Doctor Who: Happy fifty-fifth anniversary to the greatest TV series ever!

Fifty-five years ago, one of the greatest TV shows of all time began. Today, we look back on what makes Doctor Who so special, and why it has endured for so long.

Wow. Fifty-five years. It’s incredible to think that any television series could last that long. So what is it that has made Doctor Who so special? And what makes it appeal to so many people?

Well, there’s the very basic concept: a mysterious alien takes his friends on dangerous adventures through time and space in a magic box. That was the concept introduced all the way back in An Unearthly Child (although admittedly, Ian and Barbara weren’t exactly the Doctor’s “friends”, at first), and that’s still remains true today.

And it’s a concept that’s still just genius. Because it’s limited only by two things: the writer’s imagination, and the budget. And even then, the low budget didn’t hold the crew back from some of the boldest ideas. (The Web Planet is definitely a key example of this.)

We have time-travel shows, and we have outer space shows. But even today, it’s rare to have a show that does both at the same time on a regular basis. So Doctor Who still stands out as a show with almost limitless potential.

Doctor Who has given us not just many Doctors, but also, many distinctive eras to enjoy, too.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Many Doctors, many styles

And of course, there’s regeneration. Introduced into the show’s fourth season in the story The Tenth Planet, this was the key idea that ensured that the series would last forever.

Again, it’s such a simple idea – the main character changing into someone completely different, but only at the point of death – and yet it’s so brilliant, too.

It’s not just allowed the show to keep going far beyond what was initially conceived. It’s also allowed the programme to adapt and change with its audience over the decades. Because it’s not just the Doctor who regenerates every so often. It’s the producers and showrunners, too.

Doctor Who has always allowed for plenty of flexibility with its stories. But its also had different core styles, too. So while you could have stories that featured humor, horror or science-fiction within a single season, usually, an overall era would focus more on one particular style or genre than another.

The expanded universe has given us even more stories to enjoy with our favorite Doctors, and even kept Doctor Who alive during the time it wasn’t on TV.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Beyond the TV series

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This willingness to change over the years is another thing that has helped the series to go on. More than that, it allows for each era to have its own audience. And this is especially brilliant in an age where both Classic or New Who stories are easily available on DVD or streaming.

Just as fantastic is the fact that the expanded universe has helped to give us more stories of every Doctor. Whether in books, comics or audio, fans can easily find brand new stories of their favorite Doctors. During the Wilderness Years from 1990 to 2004, these were all that fans had. And these stories were successful enough to keep our favorite series going, even off the screen, until it finally came back.

And that’s the thing. Whether it’s on TV or not, Doctor Who will always continue, in some shape or form. Because it’s the fandom who keeps it going.

Even if the BBC cancelled it tomorrow, we’d still continue to love the show for years to come, finding or even creating brand new stories of our own. After all, we’ve done it before. If you really want to know why this very special series has lasted for so long, I can’t think of a better reason than the fandom.

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What’s your favorite memory from Doctor Who? Who’s your favorite Doctor? What will you be doing for the fifty-fifth anniversary? Let us know in the comments below.

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