Dr.
Who
The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious and eccentric
humanoid alien known as the
Doctor who travels through time and space in his spacecraft, the
TARDIS (an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension In Space), which
normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s British police
box. With his companions, he explores time and space, faces a variety of
foes and rights wrongs.
The Doctor has been played by eleven actors. The transition from one
actor to another is written into the plot of the show as regeneration,
whereby the character of the Doctor takes on a new body and, to some
extent, new personality. Although each portrayal is different, and on
occasion the various incarnations have even encountered one another,
they are all meant to be aspects of the same character. The Doctor is
currently portrayed by Matt
Smith, who took up the role after David Tennant's final appearance
in an episode broadcast on 1 January 2010.
The programme was intended to be educational and for family viewing
on the early Saturday evening schedule. Initially, it alternated
stories set in the past, which taught younger audience members about
history, with stories set either in the future or in outer space to
teach them about science. This was also reflected in the Doctor's
original companions, one of whom was a science teacher and another a
history teacher.
Doctor Who is one of the five top grossing titles for BBC Worldwide, the
BBC's commercial arm. BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith has said that Doctor
Who is one of a small number of "Superbrands" which Worldwide
will promote heavily.
