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Doctor Who is a science-fiction television programme that originally ran on the BBC from 1963 to 1989. A television movie was co-produced with Universal Pictures in 1996, and a new season is being broadcast starting in March of 2005.
Doctor Who is about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as the Doctor. The Doctor travels through space and time in a craft known as the TARDIS, an acronym for "Time and Relative Dimensions in Space". The Doctor is usually accompanied by one or more companions, who are often attractive females. The tone of the programme varies from serious to comic, from gothic horror to pantomime camp. The original Doctor Who series is fondly remembered among the general public both for frightening monsters (such as the Daleks and Sea Devils) and cheap special effects.
Accolades
In 2000, in a poll of industry professionals, the British Film Institute voted Doctor Who #3 in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes.
What makes Doctor Who unique
Fans often speak of the "undefinable magic" present in Doctor Who. What, though, makes the series so special?
- The Doctor can change from serious to satirical, young to old, and change back again. He can go from self-doubting anti-hero to exuberant lover of life, all within the same continuity and he can change back again, remaking himself every couple of years.
- The series can range in tone, style and genre, as well as encompassing almost any place and time. The travellers may meet storybook characters in a land of fantasy and the next week land in a credible day-after-tomorrow London.
- No other telefantasy series has, as often quoted, stayed on air for so long. Its longevity enabled it to enthrall (and frighten) new generations of children and teenagers for three decades. Everyone can have "their" own favorite Doctor or period of the series, including those who prefer the novels to the television series.
- The evolution of viewer from fan to maker of the series. As early as 1980, "Full Circle", a script authored by a young fan, Andrew Smith, appeared on the screen. In the same story, another young fan, Matthew Waterhouse, made his debut in the series as series regular. Though not crossing over in large numbers, members of fandom made the odd venture into the production side of the series up until the end of the original series. In 2005, the elders of Doctor Who fandom have grown up into the creators of the new series.
Other media
Although Doctor Who originated as a television programme, it has become much more than that. Starting with "Dalekmania" in the 1960s, a great deal of merchandise has sprung out of Doctor Who. Some of that merchandise has continued the story of the Doctor's adventures. Over the decades, Doctor Who has appeared on stage, screen, and radio, in novels, comics, full-cast audio adventures and webcasts. Many of these productions are highly regarded by Doctor Who fans, and all of the writers of the 2005 series previously wrote or scripted adventures for the Doctor in other media.
See also
External links
Doctor Who entry at Wikipedia
The BBC's official Doctor Who site
Gallifrey One, the premier Doctor Who fan site
The Doctor Who Reference Guide
