Alan Kistler's Guide to Doctor Who

The seal of Rassilon, founder of the Time Lords "Everywhere you go,
they tell tales of the Doctor.
There are galaxies far away from here
where children sleep more soundly
knowing he's out there fighting off the demons.
And the demons twist and turn in fear,
knowing that their enemy awaits ..."

 - Leela, from the audio play Zagreus

"What exactly are you a doctor of?"
"Practically everything, my dear!"

- Liz Shaw and the Doctor,
from the TV story "Spearhead from Space"

WHO IS THE DOCTOR?

He is a scientist and an explorer. He is a criminal and a hero. He is a father and a grandfather. He is an alien who has lived for centuries yet, at times, is still quite immature. He is an action hero who does not carry weapons, relying on wits, scientific knowledge and, at times, his trusted "sonic screwdriver." Most of all, he is a wanderer who is always ready for adventure.

He was raised on the planet Gallifrey to be a Time Lord, part of an ancient society of people who had appointed themselves protectors of the "space-time vortex." But after many years, he came to believe that his people had become stagnant in their evolution and could not agree with their strict policy of not interfering with the "lesser races" of the universe. The day finally came when he left his home, venturing out into the universe in an old broken-down time ship (a Type 40 TARDIS) that he stole from a repair shop. In turning his back on Time Lord society, he was labeled a renegade and gave up all rights to his status, his heritage and even his birth name. But for him, it was worth it.

He never stays in one place for too long, his only home being his run-down TARDIS, his faithful "old girl", which disguises itself as a mysterious blue police box. He fights evil when he encounters it, but he is not an angst-ridden avenger on a quest for justice. He journeys for the simple thrill of adventure and his love of a good mystery. In his travels, he has often picked up traveling companions, people who can share in his fun, each of whom eventually leaves him for one reason or another. Some of them, sadly, have died during their exploits with him.

Over his centuries of life, this adventurer has worn different faces. Like all Time Lords, he can "regenerate" his entire physical body as a way of cheating death, gaining a completely new appearance and a slightly different point of view on life in the process (though his memories intact, so he is the same person at his core). Unable and unwilling to use his birth name, he's also assumed many different titles in his travels. When he was a student at the Academy on the planet Gallifrey, his nickname was "Theta Sigma." On the planet Myar, he was known as the fearsome pirate "Dr. Vile." To the Galyari, he became a frightening figure of myth known as "the Sandman." The Daleks and Draconians know him as "The Oncoming Storm" and some Daleks refer to him as the Ka Faraq Gatri, which means "Destroyer of Worlds."

On Earth, he has often been called Dr. John Smith. In ancient China, they knew him by a few names: Hu, "the tiger" (for his courage); Hoo, "the fox" (for his cunning); or Xue, "he who tends to the sick."

But to most who ask him, he just goes by the title that he chose for himself when he left his home planet and his birth name far behind him. Since then, he has simply been ... The Doctor.

 

THE SHOW ITSELF

The TV series Doctor Who premiered on the BBC on November 23, 1963, the day after Kennedy died, and was originally conceived as a family program with educational values for children. It quickly proved to be a lot more than that, both in terms of high concepts and dark tales about death and destruction on sometimes universal levels. The main creative force behind the show was BBC Head of Drama Sydney Newman. Writer Anthony Coburn, story editor David Whitaker and initial producer Verity Lambert also heavily contributed to the development of the series in the early days and greatly influenced writers and producers who came later.

Doctor Who was meant to last for one season. Instead, it lasted for 26 seasons (695 episodes), making it the longest running science-fiction program in history. It was a phenomenon in British pop culture, reaching popularity comparable to American characters such as Batman and Superman. After cancellation, it survived in novels and a TV pilot on Fox, as well as in comic strips and audio plays which continue being produced to this day.

A new series, spear-headed by Executive Producer and Head Writer Russell T. Davies (creator of Queer as Folk), started airing in 2005 and continues the story of the time traveling alien known as "The Doctor." Recently, as its fifth season concludes, Russell T. Davies is turning control of the show over to fan-favorite writer Steve Moffat (Coupling, Jekyll).

Doctor Who has also spawned TV spin-offs such as Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Along with this, there are the Bernice Summerfield novels and radio plays, the U.N.I.T. audio plays, the adventures of Iris Wildthyme, the Gallifrey audio series and various other works.

Want to learn more? Check out the options below.

Classic Series Synopsis - A short and sweet rundown of who the main character is and some of the major events that happened during the original "Classic" series. This article does not give anything away about the stories that occur in the new series which began in 2005 and can be read as a prologue.

The Arch-Enemies - Brief bios on the major enemies of the Doctor and the Time Lords.

The Different Doctors In A Nutshell - Short descriptions of each incarnation of the Doctor previous to the new series.

The Doctor's Past on Gallifrey - What do we know for sure the Doctor was up to before he began wandering around as a renegade Time Lord? What do we know for sure about his family and his childhood? It's all laid out here.

Guide to the TARDIS - Wanna know more about the Doctor's fabulous time-ship? Of course you do!

History of the Time Lords - Who started Time Lord society? What is the Eye of Harmony? How does one become a Time Lord? How is their society divided? What other great, powerful races did the Time Lords encounter when the universe was young? Stop wondering and find out already!

Traits of a Time Lord - So how are Time Lords different from us mere humans? And what are the mechanics behind regeneration?

In-Deph History of Doctor Who - A series of essays covering the history of each incarnation of the Doctor, both in the show and behind the scenes. This section also includes lists that detail the adventures of each Doctor in chronological order, including adventures from novels, audio plays and comic strips.

Doctor Who Spin-Offs - Torchwood, Sarah Jane Smith, U.N.I.T. and all the rest.