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• Doctor Who is a science fiction TV show produced in Britain by the BBC. The show features the adventures of "The Doctor," and his companions as they travel through space and time.

  The Doctor is an alien who can "regenerate" from fatal injuries into a new body. This fact that has allowed for the show's exceptional longevity. Doctor Who was launched in 1963, and has continued with different leads and despite lengthy breaks right up to the present day.

  The current Tenth Doctor is played by David Tennant.

  Matt Smith has been named as the Eleventh Doctor, and will replace Tennant at the end of the 2009 season.Digital Spy: Matt Smith to be next Doctor (January 3, 2008)

• Fast Facts

  1. Network: BBC One (re-airs on the Sci-Fi Channel in the U.S.)
  2. First aired: November 23, 1963
  3. 10 different actors have played The Doctor
  4. Current doctor: David Tennant (leaving in 2009)
  5. Companions (to date): 36
  6. Spin-offs currently airing: Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures

• The Doctor

  The Doctor began as a antihero, and all that was known about him was that he was a highly intelligent alien. He became more sympathetic fairly quickly, and the audience learned that he was from the planet Gallifrey and part of a race of people known as the Time Lords. The Doctor was established as the black sheep of the Time Lords. The Doctors, in order of appearance, were played by:

  1. William Hartnell
  2. Patrick Troughton
  3. John Pertwee
  4. Tom Baker
  5. Peter Davison
  6. Colin Baker
  7. Sylvester McCoy
  8. Paul McGann
  9. Christopher Eccleston
  10. David Tennant
  11. Matt Smith

• The TARDIS

  The TARDIS is the vehicle the Doctor uses to travel in time and space. TARDIS stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It is much larger on the inside than it is on the outside. A Chameleon Circuit in the TARDIS is designed to give it an appearance that blends with its environment, but because the circuit is broken, it always looks like a police box from 1960s Britain.

• The Companions

  The Doctor always has at least one companion, and often several. They are usually humans, in order to give viewers a point of connection with the series. The Companions have been both genders and a range of ages, with professions ranging from astronaut to student, shopgirl to scientist. They come from the present day, from history, and from the future.

• The Enemies

  The Daleks are a race of organic beings who each live within a shell of protective armor. Their mission is to eradicate all who are not like them - namely, humans. The Cybermen are a cybernetic/human fusion. The Master is an evil Time Lord bent on galactic domination, who has gone through several regenerations during the course of the series.

• The Reboot

  The BBC attempted to relaunch Doctor Who in 1996 as a co-production on the United States television network Fox. Though the initial TV movie was successful overseas, it flopped in the United States, and did not continue as a series. Russell T. Davies, known for his work on Queer as Folk, was named producer of a new series in 203. It debuted on March 26, 2005 and was an instant success.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Doctor Who Episode Guide | Doctor Who 4 Episode Guide | BBC | Torchwood | David Tennant | Billie Piper | Freema Agyeman | Catherine Tate | Christopher Eccleston | Alex Kingston

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