Doctor Who

This article is about the television series. For other uses, see Doctor Who (disambiguation).

Doctor Who
Title card (2024–present)
Genre
Created by
Showrunners
Written byVarious
Starring
Theme music composerRon Grainer
Opening themeDoctor Who theme music
Composers
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons26 (1963–1989)
No. of series14 (2005–present)
No. of episodes
(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Camera setup
Running time
18–90 minutes
    • 18–29 mins (1963–1984, 1986–1989)[a]
    • 44–46 mins (1984, 1985)
    • 85–89 mins (1996)[b]
    • 41–76 mins (2005–present)[a]
Production companiesBBC Studios Productions
Bad Wolf
Original release
NetworkBBC1[c]
Release23 November 1963 (1963-11-23) –
6 December 1989 (1989-12-06)
NetworkFox / BBC1[d]
Release14 May 1996 (1996-05-14) / 27 May 1996
NetworkBBC One[e]
Release26 March 2005 (2005-03-26) –
present (present)
NetworkDisney+[f]
Release25 November 2023 (2023-11-25) –
present (present)
Related
Whoniverse
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

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, 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[2] and elsewhere; it has gained a cult following. It has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series.[3] 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,[4] as well as the "most successful" science-fiction series of all time, based on its overall broadcast ratings, DVD and book sales.[5]

The series originally ran from 1963 to 1989. There was an unsuccessful attempt to revive regular production in 1996 with a backdoor pilot in the form of a television film titled Doctor Who. The series was relaunched in 2005 and was produced in-house by BBC Wales in Cardiff. Since 2023, the show has been co-produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios Productions in Cardiff. Doctor Who has spawned numerous spin-offs as part of the Whoniverse, including comic books, films, novels and audio dramas, and the television series Torchwood (2006–2011), The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011), K9 (2009–2010), Class (2016), Tales of the TARDIS (2023–2024), and the upcoming The War Between the Land and the Sea. It has been the subject of many parodies and references in popular culture.


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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference 1996 Speedup was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "ICONS. A Portrait of England". Archived from the original on 3 November 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  3. ^ "Do You Remember the First Time?". Doctor Who Confidential. 9 June 2007. BBC. BBC Three. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2019. Director and presenter: David Tennant
  4. ^ "Dr Who 'longest-running sci-fi'". BBC News. 28 September 2006. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2006.
  5. ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (26 July 2009). "'Doctor Who' honored by Guinness". Variety. Archived from the original on 1 August 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2022.