Doctor Who

Doctor Who
Title card (2024–present)
Genre	Science fiction Adventure Drama
Created by	Sydney Newman C. E. Webber Donald Wilson
Showrunners	Various (as of 2025[update], Russell T Davies)
Written by	Various
Starring	Various Doctors (as of 2025[update], Ncuti Gatwa) Various companions (as of 2025[update], Varada Sethu)
Theme music composer	Ron Grainer
Opening theme	Doctor Who theme music
Composers	Various (as of 2025[update], Murray Gold)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of seasons	26 (1963–1989)
No. of series	15 (2005–present)
No. of episodes	890 (97 missing) 318 stories (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Various (as of 2025[update], Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, and Phil Collinson)
Camera setup	Multi-camera (1963–1989) Single-camera (2005–pres.)
Running time	18–90 minutes 18–29 mins (1963–1984, 1986–1989)[a] 44–46 mins (1984, 1985) 85–89 mins (1996)[b] 41–76 mins (2005–present)[a]
Production companies	BBC Studios Productions Bad Wolf BBC Television (1963–1989) BBC Worldwide (1996) Universal Television (1996) BBC Wales (2005–2018) BBC Studios (2016–2022) Bad Wolf (2023–present) BBC Studios Productions (2023–present)
Original release
Network	BBC1[c]
Release	23 November 1963 (1963-11-23) – 6 December 1989 (1989-12-06)
Network	Fox / BBC1[d]
Release	14 May 1996 (1996-05-14) / 27 May 1996
Network	BBC One[e]
Release	26 March 2005 (2005-03-26) – present
Network	Disney+[f]
Release	25 November 2023 (2023-11-25) – present
Related
Whoniverse
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor, part of a humanoid species called Time Lords. The Doctor travels in the universe and in time using a time travelling spaceship called the TARDIS, which externally appears as a British police box. While travelling, the Doctor works to save lives and liberate oppressed peoples by combating foes. The Doctor often travels with companions.

Beginning with William Hartnell, fourteen actors have headlined the series as the Doctor; as of 2025^[update], Ncuti Gatwa leads the series as the Fifteenth Doctor. The transition between actors is written into the plot of the series with the concept of regeneration into a new incarnation, a plot device in which, when a Time Lord is fatally injured, their cells regenerate and they are reincarnated into a different body with new mannerisms and behaviour but the same memories. This explains each actor's distinct portrayal, as they all represent different stages in the Doctor's life and, together, form a single lifetime with a single narrative. The time-travelling nature of the plot means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet. The Doctor can also change ethnic appearance or gender; in 2017, Jodie Whittaker became the first woman cast in the lead role, and in 2024, Gatwa became the first black actor to headline the series.

The series is a significant part of popular culture in Britain and elsewhere; it has gained a cult following. It has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series. Fans of the series are sometimes referred to as Whovians. The series has been listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running science-fiction television series in the world, as well as the "most successful" science-fiction series of all time, based on its overall broadcast ratings, DVD and book sales.

The series originally ran from 1963 to 1989. There was an unsuccessful attempt to revive regular production in 1996 with a backdoor pilot in the form of a television film titled Doctor Who. The series was relaunched in 2005 and was produced in-house by BBC Wales in Cardiff. Since 2023, the show has been co-produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios Productions in Cardiff. Doctor Who has spawned numerous spin-offs as part of the Whoniverse, including comic books, films, novels and audio dramas, and the television series Torchwood (2006–2011), The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011), K9 (2009–2010), Class (2016), Tales of the TARDIS (2023–2024), and the upcoming The War Between the Land and the Sea. It has been the subject of many parodies and references in popular culture.

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