I could only find a gif of the new opening. But that's the TARDIS. (Tumblr)

This is the first of two columns about "Doctor Who" and the "Who" fandoms. This one will focus primarily on Classic "Who", the serials and films prior to the revival in 2005, which is referred to as "New Who" or "NuWho".

Almost 50 years ago, in 1963, a low-budget, black and white BBC sci-fi show about a curmudgeonly time traveller and his level-headed granddaughter popped up on the air. The first episode aired Nov. 23, 1963, the day after President John F. Kennedy's assassination, on BBC1, presented as an educational family show, using time travel as a method with which children would be taught about history and past events.

Whether or not the show is actually a family show is up to you. There is an old adage that says, "The safest place to watch 'Doctor Who' is from behind the couch". I personally like "underneath the covers" because this show can be scary as hell. But at the same time, it's funny, it's heartwarming, it's heartbreaking, it's idealistic and optimistic and, for all it's extraordinary creatures and questionable mechanics, it seems very real. Not because the cardboard props or time-travelling police boxes seem so realistic, but because there's something for human about the alien who calls himself the Doctor.

But let's take a look at just what "Doctor Who" is.

Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, Baker, Davison, Baker, McCoy, McGann, Eccleston, Tennant and Smith. (Tumblr)

Subject: "Doctor Who", the First through Eighth Doctors

In early 1963, BBC Television's Head of Drama Sydney Newman, Head of the Script Department Donald Wilson and staff writers Alice Frick, John Braybon and C.E. Webber began brainstorming to create a science-fiction program to take place in between "Juke Box Jury" and "Grandstand"—something that would appeal to children, teens and adults alike.

Eventually, "Doctor Who" was born, the story of a time-travelling alien from the planet Gallifrey. Traveling through time and space in a blue police box called the "T.A.R.D.I.S." (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space), he would become one of the largest cult phenomena in sci-fi history.

 A mysterious main character, known only as "The Doctor", as of the first series, lived and travelled in the TARDIS with his granddaughter Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford). The TARDIS, it should be noted, is not technically supposed to be a police phone box, but the Chameleon Circuit, which is supposed to camouflage it to suit to the culture of the location, is malfunctioning. For 50 years. At this point, I've just got to assume that the Doctor loves blue and hates subtlety.

The characteristic "vworp vworp" (which is also my text tone and can be terrifying at three in the morning), is the TARDIS's landing noise, and is made by scraping a key along a piano wire and probably ruining the piano, but I say it's worth it.

The Doctor regenerates when he receives a fatal injury, rather than dying, creating a nifty little solution for longevity, as it allows for multiple actors to play different incarnations of the character—part of the reason it was on air continuously from 1963 to 1989.

Traveling with his companions, the Doctor usually focuses on saving civilizations and battling nemeses, especially the genocidal, supremacist robots, the iconic Daleks. You may recognize them from their pepper-shaker shape, the egg whisk and plunger they seem to have for arms, and the fact that Daleks cannot climb stairs, which is a bit of a problem for them in the early series. Appearing in the second serial, appropriately named "The Daleks", these alien foes captured the imagination of the viewing public and their introduction effectively marked the beginning of the "Who" fandom, which, even during its early years, drew audiences upwards of 12 million.

The show arranges itself in "serials", each of which contain an average of four to five episodes, 30 minutes each. Similar to story arcs, each of these serials followed a basic storyline, with the episodes following after each other like the progression of chapters in a novel. The following serial would begin at the end of the story arc, creating a continuous storyline. This storytelling format would eventually change with the revival (although the Eighth Doctor's story takes place in a movie format, but we'll get to that.)

While the show has over 790 episodes, 106 of those episodes are currently missing, leaving 27 serials from the first six years of the show incomplete, as they were exterminated (to borrow the favorite phrase from the Daleks) for financial and space-saving reasons. However, all episodes survive in audio format, and several stills or short clips have been found.

You should feel honored. I spent a very long time looking for the creepiest gif I could find of any of the Classic Who Doctors. You're welcome. (Tumblr)

So...Doctor...Who, exactly?

Although, for the most part, information about the Doctor's past is largely unknown, we do know a bit (even if we don't know his name).

For example, the Doctor actually stole the TARDIS, which is supposed to be piloted by six Time Lords (the alien race of which the Doctor is a part). During his exile during the Third Doctor's tenure, his abilities to operate the TARDIS were wiped from his memory, and, as he threw the operating manual into a supernova because he disagreed with it. After the exile is lifted, he kind of gets the skills back, and usually gets to go where he wants it to.

Using the Doctor's vast knowledge, especially of science and history, he averts many (although not necessarily all) crises and saves civilizations. Even if it's mostly at random.

His childhood and pre-show life is very rarely mentioned, but he attended an academy, in which he was schooled with companions who occasionally appear throughout the series, including the Rani, Borusa (President of the Time Lord High Council) and the Master, who is one of the Doctor's recurring nemeses..

As of the Doctor's family, he travels with his granddaughter for the first three series, but no mention is made of Susan's mother, father or grandmother. Later in the series, the Seventh Doctor states that he does not know if he has any family at all—whether or not he remembers but wishes not to say is up for debate.

In direct defiance of Time Lord law, he becomes involved with the events of the universe; although he is pacifist by nature, his only weapons being his wits and his sonic screwdriver (but it doesn't do wood), he still interferes, leading to problems throughout the series, at least, during the Classic "Who" era. And he will kill in self-defense, though it's not often.

He seems especially prone to genocide during Christmas specials, though, I've noted. Because it just isn't Christmas unless a species is threatened with unimaginable destruction.

First Doctor (William Hartnell), 1963-1966

William Hartnell, the First Doctor. He does not usually look this confused.

Hartnell's Doctor is cantankerous, curmudgeonly and the antithesis to what a popular children's show hero should be. Although he travels with his granddaughter Susan, there isn't much about him that could be called "grandfatherly", unless your grandfather happens to be a callous, sometimes ruthless and initially unsympathetic space wanderer.

Hartnell's companions are Susan, and two teachers from then-contemporary London, Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton, who are basically kidnapped by the Doctor. Susan Foreman did not remain companion throughout the duration of Hartnell's...doctorhood; however, the First's other companions included 25th Century human Vicki (Maureen O'Brien), Steven Taylor (Peter Purves), briefly Katarina (a human from the first century, B.C., played by Adrienne Hill) and Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh) and Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane); Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben's (Michael Craze) companionship bled over into the Second Doctor's era. 

That's not to say he remains as such. The Doctor's character softens considerably throughout the show; by the fourth serial "Marco Polo", he began to become gentler and more "likable". However, due to Hartnell's failing health, the First Doctor was written out, both in form and in character personality. Should the Doctor become grievously injured, he will regenerate into new form—a new brain, a new body, a new face but the same memories. In the story "The Tenth Planet", Hartnell's Doctor was replaced by Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor in Nov. 1966, after the Doctor's first run-in with the Cybermen, another exceptionally popular race of alien foe, who look, unfortunately, less like menacing trash cans on wheels and more like your classic emotionless robots.

(I'm not completely unaffected by Daleks. I think they're damn scary too. Pepper shakers are not supposed to be so menacing. It's just not okay.)

That's the face I make when I watch "Doctor Who" too, Mr. Troughton.

Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), 1966-1969

Troughton's Doctor, though maintaining the First's righteous, moral indignation at any sort of oppression or evil, was considerably more lightweight in his performance. That said, the Doctor is not necessarily a wholly "good" character, and often manipulates others for the "greater good", even the ones he's closest to (his companions).

During Troughton's tenure, multiple changeovers in the writing and production staff, as well as an increasingly tight budget caused the show's future to be questionable. The ratings were falling and because each episode required the creation of new sets and new costumes to match the TARDIS's new destination, something drastic was necessary. Troughton had made the decision to leave the show after three seasons, so significant changes were due at this juncture.

The Second Doctor's most recognizable companions include Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines), a Scottish bagpiper from the 18th Century and appears in 116 episodes; Jamie typically responds to time traveling with a sense of confusion and enthusiasm. A gentleman, he is close to the Second Doctor's other companions, including Victoria, the daughter of a Victorian scientist, who, after being captured by Daleks, is rescued by Jamie and the Doctor, at the expense of her father's life. Additionally, the Second Doctor travels with Zoe Heriot (or, sometimes, Herriot), who is a young genius from the 21st Century, and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, or, more often, "the Brigadier", who appears more consistently throughout the series.

Even though "Doctor Who" is a children's show, there is no fun allowed at all, as you can tell from this picture. (Tumblr)

Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), 1970 - 1974

The Third Doctor is portrayed by Jon Pertwee, who, in spite of his previous experience in comic roles, plays the character as action and drama-based rather than indulging in humor.

Not only is his Doctor, in the episode "Spearhead from Space", the first to appear in color, but also features most of his episodes on Earth, rather than traveling in time and space.

His Doctor is exiled to Earth, where he works as the (fictional) United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT), where he assisted in scientific and peace-making exercises. During this time, he had "companions" Liz Shaw and Jo Grant, and only occasionally attained to his previous occupation, when he was assigned on various missions by Time Lords, who programmed the TARDIS on a specific course so that he would not stray. With UNIT, he works again with the Brigadier, who is the head of a UNIT team.

This Doctor is more physical than the First or Second, and is well-trained in aikido and various martial arts, and although he will not "brawl", he could remove himself from danger using his skills should the need arise.

And if you hear the phrase "reverse the polarity of the neutron flow", it's related to the Third Doctor. Even though he only said the role twice, it, in essence, means nothing and is basically just pseudoscientific babble. Even so, the phrase becomes a sort of a memetic mutation, both in-series (the Fourth, Fifth, Tenth and Eleventh all use variations of the phrase) and within fandom.

Importantly, this Doctor's era introduces two important characters: Sarah Jane Smith (Liz Sladen), one of the most popular and recognizable of all of the Doctor's companions, and the Master, another Time Lord who has gone bad and becomes one of the Doctor's most dangerous recurring villains, lasting well into New Who.

Tom Baker had to have two scarves for shooting; he had to use a shorter one while filming outside because the other would trip him. (Tumblr)

Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), 1974-1981

Perhaps the most famous of all the Classic Who Doctors, and definitely one of the most iconic characters in the Whoniverse, the Fourth Doctor finds himself returning to space travel, his exile lifted, with journalist Sarah Jane Smith. Although he leaves her behind when he is summoned to Gallifrey (which does not allow humans), he is then set upon by the Master and framed for the Master's "assassination" by the President of the High Council of the Time Lords. Through a bit of Doctor Ex Machina, he is proven innocent and sets forth, traveling alone for the first time, to a planet he'd visited once before.

On this planet, a member of a warrior tribe called Sevateem, joins him. Leela (Louise Jameson) is then educated about human culture; in addition, they obtain a mechanic dog called K-9, who reappears several times throughout the series, even after Four's regeneration. Other recognizable companions from this era include Romana II, a Time Lady from Gallifrey who is sent to accompany the Doctor; Adric, a prodigy from the planet Alzerius; Nyssa and Tegan Jovanka, the former a highborn lady from the planet Traken and the latter an Australian stewardess. Both Nyssa and Tegan witness the Fourth's regeneration into the Fifth Doctor.

The Fourth Doctor tends to be alternately whimsical and melancholic, and can be cruel and manipulative, even with his own people. However, he remains dedicated to his moral code, recognizing that if he were to kill the Daleks, he would be as bad as them.

Most recognizable about this Doctor are his oversized hat and his ridiculously long multicolored scarf, which can be bought if you want to be bogged down in around 12 feet of heavy, knitted material.

Which I do. Very much so.

Oh, and say yes if he asks you if you would like a jelly baby. He has a seemingly infinite supply of them.

You work that vegetable, Peter Davison. You work it.

Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison), 1981-1984

Carrying over from Baker's Doctor, this Doctor seems progressively darker and more melancholic. It's notable that this Doctor witnesses the first (but certainly not the last) death of one his companions. Re-introducing former villains (the Time Lord Omega, the Master, the Silurians, the Cybermen), this Doctor also cuts out some of the more over-the-top humor.

Companions during this Doctor's tenure include an alien boy (and originally, a potential assassin of the Doctor) called Vislor Turlough, and a robot shapeshifter called Kamelion, both of whom move past their originally threatening states and become close companions.

The Doctor is less authoritative and more cooperative with his companions, and seems, in a way, younger than his previous incarnations. We also see the beginning of the melancholic hero that becomes a mainstay of the modern reboot's Doctors.

While not as over the top as any of the previous Doctors, Davison's Doctor is dressed in cream colored clothes, a panama hat and a coat decorated with a stalk of celery. During "Time Crash", a charity mini-sode in which the Tenth and Fifth Doctors meet each other, Ten calls the celery a "decorative vegetable". Davison also reappears often, reprising his role as the Doctor in audio plays and video games.

Davison's daughter, Georgia Moffett, plays the character Jenny in the Tenth Doctor's episode, "The Doctor's Daughter", playing the titular character. The Doctor's daughter. She later married David Tennant (Ten), and had a daughter. The Doctor's daughter, who played the Doctor's Daughter, married the Doctor and had the Doctor's daughter. "Doctor Who" is nothing if not complicated, even outside the meta of the show.

"Doctor Who" is known for its fashion-forward actors. (Tumblr)

Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker), 1984-1986

 Brash and sometimes surly, this Doctor (played by Colin Baker, who is in no way related to Tom Baker), seems very similar to Hartnell's First Doctor.

Again, this Doctor fights against classic "Who" villains—Daleks, Cybermen, the Master, Sontarans, and, this time, a new villain: the female Time Lord (Time Lady?) the Rani.

The serials covered in the Sixth Doctor's tenure are rather complicated, as there is a tendency for storylines to be dropped, only to be picked up with questionable canonicity in books or spin-of media; his companions, Mel and Peri, both end their travels with him under questionable circumstances (it is assumed that Peri is killed, but Mel leaves the storyline and reappears once.

The Sixth Doctor's timeline is a bit questionable and difficult to follow; even his death isn't explained on-screen at any moment. The TARDIS is attacked by the Rani, and the Doctor ends up regenerating once more with little to no explanation.

This Doctor is unstable and egotistical and he acts with inflated superiority, making many dislike him at first; however, in the audio plays, many believe that the character is redeemed with increased wit and a seemingly happier persona.

You may recognize him as "Radagast the Brown" from "The Hobbit". Who's to say that the Doctor wouldn't end up in Middle Earth? (Tumblr)

Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy), 1987-1989

This Doctor retains companionship of Mel for part of the first series; while the character is more whimsical than his previous incarnation, he's notable for continuing to bring up the question of just who the Doctor really is.

His companion throughout the majority of his tenure is Ace, who was transported from the 1980s to a futuristic alien planet. During this time, he battles Daleks and destroys their home planet Skaro, takes up arms again with the Brigadier. While acting as Ace's mentor, sometime after the defeat of Fenric, the Doctor and Ace part ways.

The Master continues to battle against the Doctor, but an additional, new enemy called Fenric plagues him as well. While affable, for the most part, the Doctor eventually grows to be darker in his characterization. His death is one of the more violent ones, as well—while in traveling back to Gallifrey with the Master's body, the Master regains corporeal form and he eventually winds up in 1999 San Francisco, where he is shot and dies due to a surgical accident.

As the Doctors progress throughout the course of the series, you should note, the show appears less as a children's show and becomes more serious, darker and grittier. The way the Doctor dies is proof enough of that.

It may be the aliens that frighten children, but there are still some very adult themes in the show, which most likely draws fans of all ages to the show.

Paul McGann and his fob watch. That fob watch is very, very important to the series. Pay attention to it. (Tumblr)

Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann), 1996 film “Doctor Who”

In 1995, a TV movie version of “Doctor Who” appeared on FOX, in an attempt to draw in American viewers as a backdoor pilot for an American television version of the show. Although it did not draw a huge audience in America, it was well-received in the UK and in Australia.

Eight only appeared in one film; however, he is prolific in his appearances in alternate, spin-off media, especially the comics.

In spite of this, much of what happens in the Eighth Doctor’s film is considered noncanonical (as is most spin-off media in general—the television program and only the television program, unless specified otherwise, are considered to be the only official parts of the “Doctor Who” canon.)

It is unknown what, exactly, it is that causes him to regenerate into the Ninth Doctor, and what happens in the interim, although the Doctor does partcipate in the Time War, occurring in the hiatus, wherein both the Dalek race and the Time Lord race are destroyed at the Doctor’s hands, leaving him to be the “last of the Time Lords”.

A friendly reminder from Mr. Adams and the Guide.

Creating a bit of a pair-o-docs (I take no credit for the stupid joke, although I wish I could), various incarnations of the Doctor have met each other. Most recently was “Time Crash” in 2007; however, in “The Five Doctors” (1983), the First through Fifth Doctors appeared. (The first Doctor played by Richard Hurndell, taking over for the late William Hartnell, who passed away in 1975). A serial with William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton in 1972-1973 featured the First and Second Doctors working together; “The Two Doctors” had the Second and Sixth Doctors and their companions battling Sontarans.

Only five of the 26 series had no changes to the cast, with no actors arriving or departing the show.

Jon Pertwee had difficulty with the fast-talking “technobabble” so characteristic of the Doctor, so crewmembers hid cue cards around the set to aid him.

The BBC trademarked the iconic TARDIS police box after buying the rights from the Metropolitan Police, but not without a bit of a tussle with the Met.

There’s also a blue police phone box (I’m not saying it’s a TARDIS…) in Earl’s Court in London.

Douglas Adams, author of the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” wrote for “Doctor Who” in the 70s.

Originally, the Beatles were supposed to appear in an episode of “Doctor Who,” but their manager Brian Epstein declined. However, a clip of “Ticket to Ride” from “Top of the Pops” appears in one episode; this is the only footage that remains from that episode of “Top of the Pops”, as the rest of the episode was erased.

The words “Dalek” and “TARDIS” are in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Because there was no written continuity to look back to, producer John Nathan-Turner resorted to contacting expert fan Ian Levine with continuity questions.

Although it was intended as a children’s show, an audience research survey in 1969 showed that 58% of the viewers were over 17-years-old; showrunner Robert Holmes, who was the series’ script editor from 1974 until 1977 believed that the show was targeted towards teenagers, and that children under ten should not watch without parental supervision.

Or from behind the couch, where it’s safe.

 What comes next

The first eight Doctors comprise “Classic Who”, whereas the reboot of the series, from 2005 onward, is called “New Who” or, occasionally, “NuWho”. While I plan to go more specifically into the fandom next column, I definitely advise you to check out the older episodes—the ones you can get your hands on, at least.
 
Next column will cover Eccleston, Tennant and Smith-era “Who”, what’s coming next (especially considering the episode that will be airing this Saturday, March 30), and Whovian fandom activities, from the 1960s on. It will read more like my previous fandom guides, replete with links to sources, dumb humor and unabashed enthusiasm.

Until then, happy travels throughout all universes and all times.

Columnist Christine Bancroft can be reached here or found on Twitter here. She dressed up as the TARDIS this past Halloween and was a Dalek the year prior.