Doctor Who (TV Series)

Doctor Who is both a television show and a global multimedia franchise created and controlled by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).

It centres on a time traveller called "the Doctor", who seemingly comes from a race of beings known as Time Lords. They travel through space and time in a time machine they call the TARDIS. This ship — which looks like a small, London police box on the outside — has nearly infinite dimensions on the inside. It has become such an iconic shape in British culture that it is currently the intellectual property of the BBC rather than its actual makers, the Metropolitan Police Service.

In order to accommodate cast changes, the narrative allows the Doctor to regenerate into an essentially new person on occasion. The cast is rounded out by one or more "companions", often females. On average, the main cast completely changes once every three or four years — a significant factor in the longevity of the programme.

The franchise spawned by the main television programme includes dozens of distinct ranges of spinoffs in televised, audio and print media.

First Doctor
The First Doctor was portrayed by William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966.

Second Doctor
The Second Doctor was portrayed by Patrick Troughton from 1966 to 1969.

Third Doctor
The Third Doctor was portrayed by Jon Pertwee from 1970 to 1974.

Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor was portrayed by Tom Baker from 1974 to 1982.