THE DOCTOR, A TIME LORD FROM GALLIFREY, HAS LIVED FOR OVER TWO THOUSAND YEARS.  BUT IF YOU'RE A NEWCOMER TO THE SHOW YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING WHO THE DOCTOR IS.  THE TRUTH IS WE DON'T REALLY GET TO KNOW, BUT HERE IS WHAT WE'VE FOUND OUT THROUGHOUT 52 YEARS OF TIME TRAVEL . . .

gallifrey

THE DOCTOR WAS BORN AND GREW UP ON AN ANCIENT PLANET CALLED GALLIFREY.  THE DOCTOR IS NOT A HUMAN LIKE US, HE IS IN FACT A TIME LORD.

THE TIME LORDS HAVE THE SECRET TO SPACE/TIME TRAVEL AND ARE ONE OF THE OLDEST AND MOST MIGHTY RACES IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE.

THE TIME LORDS HAVE INCREDIBLE POWERS THAT ALLOW THEM TO CONTROL THEIR OWN ENVIRONMENT.  HOWEVER, THE TIME LORDS REFUSE TO USE THESE ADVANCED POWERS TO HELP PEOPLE IN NEED - THE LAWS STRICTLY COMMAND THEM TO ONLY OBSERVE THE UNIVERSE.

THE DOCTOR, OR THATA SIGMA  AS HE WAS KNOWN BACK THEN, ATTENDED THE ACADEMY ON GALLIFREY BUT ACCORDING TO HIS COMPANION ROMANA HE ONLY PASSED ON HIS SECOND ATTEMPT BY 51%.

WHEN THE DOCTOR EVENTUALLY DECIDED THAT HE WAS BORED OF REMAINING ON GALLIFREY FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE, HE STOLE A FAULTY TYPE 40 TARDIS AND FLEW AWAY FROM HIS PLANET, OFF TO SEE THE UNIVERSE . . .

LEARN MORE ABOUT GALLIFREY AND THE TIME LORDS HERE . . .

the very beginning . . .

AFTER RUNNING AWAY FROM GALLIFREY, THE DOCTOR HELD A SHARPLY GRUMPY FIGURE.  HE TRAVELED WITH HIS GRANDDAUGHTER SUSAN AND WHEN HE ARRIVED IN LONDON 1963 THE TARDIS' CHAMELEON CIRCUIT HAD SEEMINGLY GOT STUCK - THE TARDIS NOW REMAINING AS A POLICE BOX.

WHEN IAN AND BARBERA, TWO OF SUSAN'S SCHOOLTEACHERS, DISCOVERED THE DOCTOR AND HIS TARDIS, THE DOCTOR KIDNAPPED THEM IN FEAR THAT THEY WOULD TELL PEOPLE ABOUT HIS SECRETS.

THE DOCTOR SOON GREW MORE POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND LEARNT TO TRUST OTHER PEOPLE MORE THROUGH TIME.

the time war

THE TIME WAR WAS THE GREATEST WAR IN HISTORY.  ALTHOUGH IT SAW THE DESTRUCTION OF MANY PLANETS, THE MAIN TWO RACES THAT CONSTANTLY FOUGHT IN THIS WAR WERE THE DALEKS AND THE TIME LORDS.

AFTER EIGHT INCARNATIONS, THE DOCTOR CHOSE TO REGENERATE INTO A WARRIOR.  AFTER HUNDREDS OF YEARS FIGHTING IN THE WAR, THE DOCTOR CLAIMED THAT HE HAD LOST THE RIGHT TO BE THE DOCTOR.

FOR MANY YEARS, THE DOCTOR HAD THOUGHT HE HAD BURNT GALLIFREY IN ORDER TO END THE WAR.  HOWEVER, IN REALITY HE HAD FROZEN GALLIFREY AND HIDDEN IT IN A POCKET UNIVERSE.  WHERE AND WHEN GALLIFREY IS AT THE MOMENT IS STILL A MYSTERY.  PERHAPS ONE DAY THE DOCTOR WILL FIND IT . . .

the sonic screwdrier

the sonic screwdriver has helped the doctor get through frightfully tricky situations.  with the power to unlock sealed doors, OCCASIONALLY blow stuff up and detect alien sources, this device is certainly staying in the doctor's pocket.

we first saw the sonic screwdriver used in fury from the deep  -  the second doctor used it to undo screws like an ordinary screwdriver.  since then, it has proved to be a much more useful device, however it does have disadvantages . . .

the sonic screwdriver cannot work on wood - because wooden material is too PRIMITIVE.  But apart from that, it can work on pretty much anything.

THE TARDIS

THE DOCTOR HAS BEEN TRAVELING THROUGH TIME AND SPACE FOR HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF YEARS - ALL BECAUSE HE DECIDED TO STEAL A FAULTY TYPE 40 TARDIS ALL THOSE YEARS AGO.

THE TARDIS IS ABLE TO BLEND IN WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS, HOWEVER WHEN WE SAW IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT GOT STUCK AS A POLICE BOX.  ALTHOUGH THE DOCTOR CAN EASILY CHANGE THIS FAULT, HE CLAIMS THAT HE LIKES IT THE WAY IT IS.

AS FOR THE INTERIOR, THE INSIDE OF THE TARDIS IS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN THE OUTSIDE.  TRANS-DIMENSIONAL TECHNIQUES HAVE MANAGED TO COMBINE AN ENORMOUS SPACE INSIDE A PERFECTLY ORDINARY OBJECT - IN THIS CASE A POLICE BOX.

2013'S JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE TARDIS  PROVED THAT THE TARDIS CONTAINS MORE ROOMS THAN WE EVER IMAGINED.  THE DOCTOR HAS CLAIMED THAT THERE IS A GARAGE INSIDE THE TARDIS, AND WE'VE HAD A GLIMPSE OF A SWIMMING POOL, AS WELL AS A LIBRARY!

THE VERY CENTRE OF THE TARDIS IS QUITE DANGEROUS.  WHEN COMPANION ROSE TYLER LOOKED INSIDE IT IN 2005'S THE PARTING OF THE WAYS, IT WAS SHOWN THAT THE TARDIS CONTAINS THE WHOLE OF TIME AND SPACE.

ONE OF THE DOCTOR'S OLD ENEMIES THE MASTER ONCE HAD HIS OWN TARDIS AS WELL.  THE EVIL RANI ALSO HAD HER OWN TARDIS.  BUT IT'S THE DOCTOR'S TIME MACHINE THAT WE LOVE THE MOST!

REGENERATION

THERE'S A REASON WHY SO MANY ACTORS HAVE PLAYED THE DOCTOR - BEING A TIME LORD, HE HAS THE ABILITY TO REGENERATE INTO A COMPLETELY NEW MAN WHEN HE DIES.  WE FIRST SAW THE DOCTOR REGENERATE IN 1966'S THE TENTH PLANET  WHERE HE CLAIMED THAT HIS BODY WAS 'WEARING A BIT THIN'.

IT WAS FIRST STATED IN 1976'S THE DEADLY ASSASSIN  THAT A TIME LORD CAN ONLY REGENERATE 12 TIMES - MEANING THAT THE DOCTOR CAN ONLY HAVE 13 INCARNATIONS.

HOWEVER, WHEN HIS 13TH AND FINAL BODY WORE OUT ON PLANET TRENZALORE IN 2013'S THE TIME OF THE DOCTOR, THE TIME LORDS GAVE HIM A WHOLE NEW REGENERATION CYCLE.  THE CURRENT DOCTOR PLAYED BY PETER CAPALDI IS THE 14TH INCARNATION - THEREFORE HE HAS TWELVE BODIES LEFT . . .

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT ALL THE DOCTOR'S REGENERATIONS!

WHICH EPISODES SHOULD A NEW FAN WATCH?

IF YOU'RE A NEWCOMER TO DOCTOR WHO  AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH OF THE 826 EPISODES TO WATCH FIRST, HERE ARE MY RECOMMENDATIONS . . .

ROSE

I RECOMMEND ROSE  TO ANY NEW DOCTOR WHO  FAN BECAUSE IT IS THE EPISODE THAT INTRODUCED A BRAND NEW ERA TO THE SHOW WHEN IT RETURNED TO OUR SCREENS IN 2005.

BLINK

BLINK  IS ARGUABLY THE SCARIEST EPISODE OF DOCTOR WHO  EVER!  IT IS A TREAT FOR ANY NEWCOMER BECAUSE IT DOES NOT FOLLOW ON FROM ANYTHING AND IT GIVES YOU A HINT INTO THE FRIGHTS AND THRILLS OF DOCTOR WHO  - AS WELL AS INTRODUCING ONE OF THE BEST MONSTERS EVER - THE WEEPING ANGELS!

THE DALEKS

IF YOU DON'T MIND OLD-FASHIONED, BLACK-AND-WHITE STYLED TELLY, YOU'LL ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE SECOND DOCTOR WHO  STORY THERE EVER WAS!  INTRODUCING THE DALEKS FOR THE FIRST TIME, THIS CREEPY SEVEN-PART ADVENTURE IS A THRILL TO WATCH AND DESPITE THE OLD-FASHIONED CLOTHES AND SETS, IT'S AS CREEPY AS TODAY'S STYLE!

THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR

THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL IS THE BEST 80 MINUTES OF TELEVISION EVER MADE!  AS WELL AS MULTIPLE DOCTORS, DALEKS, GALLIFREY, ZYGONS AND EVERY SINGLE DOCTOR FREEZING GALLIFREY, A SECRET INCARNATION OF THE DOCTOR IS REVEALED FOR THE FIRST TIME!  IF YOU LOVE WAR, THRILLS, EXPLOSIONS AND COMEDY, WATCH THIS EPISODE IMMEDIATELY!  AS WELL AS A TREAT FOR SUPERFANS, THIS EPISODE ALSO APPEALS FOR NEWCOMERS TO THE SHOW!