Doctor Who
ActionAdventure1963Rated 8.4
An alien exile called the Doctor steals a time machine shaped like a police box and roams history and space. Two schoolteachers who follow his granddaughter home end up aboard, and he won't let them leave.
Starring Tom Baker, Richard Hurndall, William Hartnell
Status
Ended
26 seasons, last aired Wed, 6 Dec 1989
Is it for me?
Fans of retro sci-fi and old British TV will like this best, because the effects are homemade and the charm lives in the ideas. When a tribe that cannot make fire captures the travellers, a single match and a burning torch change its mind about them. Hartnell plays the Doctor prickly and secretive, which makes every kindness he shows feel earned.
Before you start
Stories run as multi-part serials with a weekly cliffhanger, best watched a serial at a time; the tone shifts a lot over the run.
26 seasons, 694 episodes, 25 min each, about 294 hours so far
This show
An alien exile called the Doctor steals a time machine shaped like a police box and roams history and space. Two schoolteachers who follow his granddaughter home end up aboard, and he won't let them leave.
Starring Tom Baker, Richard Hurndall, William Hartnell
Is it for me?
Fans of retro sci-fi and old British TV will like this best, because the effects are homemade and the charm lives in the ideas. When a tribe that cannot make fire captures the travellers, a single match and a burning torch change its mind about them. Hartnell plays the Doctor prickly and secretive, which makes every kindness he shows feel earned.
Before you start
Stories run as multi-part serials with a weekly cliffhanger, best watched a serial at a time; the tone shifts a lot over the run.
26 seasons, 694 episodes, 25 min each, about 294 hours so far
- E01An Unearthly Child (An Unearthly Child, Part One)Aired Sat 23 Nov
- E02The Cave of Skulls (An Unearthly Child, Part Two)Aired Sat 30 Nov
- E03The Forest of Fear (An Unearthly Child, Part Three)Aired Sat 7 Dec
- E04The Firemaker (An Unearthly Child, Part Four)Aired Sat 14 Dec
- E05The Dead Planet (The Daleks, Part One)Aired Sat 21 Dec
- E06The Survivors (The Daleks, Part Two)Aired Sat 28 Dec
- E07The Escape (The Daleks, Part Three)Aired Sat 4 Jan
- E08The Ambush (The Daleks, Part Four)Aired Sat 11 Jan
- E09The Expedition (The Daleks, Part Five)Aired Sat 18 Jan
- E10The Ordeal (The Daleks, Part Six)Aired Sat 25 Jan
- E11The Rescue (The Daleks, Part Seven)Aired Sat 1 Feb
- E12The Edge of Destruction (The Edge of Destruction, Part One)Aired Sat 8 Feb
- E13The Brink of Disaster (The Edge of Destruction, Part Two)Aired Sat 15 Feb
- E14The Roof of the World (Marco Polo, Part One)Aired Sat 22 Feb
- E15The Singing Sands (Marco Polo, Part Two)Aired Sat 29 Feb
- E16Five Hundred Eyes (Marco Polo, Part Three)Aired Sat 7 Mar
- E17The Wall of Lies (Marco Polo, Part Four)Aired Sat 14 Mar
- E18Rider From Shang-Tu (Marco Polo, Part Five)Aired Sat 21 Mar
- E19Mighty Kublai Khan (Marco Polo, Part Six)Aired Sat 28 Mar
- E20Assassin at Peking (Marco Polo, Part Seven)Aired Sat 4 Apr
- E21The Sea of Death (The Keys of Marinus, Part One)Aired Sat 11 Apr
- E22The Velvet Web (The Keys of Marinus, Part Two)Aired Sat 18 Apr
- E23The Screaming Jungle (The Keys of Marinus, Part Three)Aired Sat 25 Apr
- E24The Snows of Terror (The Keys of Marinus, Part Four)Aired Sat 2 May
- E25Sentence of Death (The Keys of Marinus, Part Five)Aired Sat 9 May
- E26The Keys of Marinus (The Keys of Marinus, Part Six)Aired Sat 16 May
- E27The Temple of Evil (The Aztecs, Part One)Aired Sat 23 May
- E28The Warriors of Death (The Aztecs, Part Two)Aired Sat 30 May
- E29The Bride of Sacrifice (The Aztecs, Part Three)Aired Sat 6 Jun
- E30The Day of Darkness (The Aztecs, Part Four)Aired Sat 13 Jun
- E31Strangers in Space (The Sensorites, Part One)Aired Sat 20 Jun
- E32The Unwilling Warriors (The Sensorites, Part Two)Aired Sat 27 Jun
- E33Hidden Danger (The Sensorites, Part Three)Aired Sat 11 Jul
- E34A Race Against Death (The Sensorites, Part Four)Aired Sat 18 Jul
- E35Kidnap (The Sensorites, Part Five)Aired Sat 25 Jul
- E36A Desperate Venture (The Sensorites, Part Six)Aired Sat 1 Aug
- E37A Land of Fear (The Reign of Terror, Part One)Aired Sat 8 Aug
- E38Guests of Madame Guillotine (The Reign of Terror, Part Two)Aired Sat 15 Aug
- E39A Change of Identity (The Reign of Terror, Part Three)Aired Sat 22 Aug
- E40The Tyrant of France (The Reign of Terror, Part Four)Aired Sat 29 Aug
- E41A Bargain of Necessity (The Reign of Terror, Part Five)Aired Sat 5 Sept
- E42Prisoners of Conciergerie (The Reign of Terror, Part Six)Aired Sat 12 Sept
- S01E01An Unearthly Child (An Unearthly Child, Part One)23 Nov 1963
- S01E02The Cave of Skulls (An Unearthly Child, Part Two)30 Nov 1963
- S01E03The Forest of Fear (An Unearthly Child, Part Three)7 Dec 1963
- S01E04The Firemaker (An Unearthly Child, Part Four)14 Dec 1963
- S01E05The Dead Planet (The Daleks, Part One)21 Dec 1963
- S01E06The Survivors (The Daleks, Part Two)28 Dec 1963
- S01E07The Escape (The Daleks, Part Three)4 Jan 1964
- S01E08The Ambush (The Daleks, Part Four)11 Jan 1964
- S01E09The Expedition (The Daleks, Part Five)18 Jan 1964
- S01E10The Ordeal (The Daleks, Part Six)25 Jan 1964
- S01E11The Rescue (The Daleks, Part Seven)1 Feb 1964
- S01E12The Edge of Destruction (The Edge of Destruction, Part One)8 Feb 1964
- S01E13The Brink of Disaster (The Edge of Destruction, Part Two)15 Feb 1964
- S01E14The Roof of the World (Marco Polo, Part One)22 Feb 1964
- S01E15The Singing Sands (Marco Polo, Part Two)29 Feb 1964
- S01E16Five Hundred Eyes (Marco Polo, Part Three)7 Mar 1964
- S01E17The Wall of Lies (Marco Polo, Part Four)14 Mar 1964
- S01E18Rider From Shang-Tu (Marco Polo, Part Five)21 Mar 1964
- S01E19Mighty Kublai Khan (Marco Polo, Part Six)28 Mar 1964
- S01E20Assassin at Peking (Marco Polo, Part Seven)4 Apr 1964
- S01E21The Sea of Death (The Keys of Marinus, Part One)11 Apr 1964
- S01E22The Velvet Web (The Keys of Marinus, Part Two)18 Apr 1964
- S01E23The Screaming Jungle (The Keys of Marinus, Part Three)25 Apr 1964
- S01E24The Snows of Terror (The Keys of Marinus, Part Four)2 May 1964
- S01E25Sentence of Death (The Keys of Marinus, Part Five)9 May 1964
- S01E26The Keys of Marinus (The Keys of Marinus, Part Six)16 May 1964
- S01E27The Temple of Evil (The Aztecs, Part One)23 May 1964
- S01E28The Warriors of Death (The Aztecs, Part Two)30 May 1964
- S01E29The Bride of Sacrifice (The Aztecs, Part Three)6 Jun 1964
- S01E30The Day of Darkness (The Aztecs, Part Four)13 Jun 1964
- S01E31Strangers in Space (The Sensorites, Part One)20 Jun 1964
- S01E32The Unwilling Warriors (The Sensorites, Part Two)27 Jun 1964
- S01E33Hidden Danger (The Sensorites, Part Three)11 Jul 1964
- S01E34A Race Against Death (The Sensorites, Part Four)18 Jul 1964
- S01E35Kidnap (The Sensorites, Part Five)25 Jul 1964
- S01E36A Desperate Venture (The Sensorites, Part Six)1 Aug 1964
- S01E37A Land of Fear (The Reign of Terror, Part One)8 Aug 1964
- S01E38Guests of Madame Guillotine (The Reign of Terror, Part Two)15 Aug 1964
- S01E39A Change of Identity (The Reign of Terror, Part Three)22 Aug 1964
- S01E40The Tyrant of France (The Reign of Terror, Part Four)29 Aug 1964
- S01E41A Bargain of Necessity (The Reign of Terror, Part Five)5 Sept 1964
- S01E42Prisoners of Conciergerie (The Reign of Terror, Part Six)12 Sept 1964