Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a science fiction TV show produced in Britain by the BBC. The show follows 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.

Matt Smith is the current Eleventh Doctor, and took over from the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant, at the conclusion of a special two-part story called The End of Time. The first part aired in Britain on Christmas Day, 2009, with part two following on on New Year's Day.http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/features/bulletins/bulletin_091203_01

The latest series of Doctor Who started on Saturday April 3rd, 2010 on the BBC, and concluded with a two part season finale that finished on June 26th 2010.

BBC America started airing the series on April 17th..

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 an ancient and powerful race known as the Time Lords. The Doctor was later established as something of a maverick among Time Lords, who were often shown as aloof in their attitudes to othe species.

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 is the vehicle the Doctor uses to travel in time and space, and is as much a national icon in Britain as the Doctor himself. TARDIS stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. It is famously 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, externally it always looks like a police box from 1960s Britain.

The internal look of the TARDIS has changed several times during the series history. Typically we see only a small portion of the interior, mainly its "Console Room" where the main controls and front door are located. However the series implies that the TARDIS is vast in size, and we occasionally see other parts of it, such as enormous wardrobes where the Doctor finds suitable clothing for himself and his companions when dressing to blend in with the local culture is required..

The TARDIS console room suffered major damage during the Tenth Doctor's regeneration into his Eleventh incarnation, providing the grounds for a re-designed interior which features in the current fifth series of Doctor Who, which started in Spring 2010.

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 people of both genders and a range of ages, with professions ranging from astronaut to shopgirl. They come from all eras of history including the present day, periods from Earh history, and from the far future.

The most important companions to feature since the reboot include Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, River Song, Amy Pond and Rory Williams.

A former companion from the classic series, Sarah Jane Smith, made an appearance in the episode School Reunion, and was subsequently given a spin-off series of her own, aimed especially at younger children.

The Doctor has a number of recurring enemies, and usually at least one story arc in each series will feature an encounter with one of these classic foes.

The Daleks are a race of genetically engineered organic beings who each live within the shell of a personal travel vehicle, which is both heavily armed and armored. They are super-intelligent, extremely technologically advanced, capable of time travel themselves, and utterly ruthless. Their mission is to eradicate all who are not like them, whom they see as inferior vermin. Their famous battle cry is "EXTERMINATE!"

The Cybermen are a cybernetic/human fusion. They are humans whose brains have been implanted within a steel robotic body, and modified to remove emotions such as fear. The Cybermen often seek to "upgrade" other humans in similar fashion, but those that they deem unsuitable for conversion are instead simply "deleted". Hence their battle cry is often: "Delete! Delete! Delete!"

The Master is a Time Lord like the Doctor, and the two were childhood friends. However the Master developed psychotic tendencies and became bent on the domination of others, rejoicing in power and destruction. Consequently he has often been one of the Doctor's most cunning and dangerous enemies. Nevertheless, their former friendship is not entirely forgotten. The Doctor is concerned to try to redeem the Master if he can, and the Master often seems to have mixed feelings of affection and rage towards the Doctor.

Like the Doctor, The Master has gone through several regenerations during the course of the series.

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 2003. It debuted on March 26, 2005 and was an instant success with viewers and critics alike.