Doctor Who

Doctor Who is an incredible television show. I consider it to be half drama, half comedy. It goes to those dark and scary places and includes those dramatic moments, but it is also full of great British comedy. The comedy can be very subtle, but that means there is always something new to catch the next time you watch an episode. The drama is very similar. The individual episodes are usually easy to follow if you want to be just a casual watcher. But for those who like details, each episode is full of little goodies for those who watch religiously and follow the multi-episode arcs.



Doctor Who is a British science fiction show that originally ran from the 60's through the 80's, and had 8 'doctor's over that time. Doctor Who was resurrected in 2004 and recently finished its fourth season. Here are some of the basics you need to know.

Characters

The Doctor

The main character is 'the doctor', a time lord from a planet called Galefrey. Time lords have a unique ability that allows them to regenerate/heal themselves if they are mortally wounded. In the process of regeneration, their body will change (this allows the series to go on when an actor leaves). They only have a limited number of regenerations, but they have enough that the doctor in the re imagined series is 900 some years old and still young.

First Doctor

Ninth Doctor(Christopher Eccleston), Tenth Doctor(David Tennant)

What Happened to the Other Time Lords?
In original series, there were other time lords. However, either in the finale, or sometime after, the time lords went to war with a race called the Daleks, a species that looks similar to octopi and live inside what look like salt shakers. As a result of the time war, almost all Daleks and all time lords but the doctor perished. This period in time was 'time locked' so that no one can attempt to change the outcome.

Companions
The Doctor almost always travels with a human companion (usually a woman). The companion acts as the human perspective of the show.

Sarah Jane Smith (Elizabeth Sladen), Rose Tyler (Billie Piper)

Martha Jones(Freema Agyeman), Donna Noble(Catherine Tate

Captain Jack (John Barrowman)
During a trip to WWII London in the new series, the Doctor and Rose meet Capt. Jack, a rogue time agent from the future who is attracted to almost anyone and anything. Jack is a recurring character on the show and is also the center of a spin off called Torchwood.



The TARDIS
The Doctor travels space and time in his ship called the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space). The TARDIS is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and has a cloaking device that is supposed to make the door blend in to whatever place or time it is presently at. However the cloak was damaged and now the TARDIS always looks like a 1940's police box.