Doctor Who Day: Happy fifty-sixth anniversary to one of the greatest TV series ever
By James Aggas
Fifty-six years ago today, a phenomenon was born. We celebrate Doctor Who Day, and look at what the series became on television – and beyond…
Happy Doctor Who Day, everyone! Fifty-six years to the day since our favorite TV series began, Doctor Who is as amazing now as it ever was. Whether you adore the current era starring Jodie Whittaker and run by Chris Chibnall, or whether it’s your least favorite take on the series yet, that doesn’t matter. The core concept of the series – of being able to go anywhere in time and space – is still as brilliant today as it was over five and a half decades ago.
Even better is that in some ways, it’s bigger now than it’s ever been. When Sydney Newman created the series and Verity Lambert produced it, I don’t think either of them could have imagined it still enduring today, or even become as successful internationally as it has now.
While for a long time it was seen to be just a cult series overseas – with Tom Baker being one of the only recognizable Doctors – Doctor Who now has a huge fanbase in North America. While it will never be quite as big over here as it is in the UK, it’s still satisfying to see this show connect with modern audiences around the world.
Beyond the TV series itself, we’ve had a vast number of Doctor Who stories in other media – especially from Big Finish, who celebrated their twentieth anniversary this year.
(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
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A universe beyond the small screen
But it’s not just the TV series that’s so brilliant. As a long-term fan myself, what’s truly fantastic about being a fan is enjoying so many stories with so many Doctors in so many ways. On top of the TV series, we also have books, comics and audios to enjoy. Doctor Who is so many things to so many of us, and it’s not just restricted to the small screen.
This is especially true of Big Finish Productions. I can’t begin to express how grateful I am to the company, who celebrated their twentieth anniversary earlier this year. Over the past two decades, we’ve had stories of all the previous Doctors. We’ve had many actors return to roles that they hadn’t played in decades, and we’ve had established characters given fresh takes with new actors. And we’ve had many brilliant stories with past (and, for a couple of years, even current) Doctors.
In fact, just this year alone has given us so many exciting stories. Not only have we heard several Masters working together, or even had the First and Second Doctors meet just this month. But we’ve also had the incredible The Legacy of Time, an epic adventure spread across six Doctors and many familiar characters. With the company celebrating something as major as twenty years of giving us so many great Doctor Who stories (and much more), they definitely deserve a mention today.
But of course, none of this would have started without the help of Sydney Newman, Verity Lambert, Donald Wilson, William Hartnell and so many others who worked together to give us that first episode, fifty-six years ago. From such humble beginnings as trying to fill in a gap in the Saturday night schedule, Doctor Who has become one of the greatest science-fiction series ever made. And that’s something that will never cease to be amazing.
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How are you celebrating Doctor Who Day today? What do you enjoy most about the series? And what makes it so special to you? Let us know in the comments below.