The 23rd of November, 2023, marks the 60th anniversary of BBC's flagship TV series, Doctor Who. From Classic Who to Modern Who, from William Hartnell to Jodie Whitaker, the megahit TV series became the hallmark of the sci-fi genre since its 1963 airing and evolved into a mixed media project that served as one of the BBC's success stories.
With only two days left before the first part of the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials airing on BBC in the UK and on the Disney+ streaming service globally, how did we go from here? The past, present, and future of the Doctor Who series?
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| 60 years of Doctor Who |
Classic Who - Aired on the BBC on November 23rd, 1963, William Hartnell is the very first actor to play The Doctor in the said series, forever laying the foundation of the Doctor Who series. The Classic Who era welcomed the most iconic Doctors in TV history from Hartnell to Sylvester McCoy, a memorable cast of characters, monsters, and a rogue gallery of villains ranging from Daleks, Cybermen, and even his arch nemesis, The Master. Seven classic Doctors (William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy) are forever known as legends not just in the franchise but in the entire TV sci-fi genre.
16 years of void - The Sylvester McCoy era became the final era of the Classic Who and when the TV show was laid to rest in 1989, it left a 16-year void before its 2005 comeback. Of course, the whole Doctor Who team tried bringing it back on May 27, 1996, with a TV movie aired on FOX, starring Paul McGann as The Doctor, but feels like the comeback didn't work as expected.
2005 return - On March 26, 2005, Doctor Who is back on the telly after a 16-year absence. With Russell T Davies serving as the showrunner and actor Christopher Eccleston playing the role of The Doctor, the 2005 revival signaled the start of the Modern Who era. Joining Eccleston is Billie Piper who plays the role of his companion, Rose Tyler, the two witnessed how the world ended, facing off against the Daleks, preventing world catastrophe, and uncovering the truth.
Greatest Doctor of All Time? - Christopher Eccleston's reign as The Doctor lasted for 13 episodes, the entire first season of the reborn Doctor Who TV series, and got replaced by actor David Tennant at the season finale. Making his first moves at the 2005 Christmas Special, David Tennant cemented his status as the GOAT in the Modern Who times. In fact, Tennant's making a comeback in the 60th anniversary special as the 14th Doctor! This marks the first in the Doctor Who franchise a Doctor actor doing two non-consecutive terms.
Teaming alongside Piper as Rose, Freema Agyeman as Martha, and John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness aside, the most popular companion in the David Tennant years is none other than Donna Noble, played by comedienne Catherine Tate. First met at the 2006 Christmas special, the two reunite at the beginning of the fourth season and with past companions collide, including the late Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, a legend companion from the Classic Who times, it showcased the show's exploding popularity.
New Decade, New Who - David Tennant's time ended at the beginning of 2010, and with Russell T Davies stepped down from his showrunner duties, Steven Moffat took over and actor Matt Smith filled in the shoes of The Doctor, signaling the new era of Doctor Who. From The Eleventh Hour to The Time of The Doctor, the Matt Smith years shifted the Doctor Who era to a more family-friendly approach.
During his tenure, the Matt Smith years of Doctor Who introduced companions such as Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. Actress Alex Kingston, who showed up in the David Tennant years as River Song, popped up as well, showing her origin story and her shocking relationship with Amy and Rory.
After the 2013 Christmas Special, Smith was replaced by Peter Capaldi, showing off his darker undertones while keeping the mantra of protecting the universe by all means. Apart from teaming up with Jenna Coleman as Clara, the Peter Capaldi years welcomed Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts and comedian Matt Lucas as Nardole, who first appeared in the 2015 Christmas Special.
Fast fact that both Gillan and Capaldi got their early stints in the DW Season 4 episode titled The Fires of Pompeii.
50 years of DW - November 23rd, 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and to celebrate that occasion, a 50th-anniversary TV special, titled The Day of The Doctor, was aired. The Doctors, played by Matt Smith and David Tennant, joined forces with their mysterious predecessor known as The War Doctor, played by the late John Hurt, who popped up at the end of the 7th season. Racing against time, the three Doctors join forces to save the universe.
Long before the explosive 50th-anniversary special went on air, a biopic titled An Adventure of Space and Time was aired, starring David Bradley as William Hartnell, the 1st Doctor. Also, a Doctor Who web short was streamed, showcasing the 8th Doctor getting regenerated into The War Doctor, filling the void that was left after the 1996 TV movie.
Breaking the series' boundaries - The Peter Capaldi years signaled the final time Steven Moffat served as the showrunner and their time ended in the 2017 Christmas Special, Twice Upon A Time, which featured Bradley as The 1st Doctor, Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall took over the series as the showrunner. Breaking the series' boundaries, the 11th season of Doctor Who welcomed the series' first female Doctor, Jodie Whitaker. During her four-year tenure from 2018 to 2022, the 13th Doctor joined forces with Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), Yaz Khan (Mandip Gill), Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh), and Dan Lewis (John Bishop). Together, they've faced numerous enemies, new and old, including the reborn Master (played by Sacha Dhawan), while learning the truth about The Doctor's origins.
Loose ends? - As the Jodie Whitaker years came to an end, it was announced that actor Ncuti Gatwa would take over the role of The Doctor, but first, David Tennant will reprise his Doctor role in the 60th-anniversary specials. Why bring Tennant back to Who? Unanswered questions between The Doctor and Donna Noble after the end of the Season 4 finale. With them returning in the three-part specials, they have one loose end to mend before The Doctor can attain his true regeneration, and that's what the world awaits.
Spin-offs and mixed media - The Whoniverse expands outside the world of Doctor Who with official spin-offs featuring iconic characters and settings such as the R-rated spin-off series, Torchwood, which stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, among others, the kid-friendly The Sarah Jane Adventures where DW legend Elisabeth Sladen reprises her Sarah Jane Smith role and teams up with a group of kids battling alien threats, and then there's Class, which is set at Coal Hill High, the same school appeared in the world of Doctor Who. Word from the outside world is there was a TV show called K-9, which features The Doctor's robot ally K-9 in its entirely new form.
TV shows aside, the Whoniverse also expands outside the TV screens in the form of comic books, novels, audio dramas, and others. One such example is the Doom's Day project which features a mysterious character named Doom as she spreads across the Whoniverse from comic books to audio dramas, racing for her life to find The Doctor. The Doom's Day project is part of Doctor Who's six-decade celebrations.
Six decades of Doctor Who, no, the Whoniverse. The past, present, and future of the Whoniverse will never stop expanding and as the world prepares for the show's 60th-anniversary specials and the imminent arrival of the new Doctor, expect brilliant things to come in the Whoniverse.
Happy 60th anniversary to the Whoniverse!
Image: BBC
