Doctor Who

The History of Doctor Who

Doctor Who was launched in 1963 at the hands of television veterans Verity Lambert, Mervyn Pinfield, Sydney Newman and Donald Wilson. Ostensibly created as a children's program for the fall 1963 television schedule, Doctor Who was commissioned for 13 episodes and was never expected to continue for much longer. Thanks to the right circumstances at the right time -- terrific casting, clever writing, strong production values, state-of-the-art techniques, and these tin-plated pepperpots that shouted "Exterminate!" -- that expectation was quickly overturned, and the programme soon became one of Britain's most cherished and beloved television legends.

William Hartnell, a crotchety actor known for his versatility in a wide range of stage, television and film roles, was chosen as the Doctor, a role he would play for nearly three and a half years. Carole Ann Ford (Susan), William Russell (Ian) and Jacqueline Hill (Barbara) would join him as the weary travellers in the London Police Box whisked about on adventures through the cosmos. All three would eventually leave by the end of the second season, to be replaced by cast members Maureen O'Brien (Vicki), Peter Purves (Steven Taylor), Adrienne Hill (Katarina), Jean Marsh (Sara Kingdom), Jackie Lane (Dodo), Anneke Wills (Polly) and Michael Craze (Ben Jackson).

Historical adventures were the staple of these early days; trips to Marco Polo's China, Palestine, the Aztec Empire, revolutionary France, ancient Greece and Rome, and even the Old West were among the travellers' many journeys. These were balanced by trips to far-off alien worlds, damaged spaceships and empires of exotic lands -- as well as trips to present and future Earth, wherein lay the Doctor's most devastating enemies: the vicious Daleks and the cold and calculating Cybermen. These first days laid the foundation for the mythos of Doctor Who; at this time, he was still an enigma, a mysterious traveller from an unknown time who was on the run from his own people. Not a clue to be found to belie his unique history and civilization.

Hartnell left the role in 1966 at the height of the series' popularity, handing off the lead to Patrick Troughton. He continued to make appearances for several years, including a return to the series in 1973's "The Three Doctors" before his untimely death in 1976. Much of the era still exists, despite the BBC's purges of the mid-1970's; many episodes were found in unlikely locations domestically and overseas.

In 1966, the unprecedented occurred: the popular William Hartnell left Doctor Who, and a man named Patrick Troughton took over the role. He was absolutely nothing like the crotchety old Doctor viewers knew well -- this new incarnation was feisty, mysterious and occasionally prone to fits of hysteria. The series was changing, and the viewers were along for a wild ride. Troughton was immediately a new type of Doctor -- much more hands-on, more physical, and more prone to slapstick. To that end, in his second adventure, he gained the services of Jamie MacCrimmon (Frazer Hines), a young Scottish soldier who would see him through to the bitter end, joining the travels with Ben and Polly (Michael Craze and Anneke Wills), who witnessed the transformation. Along the way, Ben and Polly would depart his company, only to be replaced by two very independent young ladies from different backgrounds: 19th century socialite Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) and futuristic scientist Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury).

Along the way, the second Doctor faced terrifying monsters and alien adversaries. The Daleks and the Cybermen returned to haunt his travels, and we were introduced to new threats: the fiendish Great Intelligence and its horrific servants, the Yeti; the conniving Martian soldiers, the Ice Warriors; the savage Macra; and the cruel Dominators. The Doctor also spent a good deal of time on Earth, be it in the Himalayas of the early 20th century, the wiles of Victorian London, or the plains of Culloden on the Scottish moors. He would face a duplicate of himself bent on world domination, a mad scientist plotting to destroy ancient Atlantis, and a strange Land of Fiction which bent to the whims of its guests. But it was back in 1960's London that the Doctor joined forces with a man whose destiny would be forever intertwined with his own: Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), soon to become a Brigadier of the newly created United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, or UNIT for short.

And at the end of his travels, viewers would get their first glimpse of the Doctor's mysterious origins and his complicated past, as he is forced to call upon his own people -- the Time Lords -- in a bid to save his friends and countless innocents caught up in a brutal alien war game. Put on trial for his actions, as depicted in the series' first six seasons, he would soon be exiled to Earth and regenerated into his successor, Jon Pertwee. Troughton would later return for several appearances alongside Pertwee, William Hartnell, Peter Davison and Colin Baker, before his tragic death at an overseas convention in early 1987.

1970 marked the beginning of a new era for Doctor Who. Gone was the outer space adventure; gone was the slapstick; and gone was the monochrome simplicity of the Sixties. From the moment the seventh season began, it was clear this was the dawn of a new age: a panoramic shot of space that ended upon the Earth. It was a symbol that the series was moving... and move it did. Jon Pertwee had assumed the role, the series had gone colour, and it would never be the same again.

Whereas William Hartnell had created the role as a feisty explorer, and Patrick Troughton succeeded him as a more energetic intergalactic hobo, Pertwee stepped into the role as a professor, a bon vivant, the otherworldly version of James Bond. For five seasons, he played the role as a mentor -- beginning an exile sentenced upon him by the Time Lords by allying himself with the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) and its military advisor Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), both introduced during the Troughton era. Joining with the Brigadier were Sergeant John Benton (John Levene) and Captain Mike Yates (Richard Franklin); the three would aid the Doctor in his battles against the alien forces of evil. And of course, the companions... eminent scientist Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Caroline John), agent-in-training Josephine "Jo" Grant (Katy Manning) and intrepid Metropolitan Magazine reporter Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen).

And of course, there was one other addition. Any good hero must have his villain, like Moriarty to Sherlock Holmes. He came in the form of the Master (Roger Delgado), a Time Lord bent upon evil, who would tangle with the Doctor and UNIT on many an occasion. Together with the Doctor, his companion and the UNIT men, they would comprise the largest regular cast in the show's history, centred mostly upon Pertwee's eighth, ninth and tenth seasons. (Plans for further revelations about the Master, and his relationship to the Doctor, would be waylaid for some time upon the tragic death of Delgado in a car accident in Turkey in 1973).

The exile would be lifted by the Doctor's people in "The Three Doctors" (and later, in "The Time Warrior," their homeworld would be mentioned for the first time: Gallifrey), but the Doctor continued his aid to UNIT and his adoptive planet for far longer. The vicious Daleks would return, and the show would introduce many new popular alien species: the Autons; the Silurians and their cousins, the Sea Devils; the Sontarans; the Ogrons; and the Draconians. Pertwee would reign as a popular Doctor, leaving the show in the care of his successor Tom Baker in 1974, yet returning several times for the 20th anniversary story "The Five Doctors," reprising his role in the stage play "The Ultimate Adventure," joining the Children in Need adventure "Dimensions in Time" and recording two BBC Radio dramas, "The Paradise of Death" and "The Ghosts of N-Space." Fans were shocked when Pertwee sadly passed away while on holiday in New York in May 1996.

And then there was Tom. Tom Baker, recognized across the world as the quintessential Doctor Who; a mainstay of British television for seven years, the Doctor as far as most Americans are concerned, and with his multicoloured scarf and faithful robot dog K-9, inarguably the one icon other than the trusty TARDIS that has transcended the show and become part of the mainstream. For although there have been eight actors in the role, nobody is more inexorably linked the show than the reclusive Baker, and the one who more than any other has kept the air of mystique since he left the show decades ago.

During the seven-year tenure of Tom Baker, the series reached its incredible heights of popularity. Stewarded by such prolific producers as Philip Hinchcliffe, Graham Williams and John Nathan-Turner, the show also brought forth a young script editor called Douglas Adams. The Sontarans, Zygons, Rutans and the Black and White Guardians were introduced; the Daleks were given a very interesting prologue; and the Key to Time became the prize in a year-long quest. There were trips to E-Space, to ancient Egyptian mummy crypts and the sands of Mars, to the most distant planet in the galaxy and the familiarity of Victorian London. And Gallifrey itself was finally revealed to be not quite the idyllic paradise fans had come to imagine, but instead a decaying oligarchy subject to hostile takeover on more than one occasion.

The fourth Doctor was joined in his quest by a cavalcade of popular companions: the erstwhile reporter Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and the bumbling medic Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter); the savage Leela of the Sevateem (Louise Jameson) and the aforementioned K-9 (voiced by John Leeson); the two incarnations of the Gallifreyan student Romana (Mary Tamm and Lalla Ward); the artful dodger Adric (Matthew Waterhouse); and in his final days, the timid Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and bombastic Tegan (Janet Fielding). And he faced villains from Davros to the Master, Magnus Greel to Harrison Chase, Skagra to the Great Vampire itself.

It was the heyday of Doctor Who... a time long remembered, an era missed by many when Tom Baker left the role after seven years, heading into the great bounty of television and theatre. He returned solely for the charity special "Dimensions in Time", but to this day, the mystique of the longest-serving yet most reclusive actor to play the Doctor remains.

After seven years in the role, becoming the most popular television Doctor, Tom Baker's departure was a major TV event in Britain. Producer John Nathan-Turner sought long and hard to find a suitable replacement and found his man in the form of Peter Davison, a well-respected actor known for his role as Tristan Farnon in the popular BBC series "All Creatures Great and Small" and currently starring in the comedy series "Sink or Swim". Davison joined the cast in late 1980 in a cameo role in Tom Baker's final story "Logopolis," joining series regular Matthew Waterhouse and new stars Sarah Sutton and Janet Fielding in the crucial regeneration scene.

For three years, Davison took the role and made it his own... an altogether different sort of Doctor from his predecessor. More apt to solve problems with diplomacy than running headstrong into the action, the "younger" Doctor blended the scientific mind of the Jon Pertwee incarnation with the youthful enthusiasm of Patrick Troughton. Indeed, at the onset of his run he was quite the "youngster" while by his final story, "The Caves of Androzani" he wore spectacles... proof positive that Davison's acting range ran the gamut.

Joining him on his adventures were the aforementioned Waterhouse (as artful dodger Adric, the first companion to exit the show by death since the first Doctor's era), Sutton (the calculating but sincere scientist Nyssa of Traken) and Fielding (the "mouth on legs" Australian air hostess Tegan Jovanka), and later Mark Strickson (as the enigmatic alien schoolboy Turlough) and Nicola Bryant (as the waifish American botany student Perpugilliam "Peri" Brown). Also tried during this three-year era was a new type of companion, a fully roboticized creation called Kamelion, who because of technical problems only appeared in two stories. Meanwhile, the era introduced several new creations: the vicious Mara, whose path crossed the Doctor's twice; the hostile Terileptils (who became responsible for the Great Fire of London); and the dreaded Malus, operating in the walls of an English church. The Master made several well-timed returns to the program during this era, having regenerated into the form of actor Anthony Ainley in the penultimate story of Davison's predecessor, and the Doctor's party was accosted by a variety of old nemeses: Omega ("The Three Doctors"), the Silurians and Sea Devils ("Doctor Who and the Silurians" and "The Sea Devils"), and of course, both the Cybermen and the Daleks. The Doctor's path also crossed with the Black and White Guardians, nemeses during the 16th season "Key to Time" series, with Valentine Dyall and Cyril Luckham reprising their roles of five years hence for the three-story mini-series. Two visits to the Doctor's homeworld of Gallifrey also took place, including in the 20th anniversary special "The Five Doctors" which celebrated the programme's history with a multitude of guest appearances.

Peter Davison left the programme in 1984 after a three-year run in the hands of his successor Colin Baker (who had himself appeared as a guest star in "Arc of Infinity"). Davison, who stayed a popular figure in the Doctor Who fan and convention milieu, returned for the Children in Need adventure "Dimensions in Time" in 1993 and currently is starring along with Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann in Big Finish Productions' very successful line of Doctor Who audio adventures, which has reunited him with companions Mark Strickson (Turlough), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) and Nicola Bryant (Peri), as well as introduced a new companion (Erimem) played by Caroline Morris.

The three-year period which marked Colin Baker's tenure as the Sixth Doctor were perhaps the most arduous and trouble-filled in the series' 26-year history. This is, of course, in no way representative of the man in the title role; Colin Baker has for many years been a well-regarded, highly renowned stage and television actor with a long list of credits behind him. Indeed, were it not for the confluence of events that marked the era, it's even possible that Baker would still be in the role today... having come aboard declaring himself the man who wished to be the Doctor longer than even Tom Baker's seven-year stretch. It is unfortunate that he was the only person fired from the role; BBC authorities mistakenly identified him as the person behind the series' ratings troubles, when in fact it is the extraordinary talents of this gifted actor that lifted the series above the sometimes-mediocre scripting and uneven production values.

Doctor Who was targeted in this era for destruction, and only luck and faith seemed to keep it going. After Baker joined the role for one story during the show's 21st season, many liberations were taken with season 22: the stories were recrafted to 45-minute episodes, Baker was forced to play the Doctor as rather unstable, and so forth. Season 22 is, for many, the darkest year in tone of the series' history. That, however, is overshadowed by the show's 'cancellation crisis' in 1985, when the series was put on hiatus for 18 months, returning to life as a mere shadow of its former self... only 14 25-minute episodes a year. An entire season's worth of stories were thrown out for the new format, a Season 23 which was encompassed by an arcing story, "The Trial of a Time Lord". Failing to gain in the ratings, Baker was sacked and the production team changed; producer John Nathan-Turner, who desperately wanted to leave, was instead forced to stay, while script editor Eric Saward departed in a very bitter and very public fight with his former boss.

While uneven and sometimes very violent, there were a host of new characters and creations during the era. The Valeyard -- an amalgamation of the Doctor's darker nature, somewhere between his twelfth and final incarnation -- was the prosecutor at his trial, moderated by the impartial Gallifreyan Inquisitor. The Rani, a malevolent, scientifically-minded Time Lady, was encountered on Earth, aided in her quest to defeat the Doctor by the returning Master. The Sixth Doctor faced a milieu of adversaries: pirate Glitz, the hostile Daleks and calculating Cybermen, the bloodthirsty Androgums, the nightmarish Vervoids and the villainous Galatron Mining Corporation's Sil. Companions Peri (Nicola Bryant) and Melanie (Bonnie Langford) joined him in his quests... also aided on one occasion by his own second incarnation (Patrick Troughton) and former companion Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines).

Baker, who departed the show after his sacking in 1986 (refusing, rightfully, to return for a regeneration story), has since been one of Doctor Who's most popular goodwill ambassadors. He returned for the 1993 charity special "Dimensions in Time" and currently stars alongside Sylvester McCoy, Peter Davison and Paul McGann in Big Finish's continuing Doctor Who audio adventures. A popular guest at conventions across the world, his charm and character belies only a hint of the true potential of the Sixth Doctor, had Colin Baker been given a fighting chance to play the role as he had wanted.
    

The final years of Doctor Who on BBC Television saw one last tumultuous regeneration sequence, a rather inauspicious (and somewhat unpopular) beginning, and then arguably a return to greatness before final extinction. When Sylvester McCoy stepped into the role of the Doctor, it wasn't without its controversy; Colin Baker, unpopular with BBC executives, was offered one story to tie up loose ends (he naturally refused), and Bonnie Langford, unpopular with fans as Mel Bush, was remaining. Yet from his chaotic onset in "Time and the Rani" (complete with "regeneration" at the beginning -- a wig and electronic gadgetry hiding his face), Sylvester McCoy proved that there was still life in the show.

For his first year, new script editor Andrew Cartmel brought a mixed bag of stories -- the over-the-top "Paradise Towers," the rather silly "Delta and the Bannermen" and the unfocused "Dragonfire"... until they found their new companion. With the departure of Langford came the arrival of Sophie Aldred as Ace, who offered the new Doctor his wide-eyed innocent (after a fashion). For the next two years, the two faced the Daleks and the Cybermen, the ancient evils of Fenric and the sinister might of the Kandyman. Cornball schemes of season 24 led to the grandiose stories of season 25, and the terrific writing that marked most of season 26 -- including the confusing but awe-inspiring "Ghost Light" and the breathtaking themes of "The Curse of Fenric". It seemed, after so many years of complaining, that someone was listening upstairs at the BBC. Could this be the return of true Doctor Who?

Alas, no. As Season 26 ended, so did Doctor Who, and in 1989, the show was no more. Doctor Who was gone, yet not forgotten... two years later, the Virgin New Adventures would begin, telling the further adventures of the Seventh Doctor and Ace (and later, Bernice Summerfield, Chris Cwej & Roslyn Forrester). And so the era of the Seventh Doctor continued in novel form, until McCoy returned in 1996 in a brief appearance as the Seventh Doctor in the FOX Television/BBC co-production of "Doctor Who: The Movie", at which time he passed the baton to Paul McGann. Still, McCoy later joined fellow Doctor Who alumni Peter Davison and Colin Baker (and even Paul McGann) in the Big Finish audio range, reprising his role as the Seventh Doctor alongside Sophie Aldred's Ace and Bonnie Langford's Mel. McCoy and Aldred also starred as "The Dominie and Alice" (aka "The Professor and Ace") in a brief series of audios for Bill Baggs' BBV, and then returned to their Doctor Who roles in BBC Online's webcast drama Death Comes to Time, a five-part serial broadcast in 2001 (pilot). While the Seventh Doctor may have regenerated, the Sylvester McCoy era is by no means over.

By 1996, the world was ready for a new Doctor. Paul McGann stepped into the role of the Doctor, with a send-off sequence by Sylvester McCoy (reprising the role), for a joint US/UK production of "Doctor Who". Facing off against the Master (Eric Roberts) with the help of Dr. Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook) and Chang Lee (Yee Jee Tso), the Doctor was a sure bet -- until the might of American TV ratings quashed all hope; the UK ratings were rather good at 9.06 million viewers, but sadly US televisions barely registered. Once again, Doctor Who was but a television memory.

But in 1997, BBC Books took over the mantle of Doctor Who publishing, producing monthly adventures of the new Eighth Doctor and his new companions: London runaway Samantha "Sam" Jones, Liverpudlian Fitz Kreiner, Faction Paradox agent Compassion (nee Laura Tobin), London securities broker Anji Kapoor, and a stowaway newcomer in 2003, Beatrix "Trix" MacMillan. In the midst of his travels, the Doctor lost his memory and his homeworld of Gallifrey and found himself battling against a new foe, Sabbath.

Meanwhile, in 1999, Big Finish Productions acquired the license to produce new audio adventures, with Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy stepping into the role of the Doctor alongside former companions and enemies... and, in a major shock, McGann himself also returned, taping several "seasons" of Doctor Who tales for Big Finish alongside audio companions Charlotte "Charley" Pollard (India Fisher) and alien C'rizz (Conrad Westmaas). McGann also returned for the third BBCi webcast, a new version of "Shada" -- the Douglas Adams-written serial for season 17 originally starring Tom Baker, abandoned in the middle of recording in 1979 due to an industrial strike -- alongside original actors Lalla Ward (Romana) and John Leeson (K-9).

Gone, but not forgotten, McGann continues to be a favorite Doctor even to this day, and while he's no longer considered the "current" Doctor due to the new movie, there are always avenues and further adventures for the Eighth Doctor.

For fifteen years, interrupted only by presence of the 1996 telefilm, Doctor Who languished in a state of television limbo... until in late 2003, BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey stunned British viewers by acknowledging that it was about time the good Doctor returned to the airwaves. The man responsible for its return would be Russell T Davies, a celebrated television writer/producer and long-time fan of the Doctor (himself having written a Doctor Who novel for Virgin, "Damaged Goods," years before.)

And the man who would come to the role was none other than acclaimed film and television star Christopher Eccleston - the ninth Doctor, now incarnate. He would be joined by Rose Tyler, played by sometime pop singer and actress Billie Piper. Together, the Doctor and Rose would explore uncharted territory, be it London in the early 21st century or in the Victorian era, or even in the far future when the Earth is awaiting its final destruction.

The greatest enemy of all was about to rear its head, however: the viewing public. Would 15 years out of the public spotlight as a weekly staple of British television be the death knell for the good Doctor? Or would time heal all and bring him back to where he belongs, anchoring Saturday nights on BBC1 like the 'good old days' of Doctor Who? Time will be the judge...

courtesy of Outpost Galifrey