Top 20 facts on the good doctor

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• Publication: Hull Daily Mail
• Date: 1988-10-04
• Author:
• Page: 5
• Language: English

Twenty five years after the TARDIS first landed on our TVs, and with a new series starting tomorrow on BBC-1, we list 20 things you probably didn't want to know about Doctor Who!

1. Sylvester McCoy is the seventh actor to play the Time Lord. The others were William Hartnell, 1963-66; Patrick Troughton, 1966-69; Jon Pertwee, 1970-74; Tom Baker, 1974-81; Peter Davison, 1982-84, and Colin Baker, 1984-86.

2. The Doctor has had 27 different companions. The first was Susan played by Carole Anne Ford and the latest is Ace, actress Sophie Aldred.

3. "Doctor Who" was the brainchild of Sydney Newman, the BBC's Head of Drama, but the series didn't really catch on until an episode written by Terry Nation featuring the Daleks was screened.

4. The Doctor himself is a Time Lord. He has two hearts, a body temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit and immense longevity. He also has the ability to regenerate into a new body.

5. He comes from the planet Gallifrey, which is inhabited by super-intelligent beings.

6. The Doctor roams through space and time in his personalised ship, the TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space.

7. In practice his spaceship is temperamental and unreliable. The chameleon circuit jammed on a visit to London in the '60s, leaving the TARDIS exterior looking like a police box.

8. The series is now broadcast in 65 countries.

9. The Daleks are the Doctor's most famous adversaries but he has also done battle with, among others, the Cybermen, Ice Warriors, Zygons, Yetis, Axons and the Sontarans.

10. None of the original Daleks have been used for the latest series. But they have been updated so that they can cope with cobblestones!

11. Dr Who conventions are held all over the world attended by DWAS (Dr Who Appreciation Society) members and stars from the series.

12. The latest products merchandised through the series include Doctor Who slippers and a Tardis telephone for £99.95.

13. As well as videos, records and books there has also been Doctor Who wallpaper, ceramic tiles, mugs, Easter Eggs, T-shirts, games and a TARDIS play tent.

14. A new $18 million Doctor Who movie is planned by film mogul Peter Litten, but it is unlikely to star Sylvester McCoy or any of the former Time Lords.

15. Peter Cushing starred as the Doctor in the 1965 movie flop "Doctor Who And The Daleks."

16. The Doctor's nonhuman assistant was the robot dog K-9. He was eventually retired and given his own series "K-9 And Co.".

17. The first "Doctor Who" programme, "An Unearthly Child," starring William Hartnell, was broadcast at 5.15pm on Saturday, November 23, 1963 — the day before American President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

18. The current "Dr Who" producer, John Nathan-Turner, has been with the programme for the past 12 years — the first three as unit manager.

19. There have been 151 different "Doctor Who" stories since 1963 — 18 of them have featured Daleks.

20. Among the new enemies lined up to face the Doctor this autumn is The Kandyman — a murderous robot made entirely out of sweets.

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.: (1988-10-04). Top 20 facts on the good doctor. Hull Daily Mail p. 5.
• MLA 7th ed.: "Top 20 facts on the good doctor." Hull Daily Mail [add city] 1988-10-04, 5. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: "Top 20 facts on the good doctor." Hull Daily Mail, edition, sec., 1988-10-04
• Turabian: "Top 20 facts on the good doctor." Hull Daily Mail, 1988-10-04, section, 5 edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Top 20 facts on the good doctor | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Top_20_facts_on_the_good_doctor | work=Hull Daily Mail | pages=5 | date=1988-10-04 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=1 April 2025 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Top 20 facts on the good doctor | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Top_20_facts_on_the_good_doctor | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=1 April 2025}}</ref>