Eccentric, irritable Dr Who a timeless hero

correction, Dec. 13

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• Publication: The Canberra Times
• Date: 1983-12-12
• Author:
• Page: 21
• Language: English

On NOVEMBER 23, 1963, BBC-TV launched a new series, introducing a most unlikely hero in the form of an irritable, absent-minded, unpredictable old man who spent most of his time gallivanting about in space and time in a machine which looked like a police telephone box.

He was running away from his own planet but, as he didn't know how to operate his new space craft, he was always ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

His name was Dr Who, because no-one knew who he was, where he came from, or where he was headed.

The series was revolutionary and had plenty of potential. However, no one could have forecast that in 20 years the series would become as timeless as its hero and that it would become the world's longest-running science-fiction series with an estimated viewing audience of 100 million in 54 countries.

The actor who first played the Doctor was William Hartnell, who died this year. He stayed on for three years and was followed by Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Peter Davison.

There have been subtle changes during the show's 20 years. The most recent Doctors have not been quite so absent-minded and they have a little more control over the Tardis, but the irascible, unpredictable, eccentric behaviour and lack of dress sense are still noticeable.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of 'Dr Who', the BBC produced 'The Five Doctors', a 90-minute special being screened on ABC TV tomorrow at 7.30pm.

For Dr Who fans, it is a veritable trip down memory lane as the Doctors, joined by some of their old companions, match wits with The Master and face some of their old adversaries.

The Doctor (Peter Davison) and his other selves in the form of Hartnell (now taken over by Richard Hurndall), Troughton and Pertwee, have been lifted out of time and place in the Death Zone of Gallifrey, the planet of the Time Lords, while the Doctor portrayed by Tom Baker is trapped in a temporal void.

The Doctors have been time-scooped to play the Game of Rassilon, a series of problem-solving situations with a loser's prize of instant death, and with them are Susan Foreman, the original Doctor's granddaughter, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Sarah Jane Smith, Tegan and Turlough.

After two decades of fighting countless aliens such as Cybermen, Daleks and Kronovores, the Doctors have finally met their match.

Making special return guest appearances in 'The Five Doctors' are Carole Ann Ford as Susan, Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane, Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier, Mark Strickson as Turlough and Australian actress Janet Fielding as Tegan.

Caption: Tom Baker, left, Peter Davison, Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton and Richard Hurndall all appear as Dr Who in The Five Doctors.

Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org

• APA 6th ed.: (1983-12-12). Eccentric, irritable Dr Who a timeless hero. The Canberra Times p. 21.
• MLA 7th ed.: "Eccentric, irritable Dr Who a timeless hero." The Canberra Times [add city] 1983-12-12, 21. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: "Eccentric, irritable Dr Who a timeless hero." The Canberra Times, edition, sec., 1983-12-12
• Turabian: "Eccentric, irritable Dr Who a timeless hero." The Canberra Times, 1983-12-12, section, 21 edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Eccentric, irritable Dr Who a timeless hero | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Eccentric,_irritable_Dr_Who_a_timeless_hero | work=The Canberra Times | pages=21 | date=1983-12-12 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 November 2024 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Eccentric, irritable Dr Who a timeless hero | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Eccentric,_irritable_Dr_Who_a_timeless_hero | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 November 2024}}</ref>