serial, ''[[The Daleks]]'' (1963–64), caused a tremendous reaction in the viewing figures and the public, putting ''Doctor Who'' on the cultural map. A Dalek appeared on a postage stamp celebrating British popular culture in 1999, photographed by [[Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon|Lord Snowdon]].

====Cybermen====
{{Main|Cyberman}}

Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's [[Counter-Earth|twin planet]] Mondas that began to implant more and more artificial parts into their bodies.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} This led to the race becoming coldly logical and calculating, with emotions usually only shown when naked aggression was called for. They continue to be a recurring 'monster' within the Doctor Who franchise.

The 2006 series introduced a totally new variation of Cybermen. These ''Cybus'' Cybermen were created in a [[parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universe]] by the mad inventor 'John Lumic'; he was attempting to preserve the life of a human by transplanting their brains into powerful metal bodies, sending them orders using a mobile phone network and inhibiting their emotions with an electronic chip.

====The Master====
{{Main|Master (Doctor Who)}}
The Master is a renegade [[Time Lord]], and the Doctor's [[archenemy]]. Conceived as "[[Professor Moriarty]] to the Doctor's [[Sherlock Holmes]]",<ref>''Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition'' #2, 5 September 2002, [subtitled ''The Complete Third Doctor''], p. 14.</ref> the character first appeared in 1971. As with the Doctor, the role has been portrayed by several actors, since the Master is a Time Lord as well and able to regenerate; the first of these actors was [[Roger Delgado]], who continued in the role until his death in 1973. The Master was briefly played by [[Peter Pratt]] and [[Geoffrey Beevers]] until [[Anthony Ainley]] took over and continued to play the character until Doctor Who's hiatus in 1989. The Master returned in the 1996 television movie of ''[[Doctor Who (1996 film)|Doctor Who]]'', and was played by American actor [[Eric Roberts]].

The Master was also featured in the 2007 series, portrayed briefly by [[Derek Jacobi]] and then [[John Simm]]. Simm reprised his role as The Master in the 2009–2010 specials, ''[[The End of Time]]'' where he is last seen fighting the Time Lords into the void.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/news/090728_news_02 |title=Doctor Who - John Simm returns as the Master |work=BBC |date=27 July 2009 |accessdate=23 November 2009}}</ref>

==== Davros ====
{{Main|Davros}}
Davros is a scientific genius and [[megalomania]]c from the planet [[Skaro]]. He is the creator of the Daleks and became a recurring villain after he was introduced in ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'', in which the Time Lords send the Doctor back to either destroy the Daleks, avert their creation or tamper with their genetic structure to make them less warlike. Davros was first played by [[Michael Wisher]], who was followed by [[David Gooderson]], [[Terry Molloy]] and [[Julian Bleach]].

==Music==
===Theme music===
{{Main|Doctor Who theme music}}
{{Listen|filename=Doctor Who theme excerpt.ogg|title=Doctor Who theme excerpt|description=An excerpt from the classic theme music to ''Doctor Who''}}

The original 1963 [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop|radiophonic]] arrangement of the ''Doctor Who'' theme is widely regarded as a significant and innovative piece of electronic music, and ''Doctor Who'' was the first television series in the world to have a theme entirely realised through electronic means.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

The original theme was composed by [[Ron Grainer]] and realised by [[Delia Derbyshire]] at the [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]], with assistance from [[Dick Mills]]. The various parts were built up by creating [[tape loop]]s of an individually struck piano string and individual test [[oscillation|oscillator]]s and filters. The Derbyshire arrangement served, with minor edits, as the theme tune up to the end of [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 17 (1979–80)|Season 17]] (1979–80).

A different arrangement was recorded by [[Peter Howell]] for [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 18 (1980–81)|Season 18]] (1980), which was in turn replaced by [[Dominic Glynn]]'s arrangement for the episode ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'' in [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 23 (1986)|Season 23]] (1986). [[Keff McCulloch]] provided the new arrangement for the [[Seventh Doctor]]'s era which lasted from [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 24 (1987)|Season 24]] (1987) until the series' suspension in 1989. For the return of the series in 2005, [[Murray Gold]] provided a new arrangement which featured [[sampling (music)|samples]] from the 1963 original with further elements added; in the 2005 Christmas episode "[[The Christmas Invasion]]", Gold introduced a modified closing credits arrangement that was used up until the conclusion of the 2007 series.

A new arrangement of the theme, once again by Gold, was introduced in the 2007 Christmas special episode, "[[Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who)|Voyage of the Damned]]"; Gold returned as composer for the 2010 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/01/murray-gold-returns.html |title=Murray Gold Returns |date=3 January 2010 |work=Doctor Who News Page}}</ref> He was responsible for a new version of the theme which was reported to have had a hostile reception from some viewers.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/7603262/Doctor-Who-nasty-new-theme-tune-angers-fans.html "Doctor Who: 'nasty' new theme tune angers fans" Daily Telegraph 18 April 2010] Retrieved 20 May 2010</ref> In 2011, the theme tune charted at number 228 of radio station Classic FM's Hall Of Fame, a survey of classical music tastes.

Versions of the "Doctor Who Theme" have also been released as [[pop music]] over the years. In the early 1970s, Jon Pertwee, who had played the Third Doctor, recorded a version of the Doctor Who theme with spoken lyrics, titled, "Who Is the Doctor".{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}  In 1978 a disco version of the theme was released in the UK, Denmark and Australia by the group Mankind, which reached number 24 in the UK charts. In 1988 the band The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (later known as [[The KLF]]) released the single "[[Doctorin' the Tardis]]" under the name The Timelords, which reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 2 in Australia; this version incorporated several other songs, including "Rock and Roll Part 2" by [[Gary Glitter]] (who recorded vocals for some of the CD-single remix versions of "Doctorin' the Tardis").<ref name="guardianmusic">{{cite news |url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/07/doctor_who_a_musical_force.html |title=Doctor Who: a musical force? |accessdate=7 July 2008 |last=Peel |first=Ian |date=7 July 2008 |work=The Guardian  |publisher=blog | location=London}}</ref> Others who have covered or reinterpreted the theme include [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]],<ref name="guardianmusic" /> [[Pink Floyd]],<ref name="guardianmusic" /> the Australian string ensemble [[FourPlay Electric String Quartet|Fourplay]], New Zealand punk band [[Blam Blam Blam]], [[The Pogues]], [[Thin Lizzy]], and the comedians [[Bill Bailey]] and [[Mitch Benn]], and it and obsessive fans were satirised on ''[[The Chaser's War on Everything]]''. A reggae/ska version of the Doctor Who theme tune was released on the Explosion label in 1969 by [[Bongo Herman]] and Les.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} The theme tune has also appeared on many compilation CDs and has made its way into mobile phone ring tones. Fans have also produced and distributed their own remixes of the theme. In January 2011 the Mankind version was released as a [[music download|digital download]] on the album ''Gallifrey And Beyond''.

===Incidental music===
{{Main|List of music featured on Doctor Who}}
Most of the innovative incidental music for ''Doctor Who'' has been specially commissioned from freelance composers, although in the early years some episodes also used [[Royalty free music|stock music]], as well as occasional excerpts from original recordings or [[cover version]]s of songs by popular music acts such as [[The Beatles]] and [[The Beach Boys]]. Since its 2005 return, the series has featured occasional use of excerpts of pop music from the 1970s to the 2000s.

The incidental music for the first ''Doctor Who'' adventure, ''An Unearthly Child'', was written by [[Norman Kay (composer)|Norman Kay]]. Many of the stories of the [[William Hartnell]] period were scored by electronic music pioneer [[Tristram Cary]], whose ''Doctor Who'' credits include ''The Daleks'', ''[[Marco Polo (Doctor Who)|Marco Polo]]'', ''The Daleks' Master Plan'', ''The Gunfighters'' and ''[[The Mutants]]''. Other composers in this early period included [[Richard Rodney Bennett]], [[Carey Blyton]] and [[Geoffrey Burgon]].

The most frequent musical contributor during the first 15 years was [[Dudley Simpson]],{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} who is also well known for his theme and incidental music for ''[[Blake's 7]]'', and for his haunting theme music and score for the original 1970s version of ''[[The Tomorrow People]]''. Simpson's first ''Doctor Who'' score was ''[[Planet of Giants]]'' (1964) and he went on to write music for many adventures of the 1960s and 1970s, including most of the stories of the Jon Pertwee/Tom Baker periods, ending with ''[[The Horns of Nimon]]'' (1979). He also made a [[cameo appearance]] in ''The Talons of Weng-Chiang'' (as a [[Music hall]] conductor).

Beginning with ''[[The Leisure Hive]]'' (1980),{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} the task of creating incidental music was assigned to the Radiophonic Workshop. [[Paddy Kingsland]] and [[Peter Howell]] contributed many scores in this period and other contributors included [[Roger Limb]], [[Malcolm Clarke]] and [[Jonathan Gibbs (composer)|Jonathan Gibbs]].

The Radiophonic Workshop was dropped after the ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'' series, and [[Keff McCulloch]] took over as the series' main composer until the end of its run, with [[Dominic Glynn]] and [[Mark Ayres]] also contributing scores.

All the incidental music for the 2005 revived series has been composed by [[Murray Gold]] and [[Ben Foster (orchestrator)|Ben Foster]] and has been performed by the [[BBC National Orchestra of Wales]] from the 2005 Christmas episode "[[The Christmas Invasion]]" onwards. A concert featuring the orchestra performing music from the first two series took place on 19 November 2006 to raise money for Children in Need. David Tennant hosted the event, introducing the different sections of the concert. [[Murray Gold]] and [[Russell T Davies]] answered questions during the interval and [[Dalek]]s and [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] appeared whilst music from their stories was played. The concert aired on [[BBC Red Button|BBCi]] on Christmas Day 2006. A [[Doctor Who Prom]] was celebrated on 27 July 2008 in the [[Royal Albert Hall]] as part of the annual [[BBC Proms]]. The BBC Philharmonic and the [[London Philharmonic Choir]] performed Murray Gold's compositions for the series, conducted by Ben Foster, as well as a selection of classics based on the theme of space and time. The event was presented by [[Freema Agyeman]] and guest-presented by various other stars of the show with numerous monsters participating in the proceedings. It also featured the specially filmed mini-episode "[[Music of the Spheres (Doctor Who)|Music of the Spheres]]", written by Russell T Davies and starring David Tennant.<ref>{{cite web
 | date = 27 July 2008
 | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2008/whatson/2707.shtml
 | title = BBC Prom 27 July 2008
 | work =BBC
 | accessdate = 29 September 2008
}}</ref>

Five soundtrack releases have been released since 2005. The [[Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack|first]] featured tracks from the first two series,<ref>{{cite web
 | date = 17 July 2006
 | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/07/17/33953.shtml
 | title = Who soundtrack soon
 | work =BBC
 | accessdate = 4 August 2006
}}<br />{{cite web
| date = 1 November 2006
| url = http://www.silvascreen.co.uk/news.htm
| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061212205542/http://www.silvascreen.co.uk/news.htm
| archivedate = 12 December 2006
| title = Silva Screen announces Doctor Who CD release date
| work = silvascreen.co.uk
| accessdate = 4 December 2006
}}</ref> the [[Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 3|second]] and [[Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4|third]] featured music from the third and fourth series respectively. The [[Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4: The Specials|fourth]] was released on the 4th of October 2010 as a two disc special edition and contained music from the 2008-2010 specials (''[[The Next Doctor]]'' to ''[[End of Time| End of Time Part 2]]''). The [[Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 5|soundtrack for Series 5]] was released on the 8th of November 2010. See [[List of Doctor Who music releases]] for other soundtrack releases. In February 2011, a soundtrack was released for the 2010 Christmas Special: "A Christmas Carol" by Silva Screen Records.

===Special sound===
''Doctor Who''{{'}}s science-fiction themes and settings meant that many sound effects had to be specially created for the series,{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} although some common sound effects (such as crowds, horses and jungle noises) were sourced from stock recordings.  Because ''Doctor Who'' began several years before the advent of the first mass-produced synthesisers, much of the equipment used to create electronic sound effects in the early days was custom-built by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and until the early 1970s audio effects were produced using a combination of electronic and [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop|radiophonic]] techniques.

Almost all of the original sound effects and audio backgrounds during the 1960s were overseen by the Radiophonic Workshop's [[Brian Hodgson]],{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} who worked on ''Doctor Who'' from its inception until the middle of Jon Pertwee's tenure in the early 1970s, when he was succeeded by [[Dick Mills]]. Hodgson created hundreds of pieces of "special sound" ranging from ray-gun blasts to dinosaurs, but without doubt his best known sound effects are the sound of the TARDIS as it de-materialises and re-appears, and the voices of the Daleks.

The basic audio source Hodgson used for the TARDIS effect was the sound of his house keys being scraped up and down along the strings of an old gutted piano, and played backwards.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} The famous Dalek voice effect was obtained by passing the actors' voices through a [[ring modulation|ring modulator]], and it was further enhanced by exploiting the [[distortion]] inherent in the microphones and amplifiers then in use. However, the precise sonic character of the Daleks' voices varied somewhat over time because the original frequency settings used on the ring modulator were never noted down.

==Viewership==
{{Main|Doctor Who fandom}}

===United Kingdom===
[[File:TARDIS.jpg|right|thumb|180px|The image of the [[TARDIS]] is iconic in British popular culture.]]
Premiering the day after the [[John F. Kennedy assassination|assassination]] of President of the United States [[John F. Kennedy]], the first episode of ''Doctor Who'' was repeated with the second episode the following week. ''Doctor Who'' has always appeared initially on the BBC's mainstream BBC One channel, where it is regarded as a family show, drawing audiences of many millions of viewers; episodes are now repeated on [[BBC Three]]. The programme's popularity has waxed and waned over the decades, with three notable periods of high ratings.<ref name="ratings chart">{{cite news |first=Matt |last=Hilton |title=Doctor Who - Top Chart Placing - 1963–2008 |url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/picview.php?ret=news&sub=news&id=season4_final_4.jpg |work=Doctor Who News Page |publisher=[[Outpost Gallifrey]] |date=16 July 2008 |accessdate=16 July 2008 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2010}};{{cite web |url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/picview.php?ret=news&sub=news&id=2007_ratings.jpg |title=Doctor Who Top Ratings: 1963–2007 |accessdate=17 July 2008 |last=Matt |first=Hilton |date=11 January 2008 |work=Doctor Who News Page |publisher=[[Outpost Gallifrey]]|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080315003100/http://www.gallifreyone.com/picview.php?ret=news&sub=news&id=2007_ratings.jpg |archivedate = March 15, 2008}}</ref> The first of these was the "[[Dalekmania]]" period (circa 1964–1965), when the popularity of the Daleks regularly brought ''Doctor Who'' ratings of between 9 and 14&nbsp;million, even for stories which did not feature them.<ref name="ratings chart" /><ref>{{cite news
 | first = Douglas | last = Marlborough
 | title = Dead, but they won't lie down
 | url = http://www.cuttingsarchive.org.uk/news_mag/1960s/cuttings/dead.htm
 | format = Reprint, hosted on Doctor Who Cuttings Archive
 |work=Daily Mail |location=UK
 | location = London
 | date = 28 December 1964
 | accessdate = 16 July 2008
 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2010}}</ref> The second was the late 1970s, when Tom Baker occasionally drew audiences of over 12&nbsp;million.<ref name="ratings chart" /> During the [[ITV]] network strike of 1979, viewership peaked at 16&nbsp;million.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} Figures remained respectable into the 1980s, but fell noticeably after the programme's 23rd series was postponed in 1985 and the show was off the air for 18 months. Its late 1980s performance of three to five million viewers was seen as poor at the time and was, according to the BBC Board of Control, a leading cause of the programme's 1989 suspension. Some fans considered this disingenuous, since the programme was scheduled against the soap opera ''[[Coronation Street]]'', the most popular show at the time. After the series' revival in 2005 (the third notable period of high ratings), it has consistently had high viewership levels for the evening on which the episode is broadcast.<ref name="ratings chart" /> The BBC One broadcast of "[[Rose (Doctor Who)|Rose]]", the first episode of the 2005 revival, drew an average audience of 10.81&nbsp;million, third highest for BBC One that week and seventh across all channels.<ref name="ratings chart" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.barb.co.uk/viewingsummary/weekreports.cfm?report=weeklyterrestrial&requesttimeout=500 |title=Weekly Viewing Summary: Terrestrial Top 30 - Week ending 6 July 2008 |accessdate=16 July 2008 |work=[[Broadcasters' Audience Research Board]] |date=16 July 2008 }}<br />{{cite web |url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EkEykpAEuAeSoAAghE&tmpl=newsrss&style=feedstyle |title=Journey's End: Officially Number One |accessdate=16 July 2008 |last=Hilton |first=Matt |date=16 July 2008 |work=Doctor Who News Page |publisher=[[Outpost Gallifrey]]}}</ref> The current revival also garners the highest audience [[Appreciation Index]] of any non-[[soap opera|soap]] drama on television.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2007/11/these-scifi-people-vote/ | title=These sci-fi people vote | last=Wright |first=Mark |authorlink=Mark Wright (writer) | work=[[The Stage]] | date=1 November 2007 | accessdate=9 April 2009}}</ref>

===International===
[[New Zealand]] was the first country outside the UK to screen ''Doctor Who'', beginning in September 1964, and continued to screen the series for many years, including the new series from 2005. In Canada, the series debuted in January 1965, but the CBC only aired the first 26 episodes. [[TVOntario]] picked up the show in 1976 beginning with ''[[The Three Doctors (Doctor Who)|The Three Doctors]]'' and aired each series (several years late) through to series 24 in 1991. From 1979 to 1981, TVO airings were bookended by science-fiction writer [[Judith Merril]] who would introduce the episode and then, after the episode concluded, try to place it in an educational context in keeping with TVO's status as an educational channel. Its airing of ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]'' resulted in controversy as a result of accusations that the story was [[racism|racist]]; consequently the story was not rebroadcast. CBC began showing the series again in 2005. The series moved to the Canadian cable channel [[Space (TV channel)|Space]] in 2009.

In [[Latin America]], the original series was shown in Mexico (Televisa) from 1966 thru 1971 (they used the title ''Doctor Q'') and later on Canal 13 (TV Azteca) from 1978 thru 1980 (under the name ''Doctor Misterio'').

In [[Australia]], it has been exclusively first run since February 1965 on the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]'s [[ABC1]], and periodically repeated—including screening all available episodes for the show's 40th anniversary in 2003. Repeats have also been shown on the subscription television channel [[UK.TV]].{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} The station also broadcast the first run of the revived series, on ABC1, with repeats on [[ABC2]]. UK.TV also shows repeats of the revived series. ABC also provided partial funding for the 20th anniversary special episode "The Five Doctors".

The series also has a fan base in the [[United States]], [[Doctor Who in Canada and the United States|where it was shown]] in [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] from the 1970s to the 1990s, particularly on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] stations.

Only four episodes have ever had their premiere showings on channels other than BBC One. The 1983 20th anniversary special "[[The Five Doctors]]" had its début on 23 November (the actual date of the anniversary) on a few PBS stations two days prior to its BBC One broadcast. The 1988 story ''[[Silver Nemesis]]'' was broadcast with all three episodes edited together in compilation form on [[Television New Zealand|TVNZ]] in New Zealand in November, after the first episode had been shown in the UK but before the final two instalments had aired there. Finally, the 1996 television film premièred on 12 May 1996 on [[CITV-TV|CITV]] in [[Edmonton]], Canada, 15 days before the BBC One showing, and two days before it aired on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in the United States.

As of April 2011, the revived series has been, or is currently, broadcast weekly in about 50 countries,<ref>{{cite news |first=Gavin |last=O'Connor |title=How the Daleks invaded Earth |url= http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/07/13/how-the-daleks-invaded-earth-91466-21331115/ |work=[[Wales on Sunday]] |date=13 July 2008 |accessdate=17 July 2008 }}</ref> including the following:

*Argentina ([[People+Arts]])
*Australia ([[ABC1]], [[UK.TV]])
*Austria ([[ProSieben|Pro 7]])
*Belgium ([[Één]], [[La Deux]] (dubbed in French))
*Brazil (People+Arts)
*Bulgaria ([[AXN Sci Fi]], [[Diema 2]] - note: AXN Sci Fi Broadcasts Doctor Who for 5 more countries at the same time)
*Canada ([[Space (TV channel)|Space]], [[Ztélé]] (dubbed in French))
*Chile ([[People+Arts]])
*Croatia ([[Croatian Radiotelevision]])
*Czech Republic ([[AXN Sci-Fi]])
*Denmark ([[Danmarks Radio]], [[TV2 (Denmark)|TV2]])
*Finland ([[YLE TV2|TV2]], [[MTV3 Scifi]])
*France ([[France 4]])
*Germany ([[ProSieben|Pro 7]], [[Sci Fi Channel (Germany)|Sci Fi Channel]])
*Greece ([[Skai TV]])
*Guatemala ([[BBC Entertainment]])
*Hong Kong ([[Asia Television Limited|ATV World]], [[BBC Entertainment]])
*Hungary ([[AXN Sci Fi]], [[RTL Klub]])
*Iceland ([[RÚV]])
*Ireland ([[TV3 Ireland|TV3]])
*Israel ([[yes stars Action HD]], [[BBC Entertainment]], [[Yes SCI FI]])
*Italy ([[Rai 4]] and [[Jimmy (TV channel)|Jimmy]] (new series), [[Rai 1]] (classic series)), [[La7]], Bonsai TV (IPTV channel))
*India ([[BBC Entertainment]])
*Japan ([[NHK BS2]])
*Malaysia ([[Astro (satellite TV)|Astro Network]])
*Mexico ([[BBC Entertainment]], [[Televisión Mexiquense]])
*The Netherlands ([[Syfy Universal (Benelux)|Syfy Universal]])
*New Zealand ([[Prime Television New Zealand|Prime TV]], [[UKTV (Australia & New Zealand)|UKTV]])
*Norway ([[Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation|NRK]])
*Poland ([[TVP1]], [[AXN]], [[AXN Sci Fi]], [[BBC Entertainment]])
*Portugal ([[People+Arts]], [[SIC Radical]], [[BBC Entertainment]], [[Syfy Universal (Portugal)|SyFy]])
*Romania ([[Romanian Television|TVR]], [[AXN Sci Fi]])
*Russia ([[STS (Russia)|STS TV]])
*Singapore ([[BBC Entertainment]])
*Slovenia ([[RTV Slovenia]])
*South Africa ([[BBC Entertainment]])
*South Korea ([[Korean Broadcasting System|KBS2]] (dubbed in Korean), [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] and [[BBC Entertainment]] ([[subtitle (captioning)|subtitled]] in Korean))
*Spain ([[Sci Fi (Spain)|Sci Fi Channel]] and [[Boing (Spain)|Boing]] (dubbed in Spanish), [[TV3 (Catalonia)|TV3]], [[3XL]] and [[BBC Entertainment]] (dubbed in Catalan), [[ETB 1]] (dubbed in Basque))
*Latin America ([[People+Arts]])
*Sweden ([[BBC Entertainment]], [[BBC Knowledge]], [[TV4 Science fiction]])
*Switzerland ([[ProSieben|Pro 7]])
*Taiwan ([[Chinese Television System|CTS]])
*Thailand ([[BBTV Channel 7|Channel 7]])
*Turkey ([[Cine5]], [[CNBC-e]], [[e2 (TV channel)|e2]])
*Ukraine ([[ICTV (Ukraine)|ICTV]] (in 2008), [[:uk:КуйТБ|QTV]] (in 2010))
*UAE ([[Dubai 33]])
*USA ([[Syfy]] (first run and repeats of Series 1 - 4), [[BBC America]] (first run of 2009/2010 specials and Series 5 - 6, repeats of all Series), and [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] (repeats of all Series){{citation needed|date=May 2011}}
*[[Style UK]] (part of [[Showtime Arabia]]) for Middle-Eastern, North Africa and [[Levant]] areas{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}
*Vietnam {[[Vietnamese Broadcasting Company]]} for all of Vietnam territory,

''Doctor Who'' is one of the five top grossing titles for [[BBC Worldwide]], the BBC's commercial arm.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Sweney |title=Profits grow at BBC Worldwide |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/08/bbc.television2 |work=The Guardian |date=8 July 2008 |accessdate=8 July 2008 | location=London}}</ref> BBC Worldwide CEO [[John Smith (BBC executive)|John Smith]]<!--Yes, really--> has said that ''Doctor Who'' is one of a small number of "Superbrands" which Worldwide will promote heavily.<ref>{{cite news |first=Gavin |last=O'Connor |title=Daleks speak to all nations |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/07/13/daleks-speak-to-all-nations-91466-21331585/ |work=[[Wales on Sunday]] |date=13 July 2008 |accessdate=13 July 2008 }}</ref>

A special logo has been designed for the Japanese broadcast with the [[katakana]] "ドクター・フー" ([[Romanization of Japanese|romanised]] as ''Dokutā Fū'').<ref>{{cite web
|title=Turning Japanese
|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/06/30/33368.shtml
|date=30 June 2006}} See also NHK's ''Doctor Who'' [http://www3.nhk.or.jp/kaigai/doctorwho website]{{Dead link|date=April 2010}}.</ref> The series has apparently "mystified" viewers in Japan where it has been broadcast in a late evening time slot, leading to some not realising it is a family show.<ref>{{Cite news
 | last = Clements | first = Jonathan
 | authorlink = Jonathan Clements
 | title = Anime Pulse: Soundalikes
 | magazine = [[Neo (magazine)|NEO]]
 | issue = 30
 | page = 20
 |date=March 2007}}</ref>

The series one episodes aired in Canada a couple of weeks after their UK broadcast, a situation made possible by the [[2004–05 NHL lockout]] which left vast gaps in CBC's schedule.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} For the Canadian broadcast, Christopher Eccleston recorded special video introductions for each episode (including a trivia question as part of a viewer contest) and excerpts from the ''Doctor Who Confidential'' documentary were played over the closing credits; for the broadcast of "[[The Christmas Invasion]]" on 26 December 2005, [[Billie Piper]] recorded a special video introduction. CBC began airing series two on 9 October 2006 at 20:00 E/P (20:30 in Newfoundland and Labrador), shortly after that day's [[Canadian Football League|CFL]] double header on [[Thanksgiving (Canada)|Thanksgiving]] in most of the country.

Series three began broadcasting on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2007. It began broadcasting on CBC on 18 June 2007 followed by the second Christmas special, "[[The Runaway Bride (Doctor Who)|The Runaway Bride]]" at midnight,<ref name="RB">{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/doctorwho/ |title=Canada: Runaway Bride and Series Three on CBC |work=CBC.ca |accessdate=9 June 2007}}</ref> and the Sci Fi Channel began on 6 July 2007 starting with the second Christmas special at 8:00&nbsp;pm E/P followed by the first episode.<ref name="S3">{{cite web |url=http://www.scifi.com/schedulebot/index.php3?date=6-JUL-2007&feed_req= |title=Sci Fi On Air Schedule |work=Scifi.com |accessdate=9 June 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070611140321/http://www.scifi.com/schedulebot/index.php3?date=6-JUL-2007&feed_req= |archivedate = June 11, 2007}}</ref>

Series four aired in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel (now known as [[Syfy]]), beginning in April 2008.<ref name="S4USA">{{cite web|url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-doctorwhoseason4scifi,0,6573489.story| title='Doctor Who' series 4, 'Sarah Jane' Travel to Sci Fi|work=Zap2it|accessdate=4 February 2008}}</ref> It aired on CBC beginning 19 September 2008, although the CBC did not air the ''Voyage of the Damned'' special.<ref name="s4Canada">{{cite web|url=http://www.dwin.org/article.php?sid=242|title=Series Four Starts 19 September on CBC|work=www.dwin.org|accessdate=22 May 2008}}</ref> The Canadian cable network [[Space (TV channel)|Space]] broadcast "The Next Doctor" in March 2009, has broadcast the subsequent specials, and will broadcast series five.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spacecast.com/shows/doctorwho.aspx|title=Doctor Who: The Next Doctor|work=Spacecast.com|accessdate=5 March 2009}}</ref>

Beginning with the 2009/2010 specials and continuing with Series 5, BBC America aired new episodes in the United States, varying from a few days to a few weeks after their original airings in the United Kingdom.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}

On 25 December 2010, BBC America aired the special "A Christmas Carol," making it the first episode to premiere in the Unites States on the same day it premiered in the United Kingdom.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}  BBC America premiered Series 6 on 23 April 2011, the same day it premiered in the United Kingdom.

===DVD and video===
A wide selection of serials is available from BBC Video on [[DVD]], on sale in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. Every fully extant serial has been released on VHS, and BBC Worldwide continues to regularly [[List of Doctor Who DVD releases|release serials on DVD]]. The 2005 series is also available in its entirety on [[Universal Media Disc|UMD]] for the [[PlayStation Portable]]. Eight original series serials have been released on [[Laserdisc]]<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.timelash.com/tardis/list.asp?laserdisc}}</ref> and many have also been released on [[Betamax]] tape. So far only the new series from 2009 onwards are available on [[Blu-ray]].

==Adaptations and other appearances==
===''Dr. Who'' films===
{{Main|Dr. Who (Dalek films)}}
There are two "''Dr. Who''" [[feature film]]s: ''[[Dr. Who and the Daleks]]'', released in 1965 and ''[[Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.]]'' in 1966. Both are retellings of existing television stories (specifically, the first two Dalek serials, ''[[The Daleks]]'' and ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'' respectively) with a larger budget and alterations to the series concept.

In these films, [[Peter Cushing]] plays a human scientist<ref name=Tele1>{{cite web|title=Matt Smith is the eleventh, and youngest, actor to play Doctor Who|url=ttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/celebritynews/4124547/Matt-Smith-is-the-eleventh-and-youngest-actor-to-play-Doctor-Who.html?image=4|work=News|publisher=The Daily Telegraph (online)|accessdate=15 June 2011}}</ref>  named "Dr. Who", who travels with his two granddaughters and other companions in a time machine he has invented. The [[Dr. Who (Dalek films)#Other appearances|Cushing version]] of the character reappears in both comic strips and a [[short story]], the latter attempting to reconcile the film continuity with that of the series.

In addition, several planned films were proposed, including a sequel, ''The Chase'', loosely based on the [[The Chase (Doctor Who)|original series story]], for the Cushing Doctor, plus [[List of unmade Doctor Who serials and films#Proposed films|many attempted television movie and big screen productions]] to revive the original ''Doctor Who'', after the original series was cancelled.

Paul McGann starred in the only straight to television film as the 8th incarnation of the Doctor. Although he only appeared within [[Doctor Who (1996 film)|''Doctor Who: The Movie'']], he continued the role in audio books and was confirmed as the Eighth incarnation through flashback footage and other materials in the 2005 revival, effectively linking the two series and the television movie.

In 2009, it was reported that [[BBC Films]] had a script for a new ''Doctor Who'' film in [[development (film)|development]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Tennant to appear in Who spin-off |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8068435.stm |work=BBC News |date=26 May 2009 |accessdate=27 May 2009}}</ref> although both David Tennant<ref>{{cite web|author=ZoltanVII |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-edvKHi-u9M |title=Doctor Who David Tennant Interview On GMTV Waters of Mars Air is 15 November at 19 00 |publisher=YouTube |date=30 October 2009 |accessdate=30 April 2010}}</ref> and Russell T Davies<ref>{{cite news |title=Russell T Davies Talks Torchwood, Doctor Who and True Blood |url=http://www.ugo.com/tv/russell-t-davies-talks-torchwood-doctor-who-and-true-blood |work=UGO |date =10 July 2009 |accessdate =10 February 2010}}</ref> have subsequently denied this.

===Spin-offs===
{{Main|Doctor Who spin-offs}}
''Doctor Who'' has appeared on stage numerous times. In the early 1970s, [[Trevor Martin]] played the role in ''[[Doctor Who and the Daleks in the Seven Keys to Doomsday]]''. In the late 1980s, Jon Pertwee and Colin Baker both played the Doctor at different times during the run of a play titled ''[[Doctor Who – The Ultimate Adventure]]''. For two performances, while Pertwee was ill, [[David Banks (actor)|David Banks]] (better known for playing [[Cyberman|Cybermen]]) played the Doctor. Other original plays have been staged as amateur productions, with other actors playing the Doctor, while [[Terry Nation]] wrote ''[[The Curse of the Daleks]]'', a stage play mounted in the late 1960s, but without the Doctor.

A pilot episode ("[[A Girl's Best Friend]]") for a potential spinoff series, ''[[K-9 and Company]]'', was aired in 1981 with [[Elisabeth Sladen]] reprising her role as companion [[Sarah Jane Smith]] and [[John Leeson]] as the voice of [[K-9 (Doctor Who)|K-9]], but was not picked up as a regular series.

Concept art for an animated ''Doctor Who'' series was produced by animation company [[Nelvana]] in the 1980s, but the series was not produced.<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Lofficier  | first = Jean-Marc
  | authorlink = Jean-Marc Lofficier
  | title = The Nth Doctor
  | publisher = [[Virgin Publishing]]
  | location = London
  | year = 1997
  | page = 9
  | isbn = 0-426-20499-9 }}<br/>{{cite video
 |people     = Bailey, Shaun (Producer); Kalangis, Johnny (Director)
 |date      = 2004
 |title      = The Planet of the Doctor, Part 6: Doctor Who & Culture II
 |url        = http://www.cbc.ca/planetofthedoctor/videos.html#
 |format     = [[QuickTime]] or [[Windows Media]]
 |medium     = Documentary
 |publisher  = [[CBC Television]]
 |location   = Toronto
 |accessdate = 9 April 2009
}}<br/>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/planetofthedoctor/tb_gallery.html|title=Planet of the Doctor|accessdate=9 April 2009|work=[[CBC Television]]|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080430203208/http://www.cbc.ca/planetofthedoctor/tb_gallery.html |archivedate = April 30, 2008}}</ref>

The Doctor has also appeared in webcasts and in audio plays; prominent{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} among the latter were those produced by [[Big Finish Productions]] from 1999 onwards, who were responsible for a [[List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish|range of audio plays]] released on CD, as well as 2006's eight-part [[BBC 7]] series starring [[Paul McGann]].

Following the success of the 2005 series produced by Russell T Davies, the BBC commissioned Davies to produce a 13-part spin-off series titled ''[[Torchwood]]'' (an [[anagram]] of "Doctor Who"), set in modern-day [[Cardiff]] and investigating alien activities and crime. The series debuted on [[BBC Three]] on 22 October 2006.<ref>{{cite book |title=Inside the Hub |last=Walker |first=Stephen James |authorlink=Stephen James Walker |year=2007 |publisher=[[Telos Publishing]] |location=[[Tolworth]], [[Surrey]] |isbn=978-1-84583-013-7 |page=101}}</ref> [[John Barrowman]] reprised his role of [[Jack Harkness]] from the 2005 series of ''Doctor Who''.<ref>{{cite news
  | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4349120.stm
  | title=Doctor Who spin-off made in Wales
  | work=BBC News
  |date=17 October 2005
  | accessdate=24 April 2006
}}</ref> Two other actresses who appeared in Doctor Who also star in the series; [[Eve Myles]] as [[Gwen Cooper]], who also played the similarly named servant girl Gwyneth in the 2005 ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[The Unquiet Dead]]",<ref>{{cite web
 | date =24 February 2006
 | url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/02/24/29846.shtml
 | title =Team Torchwood
 | work =BBC
 | accessdate =24 April 2006
}}</ref> and [[Naoko Mori]] who reprised her role as [[Toshiko Sato]] first seen in "[[Aliens of London]]". A second series of ''Torchwood'' aired in 2008; for three episodes, the cast was joined by Freema Agyeman reprising her ''Doctor Who'' role of Martha Jones. A third series was broadcast from 6 to 10 July 2009, and consisted of a single five-part story called ''Children of Earth''. A fourth series, [[Torchwood: Miracle Day]] jointly produced by BBC Wales, BBC Worldwide and the American entertainment company Starz debuted in 2011 and left the usual Cardiff setting for the first time.

''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', starring Elisabeth Sladen who reprises her role as Sarah Jane Smith, has been developed by [[CBBC]]; a special aired on New Year's Day 2007 and a full series began on 24 September 2007.<ref>{{cite press release
 | title =Russell T Davies creates new series for CBBC, starring Doctor Who's Sarah Jane Smith
 | publisher =BBC
 |date=14 September 2006
 | url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/09_september/14/sarah.shtml
 | accessdate =14 September 2006 }}</ref> A second series followed in 2008, notable for (as noted above) featuring the return of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. A third and fourth series aired in the autumn of 2009 and 2010 respectively.

An animated serial, ''[[The Infinite Quest]]'', aired alongside the 2007 series of ''Doctor Who'' as part of the children's television series ''[[Totally Doctor Who]]''. The serial featured the voices of series regulars David Tennant and [[Freema Agyeman]] but is not considered part of the 2007 series.<ref name="cartoon_bbc">{{cite news
|title=Who's a Toon?
|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/01/26/40315.shtml
|date=26 January 2007
|accessdate=26 January 2007
|work=BBC ''Doctor Who'' website
}}</ref> A second animated serial, ''[[Dreamland (Doctor Who)|Dreamland]]'', aired in six parts on the [[BBC Red Button]] service, and the official ''Doctor Who'' website in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8300002.stm|title=Wire star set for Dr Who cartoon|date=9 October 2009|work=BBC News|accessdate=6 January 2010}}</ref>

Numerous other spin-off series have been created not by the BBC but by the respected owners of the characters and concepts. Such spin-offs include the ''[[Faction Paradox]]'', ''[[Iris Wildthyme]]'', ''[[Bernice Summerfield]]'' and ''[[P.R.O.B.E.]]'' series plus others including the current [[K-9 (TV series)|K-9]] television series, currently airing on [[Disney XD (UK & Ireland)|Disney XD]].<ref>{{cite news
 | date =26 April 2006
 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4939144.stm
 | title =Doctor Who dog K9 gets spin-off
 | work =BBC News
 | accessdate =26 July 2006
 | date=25 April 2006}}</ref>

===Charity episodes===
In 1983, coinciding with the series' 20th anniversary, a charity special titled ''[[The Five Doctors]]'' was produced in aid of Children in Need, featuring three of the first five Doctors, a new actor to replace the deceased William Hartnell, and unused footage to represent Tom Baker. This was a full-length, 90-minute film, the longest single episode of ''Doctor Who'' produced to date (the [[television movie]] ran slightly longer on broadcast where it included commercial breaks).

In 1993, for the franchise's 30th anniversary, another charity special, titled ''[[Dimensions in Time]]'' was produced for Children in Need, featuring all of the surviving actors who played the Doctor and a number of previous companions. Not taken seriously by many,{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} the story featured the [[Rani (Doctor Who)|Rani]] opening a hole in time, cycling the Doctor and his companions through his previous incarnations and menacing them with monsters from the show's past. It also featured a crossover with the soap opera ''[[EastEnders]]'', the action taking place in the latter's [[Albert Square]] location and around [[Greenwich]], including the ''[[Cutty Sark]]''. The special was one of several special 3D programmes the BBC produced at the time, using a 3D system that made use of the [[Pulfrich effect]] requiring glasses with one darkened lens; the picture would look perfectly normal to those viewers who watched without the glasses.

In 1999, another special, ''[[Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death]]'', was made for [[Comic Relief]] and later released on VHS. An affectionate [[parody]] of the television series, it was split into four segments, mimicking the traditional serial format, complete with [[cliffhanger]]s, and running down the same corridor several times when being chased (the version released on video was split into only two episodes). In the story, the Doctor ([[Rowan Atkinson]]) encounters both [[Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]] ([[Jonathan Pryce]]) and the [[Dalek]]s. During the special the Doctor is forced to regenerate several times, with his subsequent incarnations played by, in order, [[Richard E. Grant]], [[Jim Broadbent]], [[Hugh Grant]] and [[Joanna Lumley]]. The script was written by [[Steven Moffat]], later to be head writer and executive producer to the revived series.<ref name=RTDgone/>

Since the return of ''Doctor Who'' in 2005, the franchise has produced two original "mini-episodes" to support Children in Need. The first, aired in November 2005, was an [[Doctor Who: Children in Need|untitled seven-minute scene]] which introduced [[David Tennant]] as the [[Tenth Doctor]] directly after his [[Regeneration (Doctor Who)|regeneration]] from [[The Parting of the Ways|the previous episode]]. It was followed in November 2007 by "[[Time Crash]]", a 7-minute scene which featured the Tenth Doctor meeting the [[Fifth Doctor]] (played once again by [[Peter Davison]]). The ''Doctor Who'' production team did not produce a new Children in Need mini-episode for the 2008 and 2009 events; instead, for the 2008 event, the opening scene from the 2008 Christmas special, ''[[The Next Doctor]]'' was broadcast and for the 2009 event, a scene from the 2009 Christmas Special ''[[The End of Time]]'' was broadcast.

A set of two mini-episodes, titled ''Space'' and ''Time'' respectively, were produced to support [[Comic Relief]]. They were aired during the [[Comic Relief#2011 event|Comic Relief 2011 event]].<ref name="comicrelief2011">{{cite web| url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a306899/moffat-reveals-who-comic-relief-plot.html| title=Doctor Who For Comic Relief – Exclusive| publisher=[[SFX (magazine)]]| date=2 March 2011| accessdate=6 March 2011}}</ref>

===Spoofs and cultural references===
{{Main|Doctor Who spoofs}}
''Doctor Who'' has been satirised and spoofed on many occasions by comedians including [[Spike Milligan]] and [[Lenny Henry]]. [[Doctor Who fandom|''Doctor Who'' fandom]] has also been lampooned on programmes such as ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', ''[[The Chaser's War on Everything]]'', ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', ''[[Family Guy]]'', ''[[American Dad!]]'', ''[[South Park]]'' and ''[[The Simpsons]]''.

The Doctor in his fourth incarnation has been represented on several episodes of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', starting with the episode "[[Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming]]".

[[Jon Culshaw]] frequently impersonates the Fourth Doctor in the BBC ''[[Dead Ringers (comedy)|Dead Ringers]]'' series. Culshaw's "Doctor" has telephoned four of the "real" Doctors—Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy—in character as the Fourth Doctor. In the 2005 ''Dead Ringers'' Christmas special, broadcast shortly before "[[The Christmas Invasion]]", Culshaw impersonated both the Fourth and Tenth Doctors, while the Second, Seventh and Ninth Doctors were impersonated by [[Mark Perry (impressionist)|Mark Perry]], [[Kevin Connelly]] and [[Phil Cornwell]], respectively.

Less a spoof and more of a [[pastiche]] is the character of Professor Justin Alphonse Gamble, a renegade from the [[Time Variance Authority]], who appeared in [[Marvel Comics]]' ''[[Power Man and Iron Fist]]'' #79 and ''[[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]] Annual'' #22. His enemies include the rogue robots known as the Dredlox.<ref>{{cite web
|date =26 September 2004
|url =http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/jagamble.htm
|title =Professor Justin Alphone Gamble
|work =The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
|accessdate =22 June 2006
}}</ref>

There have also been many references to ''Doctor Who'' in popular culture and other science fiction franchises, including ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' ("[[The Neutral Zone (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|The Neutral Zone]]", among others). In the Channel 4 series ''[[Queer as Folk (UK TV series)|Queer As Folk]]'' (created by later ''Doctor Who'' executive producer Russell T Davies), the character of Vince was portrayed as an avid ''Doctor Who'' fan, with references appearing many times throughout in the form of clips from the programme. In a similar manner, the character of Oliver on [[Coupling]] (created and written by current show runner Steven Moffat) is portrayed as a ''Doctor Who'' collector and enthusiast. References to ''Doctor Who'' have also appeared in the young adult fantasy novels ''[[Brisingr]]''<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Paolini | first = Christopher
 | authorlink = Christopher Paolini
 | title = Brisingr
 | format = Hardcover
 | edition = 1st
 | date = 20 September 2008
 | publisher = [[Alfred A. Knopf]]
 | location = New York
 | isbn = 0375826726
 | page = 204
 | chapter = Shadows of the Past
 | quote = Bending over, Eragon read, ''Adrift upon the sea of time, the lonely god wanders from shore to distant shore, upholding the laws of the stars above.''}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 | last = Paolini | first = Christopher
 | authorlink = Christopher Paolini
 | title = Brisingr
 | format = Hardcover
 | edition = 1st
 | date = 20 September 2008
 | publisher = [[Alfred A. Knopf]]
 | location = New York
 | isbn = 0375826726
 | page = 761
 | chapter = Acknowledgments
 | quote = Also, for those who understood the reference to a 'lonely god' when Eragon and Arya are sitting around the campfire, my only excuse is that the Doctor can travel everywhere, even alternate realities. Hey, I'm a fan too!}}</ref> and ''[[High Wizardry]]'',<ref>{{cite web
 | date =25 March 2005
 | url =http://www.youngwizards.com/ErrantryWiki/index.php/Man_In_The_Bar%2C_the
 | title =Man In The Bar, the
 | work =The Errantry Concordance
 | publisher =[[Diane Duane]]
 | accessdate =5 July 2007
}}</ref> the video game [[Rock Band (video game)|''Rock Band'']],<ref>{{cite web
 | date =20 November 2007
 | url = http://www.flickr.com/photos/zerolives/2051074285/
 | title =Doctor who Love in Rock Band
 | work = flickr
 | publisher =zerolives
 | accessdate = 24 December 2007
}}</ref> the soap opera ''[[EastEnders]]'',<ref>{{cite news
 | first = Sarah | last = Nathan
 | title = From Square to eternity
 | url = http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article539976.ece
 | work = [[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]]
 | location = London
 | date = 4 December 2007
 | accessdate = 7 May 2009
 }}</ref> the [[Adult Swim]] comedy show ''[[Robot Chicken]]'', the ''[[Family Guy]]'' episodes "[[Blue Harvest (Family Guy)|Blue Harvest]]" and "[[420 (Family Guy)|420]]" and the game [[RuneScape]].

''Doctor Who'' has long been a referent for political cartoonists, from a 1964 cartoon in the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' depicting [[Charles de Gaulle]] as a Dalek<ref>{{cite news
 | first = Leslie Gilbert | last = Illingsworth
 | authorlink =
 | author =
 | coauthors =
 | title = The Degaullek (France's leader, General De Gaulle, is caricatured as a Dalek)
 | url = http://www.cuttingsarchive.org.uk/news_mag/1960s/cuttings/degaulek.htm
 | format = Reprint at the Doctor Who Cuttings Archive
 |work=Daily Mail |location=UK
 | location = London
 | date = 25 November 1964
 | accessdate = 16 July 2008
 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2010}}</ref> to a 2008 edition of ''[[This Modern World]]'' by [[Tom Tomorrow]] in which the Tenth Doctor informs an incredulous character from 2003 that the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] will nominate an African-American ([[Barack Obama]], who eventually won the presidency) as its presidential candidate.<ref>{{cite web
 | date =10 June 2008
 | url =http://action.credomobile.com/comics/2008/06/the_week_that_was.html
 | title =This Modern World
 | work =The Week that Was
 | publisher =[[Tom Tomorrow]]
 | accessdate =12 June 2008
 }}</ref>

The word "TARDIS" is an entry in the [[Shorter Oxford English Dictionary]].<ref>{{cite web
| date = 5 September 2002
| url = http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/wordfrom/shorter/?view=uk
| accessdate = 15 May 2009
| title = The essence of the ''Oxford English Dictionary''
}}</ref> One of the most noticeable "tip of the hat" to the whole Doctor Who series, was evident for all to view in the popular late-'80s cult-classic (in its own right) film [[Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure]], where the eponymous protagonists travel through time in a public phone booth. Originally, the time machine was to be a 1969 Chevrolet van, but the idea was rejected as being too close in concept to the [[Back to the Future (film series)|DeLorean]] used in the [[Back to the Future (film series)|Back to the Future]] trilogy. Instead, the time machine was styled after a 1960s American telephone booth. Its similarity to the time-travelling British police box-shaped TARDIS of the BBC's television programme Doctor Who is reflected in the [[Cracked (magazine)|Cracked]] parody in which the Doctor threatens to sue Rufus.

===Museums and exhibitions===
{{Main|Doctor Who exhibitions}}
There have been various exhibitions of ''Doctor Who'' in the United Kingdom, including the now closed exhibitions at:

*Cardiff, the city where the series is filmed
*Blackpool
*[[Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum|Kelvingrove Museum]], [[Glasgow]]
*[[Coventry Transport Museum]], [[Coventry]]
*[[Land's End]], [[Cornwall]]
*[[Centre for life]], [[Newcastle upon Tyne]]

===Merchandise===
{{Main|Doctor Who merchandise}}
Since its beginnings, ''Doctor Who'' has generated hundreds of products related to the show, from toys and games to collectible picture cards and postage stamps. These include board games, card games, gamebooks, computer games, roleplaying games, action figures and a pinball game. Many games have been released that feature the Daleks, including [[Dalek#Computer games|Dalek computer games]].

===Books===
''Doctor Who'' books have been published from the mid-sixties through to the present day. From 1965 to 1991 the books published were primarily novelised adaptations of broadcast episodes;{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} beginning in 1991 an extensive line of original fiction was launched, the [[Virgin New Adventures]] and [[Virgin Missing Adventures]]. Since the relaunch of the programme in 2005, a new range of novels have been published by [[BBC Books]], featuring the adventures of the Ninth, Tenth and 11th Doctors. Numerous non-fiction books about the series, including guidebooks and critical studies, have also been published, and a dedicated ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' with newsstand circulation has been published regularly since 1979. There is also a ''[[Doctor Who Adventures]]'' magazine published by the BBC. In April 2010 ''[[Hub (magazine)|Hub Magazine]]'' released a ''Doctor Who'' Special (Issue 116) which collected new articles and pieces from various writers associated with both Classic and New Series ''Doctor Who'', including Andrew Cartmel, Paul Magrs, Joseph Lidster, Mark Morris, Simon Clarke and Scott Harrison (who also guest-edited the issue)

*[[Past Doctor Adventures]]
*[[Eighth Doctor Adventures]]
*[[New Series Adventures (Doctor Who)|New Series Adventures]]
*[[List of Doctor Who novelisations]]

===Blackpool Illuminations===
In 2007, ''Doctor Who'' and a number of his enemies were portrayed in illuminated road features for [[Blackpool Illuminations]]. More pictures of the Doctor with his new companion Donna were added in 2008, along with new monsters such as the [[Ood]] plus some three dimensional models of the TARDIS and Daleks.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.sarahmyerscough.co.uk/Galleries_of_Work/Blackpool_Illuminations_Gallery/Dr_Who_2008.asp |title=Sarah Myerscough (Artist) - Dr Who 2008 - Blackpool Illuminations Gallery |accessdate=12 August 2009 |work=www.sarahmyerscough.co.uk}}</ref> Only two actors playing the Doctor have switched on the Illuminations: Tom Baker in 1975 and David Tennant in 2007.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}

===Cardiff Christmas Lights===
In 2010, Matt Smith switched on the Cardiff Christmas Lights as part of the 10th anniversary of Winter Wonderland, an event in which an open air ice-rink and fair are opened in Cardiff's civic centre. Matt used the Doctor's [[Sonic Screwdriver]] to switch on the lights, and was accompanied by [[Karen Gillan]] and [[Arthur Darvill]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Doctor Who switches on Cardiff’s Christmas lights|author= Julia McWatt|url= http://www.walesonline.co.uk/cardiffonline/cardiff-news/2010/11/11/doctor-who-switches-on-cardiff-s-christmas-lights-91466-27638242/|newspaper= Wales Online|date= 10 November 2010}}</ref>

==Awards==
Although ''Doctor Who'' was fondly regarded during its original 1963–1989 run, it received little critical recognition{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} at the time. In 1975, [[List of Doctor Who serials#Season 11 (1973–74)|Season 11]] of the series won a Writers' Guild of Great Britain award for Best Writing in a Children's Serial. In 1996, BBC television held the "Auntie Awards" as the culmination of their "TV60" series, celebrating 60 years of BBC television broadcasting, where ''Doctor Who'' was voted as the "Best Popular Drama" the corporation had ever produced, ahead of such ratings heavyweights as ''[[EastEnders]]'' and ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]''.<ref name="auntieawards">{{cite news|title=Viewers spurn TV's golden age in poll of small screen classics as the BBC fetes its 60th birthday|first=Andrew|last=Culf|work=The Guardian|date=4 November 1996|page=4}}</ref> In 2000, ''Doctor Who'' was ranked third in a list of the [[100 Greatest British Television Programmes]] of the 20th century, produced by the [[British Film Institute]] and voted on by industry professionals.<ref name="tv100">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/911085.stm|title= Fawlty Towers tops TV hits|work=BBC News|date=5 September 2000|accessdate=18 March 2007}}</ref> In 2005, the series came first in a survey by [[SFX magazine]] of "The Greatest UK Science Fiction and Fantasy Television Series Ever". Also, in the [[100 Greatest Kids' TV shows]] (a [[Channel 4]] countdown in 2001), the 1963–1989 run was placed at number eight.

The revived series has received recognition from critics and the public, across various different awards ceremonies. These include:

===BAFTAs===
The [[British Academy Television Awards]] (BAFTA) nominations, released on 27 March 2006, revealed that ''Doctor Who'' had been shortlisted in the "Drama Series" category. This is the highest-profile and most prestigious British television award for which the series has ever been nominated. ''Doctor Who'' was also nominated in several other categories in the BAFTA Craft Awards, including Writer ([[Russell T Davies]]), Director ([[Joe Ahearne]]), and Break-through Talent (production designer Edward Thomas). However, it did not win any of its categories at the Craft Awards.

On 22 April 2006, the programme won five categories (out of 14 nominations) at the lower-profile [[BAFTA Cymru]] awards, given to programmes made in Wales. It won Best Drama Series, Drama Director ([[James Hawes]]), Costume, Make-up and Photography Direction. Russell T Davies also won the [[Siân Phillips]] Award for Outstanding Contribution to Network Television.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4934216.stm
|title=Doctor leads Bafta Cymru winners
|work=BBC News
|date=22 April 2006
|accessdate=24 April 2006
}}</ref> The programme enjoyed further success at the BAFTA Cymru awards the following year, winning eight of the 13 categories in which it was nominated, including Best Actor for David Tennant and Best Drama Director for [[Graeme Harper]].<ref name="cymru2">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6604115.stm|title=Dr Who sweeps Bafta Cymru board|work=BBC News|date=29 April 2007|accessdate=29 April 2007}}</ref>

On 7 May 2006, the winners of the [[British Academy Television Awards]] were announced, and ''Doctor Who'' won both of the categories it was nominated for, the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series|Best Drama Series]] and audience-voted Pioneer Award. Russell T Davies also won the [[Dennis Potter]] Award for Outstanding Writing for Television.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4982648.stm
|title=Doctor Who is Bafta award winner
|work=BBC News
|date=8 May 2006
|accessdate=8 May 2006
}}</ref> Writer [[Steven Moffat]] won the Writer category at the 2008 BAFTA Craft Awards for his 2007 ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[Blink (Doctor Who)|Blink]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7395593.stm|title= Bafta glory for Channel 4's Boy A|work=BBC News|date=12 May 2008|accessdate=13 May 2008}}</ref>

The series also won awards at the BAFTA Cymru ceremony on 27 April 2008, including "Best Screenwriter" for Steven Moffat, "Best Director: Drama" for James Strong, "Best Director Of Photography: Drama" for [[Ernie Vincze]], "Best Sound" for the BBC Cymru Wales Sound Team and "Best Make-Up" for Barbara Southcott and Neill Gorton (of Millennium FX).<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bafta-cymru.org.uk/english/awards/pdf/winners_2008.pdf| title=BAFTA Cymru Film, Television & New Media Awards, 2008 &ndash; WINNERS| work=BAFTA Cymru| format=PDF| accessdate=5 January 2009}}</ref>

In March 2009, it was announced that ''Doctor Who'' had again been nominated in the "Drama Series" category for the [[British Academy Television Awards]]; however, it lost to the BBC series ''[[Wallander (British TV series)|Wallander]]'' at the Awards on Sunday 26 April.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7960793.stm|title=Bafta TV Awards: 2009 nominations|work=BBC News|date=24 March 2009|accessdate=24 March 2009}}</ref> The series picked up two BAFTAs at the British Academy Television Craft Awards on Sunday 17 May. Visual Effects company The Mill won the "Visual Effects" award for the episode "[[The Fires of Pompeii]]" and Philip Kloss won in the "Editing Fiction/Entertainment" category.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/television-craft/tv-craft-nominations,715,BA.html|title=British Academy Television Craft Awards in 2009: winners|work=[[BAFTA]]|date=17 May 2009|accessdate=17 May 2009}}</ref>

In 2011, [[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]] was nominated for best television actor at the [[2011 Bafta Television Awards]], but eventually lost out to [[Daniel Rigby]] from [[Eric and Ernie]]. It was the first time an actor portraying The Doctor had received such a nomination.

===Other British awards===
In 2005, at the [[National Television Awards]] (voted on by members of the British public), ''Doctor Who'' won "Most Popular Drama", Christopher Eccleston won "Most Popular Actor" and Billie Piper won "Most Popular Actress". The series and Piper repeated their wins at the 2006 National Television Awards, and David Tennant won "Most Popular Actor" in 2006 and 2007, with the series again taking the Most Popular Drama award in 2007.<ref>{{cite news
 | title = Dr Who scores TV awards hat-trick
 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6104048.stm
 | work =BBC
 | date= 31 October 2006
 | accessdate = 31 October 2006
}}<br />{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7071989.stm|title=Ant and Dec win three TV awards|work=BBC News|date=1 November 2007|accessdate=1 November 2007}}</ref> At the 2008 National Television Awards Tennant won "Outstanding Drama Performance" and the series again won the Drama category;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7698011.stm|title=Cowell wins recognition TV award |publisher=[[BBC Online]]|date=29 October 2008|accessdate=22 January 2010}}</ref> they repeated these victories the next time the awards were held, in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8471232.stm|title=Doctor Who scoops two National TV awards|publisher=[[BBC Online]]|date=21 January 2010|accessdate=22 January 2010}}</ref>

A scene from "[[The Doctor Dances]]" won "Golden Moment" in the BBC's "2005 TV Moments" awards,<ref>{{cite web
 | month =December| year =2005
 | url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/tvmoments/winners.shtml
 | title =2005 TV Moments
 | work =BBC
 | accessdate =24 April 2006
}}</ref> and ''Doctor Who'' swept all the categories in [[Bbc.co.uk|BBC.co.uk]]'s online "Best of Drama" poll in both 2005<ref>{{cite web
 | month =December| year =2005
 | url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/bestof2005/
 | title =Drama Best of 2005
 | work =BBC
 | accessdate =24 April 2006
}}</ref> and 2006.<ref>{{cite web
 | month =January | year =2007
 | url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/bestof2006/
 | title =Drama Best of 2006
 | work =BBC
 | accessdate =16 January 2007
}}</ref> The programme also won the ''[[Broadcast (magazine)|Broadcast Magazine]]'' Award for Best Drama.<ref>{{cite web
 | date =26 January 2006
 | url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/01/26/29141.shtml
 | title =Doctor Who wins Broadcast Award
 | work =BBC
 | accessdate =24 April 2006
}}</ref> Eccleston was awarded the TV Quick and TV Choice award for Best Actor in 2005; in the same 2006 awards, Tennant won Best Actor, Piper won Best Actress and ''Doctor Who'' won Best-Loved Drama.<ref>{{cite news
 |title = Street is best soap at TV awards
 |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4218078.stm
 |work =BBC News
 |date= 6 September 2005
 |accessdate = 5 September 2006
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 |title = Doctor Who lands three TV awards
 |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5314890.stm
 |work =BBC News
 |date= 5 September 2006
 |accessdate = 5 September 2006
}}</ref>

''Doctor Who'' was nominated in the Best Drama Series category at the 2006 [[Royal Television Society]] awards,<ref>{{cite news
| url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,1714821,00.html
| title=RTS Programme Awards - Nominations
| work=The Guardian
|date=21 February 2006
| accessdate=24 April 2006
| location=London}}</ref> but lost to [[BBC Three]]'s medical drama ''[[Bodies (TV series)|Bodies]]''.<ref>{{cite news
| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4808172.stm
| title=Bleak House wins TV drama award
| work=BBC News
|date=15 March 2006
| accessdate=24 April 2006
}}</ref>

''Doctor Who'' also received several nominations for the 2006 [[Broadcasting Press Guild]] Awards: the programme for Best Drama, Eccleston for Best Actor (David Tennant was also nominated for ''[[Secret Smile]]''), Piper for Best Actress and Davies for Best Writer. However, it did not win any of these categories.<ref>{{cite web
 | date =31 March 2006
 | url =http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/awards/2006.html
 | title =Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2006
 | work =[[Broadcasting Press Guild]]
 | accessdate =24 April 2006
}}</ref>

A panel of journalists and television executives for the annual awards given out at the [[Edinburgh Television Festival]] voted ''Doctor Who'' as the best programme of the year in 2007 and 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6963958.stm|title= BBC One wins channel of the year|work=BBC News| date= 25 August 2007|accessdate=29 September 2008|first=Kevin|last=Young}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7579262.stm|title= BBC channels win festival awards|work=BBC News| date= 23 August 2008|accessdate=23 August 2008}}</ref>

''Doctor Who'' was nominated at the 2010 [[BBC Radio 1]] [[Adolescence|Teen]] Awards for 'Best TV Show'. It lost out to [[Channel 4]]'s [[The Inbetweeners]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Radio 1's Teen Awards winners announced |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/11_november/15/teen.shtml|publisher=BBC Press Office|accessdate=15 November 2010}}</ref>

The episode "[[Vincent and the Doctor]]" was [[short list|shortlisted]] for a Mind Award at the 2010 Mind Mental Health Media Awards for its "touching" portrayal of [[Vincent Van Gogh]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.mhmawards.org.uk/shortlist.html| title= Winners announced | publisher= [[Mind (charity)|Mind]] accessdate=2011-05-04| quote= Dr Who – "Vincent and the Doctor" (BBC One/BBC Wales).  [[Richard Curtis]] writes this touching episode of ''Dr Who'' about the mental health experiences of the great artist Vincent Van Gogh.}}</ref>

===Science-fiction awards===
Several episodes of the 2005 series of ''Doctor Who'' were nominated for the [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form]]: "[[Dalek (Doctor Who episode)|Dalek]]", "[[Father's Day (Doctor Who)|Father's Day]]" and the double episode "[[The Empty Child]]"/"[[The Doctor Dances]]". At a ceremony at the Worldcon ([[64th World Science Fiction Convention|L.A. Con IV]]) in Los Angeles on 27 August 2006, the Hugo was awarded to "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances".<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.locusmag.com/2006/News/08_HugoCampbellWinners.html
| title = Hugo and Campbell Awards Winners
| work = [[Locus (magazine)|Locus Online]]
| accessdate = 27 August 2006
|date= 26 August 2006
}}</ref> "Dalek" and "Father's Day" came in second and third places respectively.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://cluebytwelve.net/Hugos2006/07_Dramatic_Short.htm
| title = Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
| work = 2006 Hugo Award & Campbell Award Winners
| accessdate = 28 August 2006
|date= 26 August 2006
}}</ref> The 2006 series episodes "[[School Reunion (Doctor Who)|School Reunion]]", "[[Army of Ghosts]]"/"[[Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Doomsday]]" and "[[The Girl in the Fireplace]]" were nominated for the same category of the 2007 Hugo Awards, with "The Girl in the Fireplace" winning.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/index.php?page_id=127
| title = 2007 Hugo Awards
| work = World Science Fiction Society
|date=1 September 2007
| accessdate =1 September 2007
}}</ref> The 2007 series episodes "[[Blink (Doctor Who)|Blink]]" and "[[Human Nature (Doctor Who episode)|Human Nature]]"/"[[The Family of Blood]]" also secured nominations in this category in the 2008 Hugo Awards,<ref name="Denv">{{cite web
 | title = 2008 Hugo Nomination List
 | work = Denvention 3: The 66th World Science Fiction Convention
 | publisher = World Science Fiction Society
 | year = 2008
 | url = http://www.denvention.org/hugos/08hugonomlist.php
 | accessdate = 21 March 2008}}</ref> with "Blink" winning the award.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/index.php?page_id=146
| title = 2008 Hugo Awards Announced
| work = World Science Fiction Society
|date=9 August 2008
| accessdate =15 August 2007
}}</ref> The 2008 series episodes "[[Silence in the Library]]"/"[[Forest of the Dead]]" and "[[Turn Left (Doctor Who)|Turn Left]]" secured nominations in this category in the 2009 Hugo awards, but lost to [[Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog]].<ref name="Montreal">{{cite web
 | title = 2009 Hugo Nomination List
 | work = 2009 Hugo Award Nominations
 | publisher = World Science Fiction Society
 | year = 2009
 | url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/?p=260
 | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> The 2009 series episodes "[[The Waters of Mars]]", "[[The Next Doctor]]", and "[[Planet of the Dead]]" secured nominations in this category in the 2010 Hugo awards,<ref name="Aussiecon4">{{cite web
 | title = 2010 Hugo Award Nominees – Details
 | work = Aussiecon 4: The 68th World Science Fiction Convention
 | publisher = World Science Fiction Society
 | year = 2010
 | url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/2010/04/2010-hugo-award-nominees-details/
 | accessdate = 30 December 2010}}</ref> with "The Waters of Mars" winning the award.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/2010/09/2010-hugo-award-winners/
| title = 2010 Hugo Awards Announced
| work = World Science Fiction Society
| date= 5 September 2010
| accessdate = 30 December 2010
}}</ref> "[[Vincent and the Doctor]]", "[[The Pandorica Opens]]/[[The Big Bang (Doctor Who)|The Big Bang]]", and "[[A Christmas Carol (Doctor Who)|A Christmas Carol]]" from the 2010 series were also nominated in the Short Form category for the 2011 awards, which are due to be presented in late August 2011.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.locusmag.com/News/2011/04/2011-hugo-and-campbell-awards-nominees/
| title = 2011 Hugo and Campbell Awards Nominees
| work = Locus Magazine
| date= 24 April 2011
| accessdate = 24 April 2011
}}</ref>

On 7 July 2007, the series won three Constellation Awards: [[David Tennant]] won "Best Male Performance in a 2006 Science Fiction Television Episode" for the episode "[[The Girl in the Fireplace]]", and the series itself won "Best Science Fiction Television Series of 2006" and "Outstanding Canadian Contribution to Science Fiction Film or Television in 2006". It was eligible for the latter award because of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]'s involvement as co-producer of the series.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://constellations.tcon.ca/2007.shtml#W |title=2007 Constellation Awards |accessdate=20 July 2008 |work=Constellation Awards website}}</ref>  A year later, the series again won three Constellation Awards: David Tennant won "Best Male Performance in a 2007 Science Fiction Television Episode" for the episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood", [[Carey Mulligan]] won "Best Female Performance in a 2007 Science Fiction Television Episode" for the episode "Blink" and the series itself won "Best Science Fiction Television Series of 2007".<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://constellations.tcon.ca/| title = 2008 Constellation Awards
| work= Constellation Awards website| date=15 July 2008| accessdate =15 July 2008}}</ref>

On 19 September 2009, the series was the first winner of the British Fantasy Award for "Best Television Programme".<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.britishfantasysociety.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=369&Itemid=35
| title = 2009 British Fantasy Awards
| work=British Fantasy Society website
| date=19 September 2009
| accessdate =22 September 2009
}}</ref>

===Overseas awards===
On 8 November 2007, ''Doctor Who'' received its first{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} mainstream American award nomination when it was nominated for the 34th Annual [[People's Choice Awards]] in the category of "Favorite Sci-Fi Show". The awards, broadcast on [[CBS]] on 8 January 2008 are voted on by the people via an Internet poll. The series faced competition from another revival of an older series, ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'', as well as ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.showbuzz.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/09/movies/main3477806.shtml|title="Bourne" Earns 3 People's Choice Nods|agency=Associated Press|date=9 November 2007|accessdate=15 December 2007 | work=CBS News}}</ref> It was defeated by ''Stargate Atlantis''.<ref>[http://www.peopleschoice.com/pca/awards/nominees/index.jsp?year=2008 People's Choice Awards website]. Retrieved 8 January 2008.</ref> In June 2008, the series won the inaugural [[Saturn Award for Best International Series|Best International Series]] category at the [[34th Saturn Awards]], defeating its spin-off, ''Torchwood'', which was also nominated.<ref>Saturn Awards [http://www.saturnawards.org/ Winners list]. Retrieved 30 June 2008.</ref> The Seoul International Drama Awards 2009 honoured it with an award as The Most Popular Foreign Drama of the Year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2009/10_october/south_korea_dw.shtml |title=Press Office - South Korea honours Doctor Who |work=BBC |date=1 April 2008 |accessdate=23 November 2009}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Wikipedia-Books|1=Doctor Who}}
{{Portal box|BBC|Doctor Who}}
*[[List of Doctor Who serials|List of ''Doctor Who'' serials]]
*[[Chronology of the Doctor Who universe|Chronology of the ''Doctor Who'' universe]]
*[[Doctor Who story chronology|Chronology from the Doctor's perspective]]
*[[Doctor Who in North America|''Doctor Who'' in North America]]
*[[Doctor Who in Australia|''Doctor Who'' in Australia]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

===Cited texts===
{{refbegin}}
*{{Cite book |last=Howe |first=David J. |authorlink=David J. Howe |coauthors=[[Mark Stammers]] and [[Stephen James Walker]]|title=Doctor Who: The Sixties |year=1992 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |edition=paperback |location=London |isbn= 0-86369-707-0 }}
*{{Cite book|title=The Handbook: The First Doctor - The William Hartnell Years 1963–1966|first=David J.|last=Howe|authorlink=David J. Howe|coauthors=[[Mark Stammers]], [[Stephen James Walker]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|location=London|year=1994|isbn=0-426-20430-1}}
*{{Cite book|title=Doctor Who &mdash; The Legend|first=Justin|last=Richards|authorlink=Justin Richards|publisher=[[BBC Books]]|year=2003|edition=1st|location=London|isbn=0-563-48602-3}}
*{{Cite book
 | author = [[David J. Howe|Howe, David J]] & [[Stephen James Walker|Walker, Stephen James]]
 | year = 1998
 | title = Doctor Who: The Television Companion
 | edition = 1st
 | location = London
 | publisher = [[BBC Books]]
 | isbn = 978-0-563-40588-7
 }}
*{{Cite book
 | author = Howe, David J & Walker, Stephen James
 | year = 2003
 | title = The Television Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to DOCTOR WHO
 | edition = 2nd
 | location = Surrey, UK
 | publisher = [[Telos Publishing Ltd.]]
 | isbn = 1-90388951-0
 }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* Matt Hills. ''Triumph of a Time Lord: Regenerating "Doctor Who" in the Twenty-First Century'' (I.B. Tauris, 2010) 261 pages. Discusses the revival of the BBC's Doctor Who in 2005 after it had been off the air as a regular series for more than 15 years; topics include the role of "fandom" in the sci-fi programme's return, and notions of "cult" and "mainstream" in television.

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Doctor Who}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Doctor Who article.ogg|2011-01-02}}

===Official websites===
{{See also|Doctor Who tie-in websites}}
*{{Bbc.co.uk|id=doctorwho|title=''Doctor Who Series 5''}}
*{{Bbc.co.uk|id=wales/southeast/sites/doctorwho|title=''Doctor Who'' (BBC South East Wales)}}
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/changingwho/index.shtml BBC: The Changing Face of Doctor Who] – many press cuttings and articles from 1963 onwards
*[http://www.cbc.ca/doctorwho/ CBC ''Doctor Who'' website]
*[http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/123/index.jsp BBC America ''Doctor Who'' website]
*[http://www.syfy.com/doctorwho Syfy Channel ''Doctor Who'' website]
*[http://www.spacecast.com/shows/doctorwho.aspx SPACE Channel ''Doctor Who'' website]

===Past Official BBC Websites===
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/ Doctor Who Series 4]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/archive.shtml Doctor Who Series 1, 2 & 3]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/ Doctor Who Classic Season 1 – 1996 Movie]

===Reference websites===
{{TardisIndexFile}}
<!--*[http://www.cuttingsarchive.org.uk/ ''Doctor Who'' Cuttings Archive] – many press cuttings and articles from 1963 onwards-->
*[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/ ''Doctor Who'': A Brief History Of Time (Travel)] – a production history of ''Doctor Who''
*[http://www.drwhoguide.com/ The ''Doctor Who'' Reference Guide] – synopses of every television episode, novel, audio drama, comic strip and spin-off video based on the series
*[http://www.teletronic.co.uk/who1.htm The Origin of ''Doctor Who''] – how the series was conceived
*[http://www.bafta.org/learning/webcasts/inside-doctor-who,642,BA.html Inside the World of ''Doctor Who''] – a filmed [[BAFTA]] event with [[Russell T Davies]], demonstrating special effects, music and script ideas
*[http://www.drwho-online.co.uk/ ''Doctor Who'' Online]
*[http://www.gallifreybase.com/ Gallifrey Base]
*[http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/ Doctor Who TV]
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056751/combined ''Doctor Who'' (1963) at [[Internet Movie Database]]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116118/combined ''Doctor Who'' (1996) at [[Internet Movie Database]]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436992/combined ''Doctor Who'' (2005) at [[Internet Movie Database]]]
*{{amg movie|174951}}
*{{tv.com|355|Doctor Who}}
<!-- additional sites added without discussion on the talk page will be reverted -->
{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|aw}}
{{S-bef|before=''[[Shameless]]''}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[British Academy Television Awards]]<br />[[British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series|Best Drama Series]]|years=2006}}
{{S-aft|after=''[[The Street (TV series)|The Street]]''}}
|-
{{S-bef|before=''[[The Bill]]''}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[National Television Awards]]<br />Most Popular Drama|years=2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010}}
{{S-aft|after=''[[Waterloo Road (TV series)|Waterloo Road]]''}}
{{end}}
{{doctor-who}}
{{Media in Cardiff}}
{{Russell T Davies}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2010}}

[[Category:Doctor Who| ]]
[[Category:1960s British television series]]
[[Category:1970s British television series]]
[[Category:1980s British television series]]
[[Category:2000s British television series]]
[[Category:2010s British television series]]
[[Category:1963 in British television]]
[[Category:1963 television series debuts]]
[[Category:1989 television series endings]]
[[Category:BAFTA winners (television series)]]
[[Category:BBC Wales television programmes]]
[[Category:British science fiction television programmes]]
[[Category:BBC television programmes]]
[[Category:English-language television series]]
[[Category:First-run syndicated television programs in the United States]]
[[Category:PBS network shows]]
[[Category:Space adventure series]]

[[zh-min-nan:Doctor Who]]
[[bs:Doctor Who]]
[[bg:Доктор Кой]]
[[ca:Doctor Who]]
[[cs:Pán času]]
[[cy:Doctor Who]]
[[da:Doctor Who]]
[[de:Doctor Who]]
[[et:Doctor Who]]
[[es:Doctor Who]]
[[eo:Doctor Who]]
[[fa:دکتر هو]]
[[fr:Doctor Who]]
[[ga:Doctor Who]]
[[gl:Doutor Who]]
[[ko:닥터 후]]
[[hi:डॉक्टर हू]]
[[hr:Doctor Who]]
[[id:Doctor Who]]
[[is:Doctor Who]]
[[it:Doctor Who]]
[[he:דוקטור הו]]
[[ka:Doctor Who]]
[[la:Doctor Who]]
[[lv:Doctor Who]]
[[hu:Ki vagy, Doki?]]
[[ms:Doctor Who]]
[[nl:Doctor Who]]
[[ja:ドクター・フー]]
[[no:Doctor Who]]
[[nn:Doctor Who]]
[[oc:Doctor Who]]
[[pl:Doctor Who]]
[[pt:Doctor Who]]
[[ro:Doctor Who]]
[[ru:Доктор Кто]]
[[sc:Doctor Who]]
[[simple:Doctor Who]]
[[sk:Doctor Who]]
[[sh:Doctor Who]]
[[fi:Doctor Who]]
[[sv:Doctor Who]]
[[tr:Doctor Who]]
[[uk:Доктор Хто]]
[[vi:Doctor Who]]
[[vo:Dokan Kim]]
[[zh:異世奇人]]