You're smarter for 10

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• Publication: Evening Chronicle
• Date: 2012-11-23
• Author: Coreena Ford
• Page: 8
• Language: English

Doctor Who graced our TV screens for the very first time 49 years ago today. COREENA FORD explores the world of the TV favourite

Has it really been nearly five decades of Doctor Who? Yes - BBC One showed the first ever episode on this day in 1963. We've had 798 episodes since then.

Who's played him over the years? Commit this list to memory pub-quizzers: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith Who's the best? David Tennant according to a poll last year, just ahead of Christopher Eccleston and Matt Smith.

No one beats Tom Baker in my book though ...

Shame we've never had a Geordie take on the role South Shields-born movie mogul Ridley Scott was assigned to design the second Doctor Who serial, The Daleks, which would have entailed creating the famous alien creatures, until a scheduling conflict led to him being replaced.

What about spin-off series? There's been a few, Torchwood being the most recent, and the Sarah Jane Adventures. Don't forget K-9 (that's the Doctor's robot dog K-9, not that terrible James Belushi 1980s flick copying Turner and Hooch) Doctor Who would make a great movie. The series has actually resulted in four, of varied quality, and a stage play or two. David Yates of Harry Potter fame last year announced plans for a new movie adaptation as well.

What does Tardis actually stand for? Time and Relative Dimension in Space, although in the 2008 Christmas special starring David Morrissey, his character thought it stood for Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style.

What is it that's so special about the Doctor? We've just grown up with him, haven't we? He's loved by all generations - and being 900-plus-years-old makes him a rather intelligent role model for kids. The Tardis is pretty special too.

Fantastic! Does that mean we'll see past Doctor Whos make an appearance? Hopefully, although Colin Baker says he won't be in it.

David Tennant is also being cagey at the moment.

Next year's a big year for Whovians then? Indeed. Plans are well under way for a special 50th anniversary edition penned by Steven Moffatt and Matt Smith says there'll be live events too. He adds: "I think we're going to make it a big year for Doctor Who on the BBC."

Spelling correction: Steven Moffat

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• APA 6th ed.: Ford, Coreena (2012-11-23). You're smarter for 10. Evening Chronicle p. 8.
• MLA 7th ed.: Ford, Coreena. "You're smarter for 10." Evening Chronicle [add city] 2012-11-23, 8. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: Ford, Coreena. "You're smarter for 10." Evening Chronicle, edition, sec., 2012-11-23
• Turabian: Ford, Coreena. "You're smarter for 10." Evening Chronicle, 2012-11-23, section, 8 edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=You're smarter for 10 | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/You%27re_smarter_for_10 | work=Evening Chronicle | pages=8 | date=2012-11-23 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=8 June 2025 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=You're smarter for 10 | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/You%27re_smarter_for_10 | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=8 June 2025}}</ref>