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Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor, part of a humanoid species called Time Lords. The Doctor travels in the universe and in time using a time travelling spaceship called the TARDIS, which externally appears as a British police box. While travelling, the Doctor works to save lives and liberate oppressed peoples by combating foes. The Doctor usually travels with companions.
Beginning with William Hartnell, fourteen actors have headlined the series as the Doctor; the most recent being Ncuti Gatwa, who portrayed the Fifteenth Doctor from 2023 to 2025. The transition between actors is written into the plot of the series with the concept of regeneration into a new incarnation, a plot device in which, when a Time Lord is fatally injured or weakened from old age, their cells regenerate and they are reincarnated into a different body with new mannerisms and behaviour but the same memories. This explains each actor's distinct portrayal, as they all represent different stages in the Doctor's life and, together, form a single lifetime with a single narrative. The time-travelling nature of the plot means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet. The Doctor can change ethnic appearance or gender; in 2017, Jodie Whittaker became the first woman cast in the lead role, and in 2023, Gatwa became the first black actor to lead the series.
The series is a significant part of popular culture in Britain and elsewhere; it has gained a cult following. It has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series. Fans of the series are sometimes referred to as Whovians. The series has been listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running science-fiction television series in the world, as well as the "most successful" science-fiction series of all time, based on its overall broadcast ratings, DVD and book sales. (Full article...)
Recognized quality articles
Selected story
The Smugglers is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from September 10 to October 1, 1966.
In the episode, the Doctor arrives on the coast of seventeenth century Cornwall, much to the astonishment of Polly and Ben. Pirates led by Captain Samuel Pike and his henchman Cherub are searching for a hidden treasure, while a smuggling ring masterminded by the local Squire is trying to off-load contraband.
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Did you know (auto-generated)

- ... that Doctor Who series 13 told only a single story, the first time for the show since 1986?
- ... that Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi was a fan of the series as a child?
- ... that "The Interstellar Song Contest" featured the return of a Doctor Who character last seen more than 30 years earlier?
- ... that three-quarters of Doctor Who's longest story are missing?
- ... that a popular romantic pairing from Doctor Who was later adapted into the show at the suggestion of lead actress Jodie Whittaker?
- ... that "Mission to the Unknown" is the only Doctor Who serial not to feature the Doctor at all?
Selected quote
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— Third Doctor and Jo Grant, The Three Doctors |
Events
Date | Event |
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29 August 2022 | Another SMTV Live crossover episode |
1 January 2022 | 2022 specials |
December 2021 | Big Finish audio play The Year of Martha Jones [1] |
February 2022 | Second volume of the Big Finish audio play The Lone Centurion [2] |
May 2022 | Series 2 of the audio play Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures |
More did you know?
- ... that the War Doctor (played by John Hurt, pictured), introduced in The Night of the Doctor, is a "dark doctor" who will "bring an ancient battle to its devastating conclusion"?
- ... that Douglas Adams convinced John Cleese to appear in the Doctor Who serial City of Death after learning the comedian would be working in BBC Television Centre on the same day of filming?
- ... that the titular planet in the Doctor Who episode "Planet of the Ood" is in the same planetary system as the Sense-Sphere, the location for the 1964 serial The Sensorites?
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