Who is dr. who

Episode guide. Play trailer Adventure Drama Family. Creator Sydney Newman. Top credits Creator Sydney Newman. See more at IMDbPro. Top rated TV Episodes Browse episodes. Top Top-rated. Clip The Rise of Jodie Whittaker.

Doctor Who: Clip 9. Doctor Who: Clip 6. Doctor Who: Clip Doctor Who: Clip 2. Doctor Who: Clip 4. Doctor Who: Clip 5. Photos Top cast Edit. Pearl Mackie Bill as Bill …. Nicholas Briggs Daleks as Daleks …. Jon Davey Cyberman as Cyberman …. Jenna Coleman Clara as Clara …. Right, but that's the joke. Get it? The character is known only as "the Doctor," and thus, the title of the show is a question: Doctor Who?!

But nobody really has asked that question since, like, season one of the show, so you'd be forgiven for thinking this an elaborate, medical-themed riff on the "Who's on First" routine. He's a time-traveling alien from the planet Gallifrey. It should be able to assume any form but somehow broke and got stuck on the police box. The TARDIS is larger on the inside than it appears to be on the outside, and it's the greatest vehicle known to man or alien. He's also been played by other actors in other instances, but let's not wander too far into the weeds here.

When original Doctor William Hartnell was ailing toward the end of his run on the show, the series' producers hit upon something ingenious: Since the Doctor was an alien, he could appear to "die," then stand right up as another actor. This was known as the Doctor's "regeneration. Hartnell was replaced by Patrick Troughton , and a terrific way to periodically refresh the program was discovered.

Generally, the Doctor and a human companion at present, Jenna Coleman's Clara fly around the universe, having sci-fi adventures. Different writers on the show like different things, some enjoying epic science-fiction, with others liking to explore the show's roots as a children's educational program.

The Doctor was a time traveler so he could show kids earlier eras. Current showrunner Steven Moffat loves complicated puzzles, and his seasons have been filled with intricate structures that reveal themselves at the last possible moment. Then the Doctor points his sonic screwdriver at something. Moffat loves the idea of the Doctor as the smartest, cleverest being who ever has lived, and his seasons of the show reflect that idea.

The puzzles can be fun, but his seasons can occasionally feel like he's pushing the characters around on a giant board to achieve his various ends. Moffat's predecessor, Russell T. Davies , was fond of big, emotional gestures, and that meant he would conclude episodes or seasons with moments when, say, everybody resurrected the Doctor just by believing in him. Every writer makes his or her mark on the show and the character, which only adds to the series' popularity.

The endless malleability is part of the appeal. It's definitely the sort of show that can be hard to explain without making it sound silly. Doctor Who started as a series for kids, and it has kept at least one toe in that world ever since.

What keeps the series from going too far over the top is that it always commits to what it's trying to do. It might be doing something unbelievably corny, but everybody involved really cares about the situations and characters on screen. It helps that the Doctor is such an institution that every actor who plays the role brings prior associations with the character to their portrayal. But the show also isn't hokey, ultimately, because it carries with it the ultimate blank canvas.

A Doctor Who story can, essentially, be about anything. The potential for the show's setting is limitless, which is what makes it so enduring. Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor center and his companions face down the Daleks in an earlier episode. BBC America. You're talking about Daleks , a species of merciless killing machines and the Doctor's greatest foe. Watching Capaldi yell at Daleks is a highlight of his tenure. Probably the most beloved Doctor — and certainly the longest-running — is Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor and wore a fancy scarf.

But nearly every Doctor has his adherents. Since the series was revived in , all three actors who have regularly played the Doctor — Christopher Eccleston , David Tennant , and Matt Smith — have their fans. Matt Smith left and David Tennant teamed up for the 50th anniversary special. No, and every new Doctor that's revealed to be a white dude prompts greater and greater irritation with this fact. That reached a fever pitch before Capaldi's tenure was announced, and it didn't really go away, even when a much-loved actor like Capaldi was named to the role.

Showrunner Steven Moffat didn't help matters , which speaks to some of his seasons' larger issues with roles for women. Doctor Who always comes in for criticism, sometimes because of legitimate problems and sometimes because Doctor Who fans are intensely devoted to their program of choice. Over time the Doctor learnt to trust other people. The Sonic Screwdriver is great for getting the Doctor out of trouble.

It uses sonic waves to dismantle or fix equipment. Over the years several different versions of the Sonic Screwdriver have been made. The TARDIS is supposed to change its appearance on each trip to blend in with its surroundings however the Doctors has a broken chameleon circuit which stops it from working properly. The interior exists in a different, relative, dimension to the exterior. The Daleks first appeared in the second Doctor Who story, they were the first monsters to face the Doctor in the TV series.

The Cybermen appeared a few years later in the 1st Doctors final story. The Master is a rival Time Lord who only cares about causing destruction in the universe.