The Doctor Who Portal
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/TARDIS-trans.png/120px-TARDIS-trans.png)
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 often travels with companions.
Beginning with William Hartnell, fourteen actors have headlined the series as the Doctor; as of 2024[update], Ncuti Gatwa leads the series as the Fifteenth Doctor. The transition from one actor to another 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, their cells regenerate and they are reincarnated, into a different body with mannerisms and behaviour, but the same memories, explaining each actor's distinct portrayal, as they all represent different stages in the life of the Doctor and, together, they form a single lifetime with a single narrative. The time-travelling nature of the plot means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet. In 2017, Jodie Whittaker, as the Thirteenth Doctor, became the first woman to be cast in the lead role.
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 Daleks (also known as The Mutants) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast weekly from 21 December 1963 to 1 February 1964. This story marks the first appearance of the Daleks, who have since become cultural icons.
This story introduces a trope in Doctor Who, that of the TARDIS' navigational circuits malfunctioning. In this case, instead of bringing the TARDIS crew back to Earth, it lands in a petrified jungle, and the Doctor has to try to fix their position by taking a reading of the stars. Companions Ian Chesterton and Barbara White explore a nearby city, but are captured by the militarist Daleks. Susan Foreman meets another species, the pacifist Thals, who she and the Doctor help win a war against the Daleks.
Related portals
Did you know (auto-generated)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Nuvola_apps_filetypes.svg/47px-Nuvola_apps_filetypes.svg.png)
- ... that William Hartnell was the only original Doctor Who cast member who remained by the end of the second season?
- ... that "Mission to the Unknown" is the only Doctor Who serial not to feature the Doctor at all?
- ... that the Doctor Who episode "The Devil's Chord" references the events of an episode that aired more than sixty years before?
- ... that depictions of a sexual relationship between Richard the Lionheart and his sister Lady Joanna were cut from the script of the Doctor Who serial The Crusade?
- ... that the fifteen bags of seaweed used as set dressing for the Doctor Who serial The Web Planet emanated an overpowering vegetable smell under the hot studio lights?
- ... that due to legal and union restrictions, the production team for the Doctor Who episode "Space Babies" occasionally had to replace real babies with props?
Selected quote
“ | Let me tell you something about the human race. You put a mysterious blue box slap-bang in the middle of town, what do they do? Walk past it. Now stop your nagging. Let's go and explore. | ” |
— Ninth Doctor, Boom Town |
Events
Date | Event |
---|---|
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 Doctor Who spoofs include a Comic Relief special The Curse of Fatal Death?
- ... that Torchwood was the first spin-off from Doctor Who since the pilot for K-9 and Company in 1981?
- ... that an animated Doctor Who serial, The Infinite Quest, aired as part of the children's magazine show Totally Doctor Who?
Topics
Things you can do
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e6/Nuvola_apps_korganizer.svg/50px-Nuvola_apps_korganizer.svg.png)
- Where possible, replace fair use images on Doctor Who pages with free content.
- Ensure that all remaining fair use images on Doctor Who pages are appropriately tagged with valid fair use rationales.
- Make sure that all of the featured and good Doctor Who articles contain reliable, inline citations.
- Help expand any Doctor Who lists to include a reasonable mixture of both in-universe and out-of-universe information.
- Add information about production and reception to all episode and serial pages to do with Doctor Who, Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures.
You may be able to receive more help and editing tips from the Doctor Who WikiProject.
WikiProjects
Subcategories
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus