Doctor Who (1963)
Series, 1963, Classic series, Set in The First to Seventh Doctors
Doctor Who (1963) is #1 of 21 in release order and #1 of 21 in chronological order in the Doctor Who.
The story
The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.
Doctor Who (1963) recap
The First Doctor, a prickly old man, travels with his granddaughter Susan, who is at school in 1963 London, until two of her teachers, Ian and Barbara, follow her into the TARDIS and are taken away. Over seasons 1 to 4 they meet the Daleks, visit Earth's history and pick up companions such as Vicki, Steven, Polly and Ben; Susan stays behind on a future Earth. After the first Cybermen story, the worn-out Doctor renews himself into the Second Doctor, a scruffy cosmic hobo. In seasons 4 to 6 he travels with the Highlander Jamie, Victoria and Zoe, fights the Ice Warriors and the Yeti, and meets Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, later the Brigadier of UNIT. The Time Lords finally put him on trial for interfering and exile him to Earth in a new body. The Third Doctor spends seasons 7 to 11 working with UNIT and his assistants Liz Shaw and Jo Grant against the Autons and his rival Time Lord, the Master; after The Three Doctors his exile is lifted, and Sarah Jane Smith joins him before he dies of radiation poisoning. The Fourth Doctor, with his long scarf, runs from season 12 to 18, travelling with Sarah Jane, Harry, the warrior Leela, the robot dog K9 and the Time Lady Romana; he witnesses the creation of the Daleks by Davros, hunts the Key to Time, and falls from a radio telescope fighting the Master. The young Fifth Doctor, in seasons 19 to 21, loses his companion Adric to the Cybermen and gives his life to save Peri. The loud Sixth Doctor, in seasons 22 and 23, is put on trial again by the Time Lords and faces the Valeyard, a dark version of himself. The Seventh Doctor, a clown who becomes a schemer, travels with Mel and then Ace through seasons 24 to 26, ending the original run in 1989.
Doctor Who (1963) ending explained
The original series ends with Survival in 1989: the Seventh Doctor and Ace defeat the Master on a dying planet of cat people and walk off together to find more adventures, the Doctor saying there is work to be done. The show was then cancelled. The story picks up in the 1996 TV movie, where the Seventh Doctor regenerates, and fully returns in 2005.
Where to watch Doctor Who (1963)
Doctor Who (1963) is streaming on BritBox and Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 68%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Doctor Who: The Movie.
- Chronological order: first, before Doctor Who: The Movie.
What to watch before Doctor Who (1963)
Nothing. Doctor Who (1963) is the first of the Doctor Who essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Tom Baker as The Doctor
- William Hartnell as The Doctor
- Patrick Troughton as The Doctor
- Jon Pertwee as The Doctor
- Nicholas Courtney as The Brigadier
- Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
- Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon
- John Leeson as Dugeen
- John Levene as John Benton
- Katy Manning as Jo Grant
- William Russell as Ian Chesterton
- Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright
Created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, Donald Wilson.