60 years travelling through time and space

MARTA GUTIÉRREZ BECARES, alumna de 2º de Bachillerato

Sixty years ago, on the 23rd of November, an episode was broadcast for the first time on BBC Televison (now BBC One) telling the stories of a character called «The Doctor», whose name is still unknown today. All that is known, so far, is that he is an eccentric alien traveller of great intelligence who fights injustice while exploring time and space in a machine, a «Time Lord». All their companions travelled alongside him in a distinctive time machine in the form of a police box, called TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. But don’t be fooled, it’s much bigger on the inside.

The series has had great actors playing the charismatic character of «the Doctor» such as Peter Cushing (First Doctor), Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor), Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor), Peter Davison (Fifth Doctor) and Paul McGann (Eighth Doctor), among many others who can be highlighted in the first version of the series that was aired in 1963 until 2005. At the beginning of 2005 new faces playing «the Doctor» were seen such as Christopher Eccleston (Ninth Doctor), David Tennant (Tenth Doctor), Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor), Peter Capaldi (Twelfth Doctor) and until recently the first female version of «the Doctor» played by the actress Jodie Whittaker, as the Thirteenth Doctor.

After so long, the wait has meant that those whose childhoods enjoyed the many adventures of «the Doctor» will be able to relive those memorable times. Especially when we found the surprising reappearance of David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, after leaving behind his most memorable role in 2010 as the Tenth Doctor, as mentioned above. Not forgetting the joy for fans of the series to see the familiar face of Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, who we first saw in the 2006 Christmas special.

Both actors reunited to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the series with three specials where their characters would have to face new aliens and creatures, as well as encounter a long-talked-about villain, who would have to face the one who calls himself «The Celestial Toymaker» and then welcomed the Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa.

A series that has had such an influence on British culture and has left its mark on all those who have followed and continue to follow the series, is back again. Old and new generations alike are looking forward to seeing «the Doctor» in action again and enjoying his entertaining and wacky adventures.