50 Years of Regeneration

Whovians are in heaven.

This weekend the world celebrates 50 Years of Doctor Who -the longest-running sci-fi show in the known universe.

It was November 23 1963 when William Hartnell appeared as the First Doctor alongside the TARDIS in “An Unearthly Child,” scripted by Australian writer Anthony Coburn. The original companions were original companions Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright and William Russell as Ian Chesterton.

The show continued until 1989 with new Time Lords played by Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy. Paul McGann appeared in a 1996 telemovie before the series was revived in 2005 under writer Russell T. Davies with Christopher Eccleston for one season. David Tennant followed to much acclaim until Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor. Smith makes his exit in the upcoming Christmas special, to be replaced by Peter Capaldi.

By now the internet is buzzing with excitement at the prospect of The Day of the Doctor which will screen simultaneously around the world, with a 3D screening in cinemas.

ABC screens this at 6:50am AEDT Sunday right around the country on ABC1.

Straight after the episode airs in the morning, a day of Doctor Who will kick off on ABC Extra, with interviews, profiles and panel discussions, plus comedy and music inspired by the show.

The Day of the Doctor is then repeated at 7:3opm on ABC1 followed by the dramatisation Doctor Who: An Adventure in Space and Time at 8:45pm on Sunday.

Matt Smith and David Tennant are also guests on The Graham Norton Show 9:30pm Sunday on TEN.

To mark the occasion, Google has even added a special Doctor Who Google Doodle to its homepage.

There are numerous news articles also noting the anniversary. Here’s a selection:

How Doctor Who Survived 50 Years (The Atlantic)
Aussie team brings 50 years of Doctor Who online (ABC)
Whovians gear up for 50th anniversary special (ABC)
‘Doctor Who’ Producer Steven Moffat On 50th Anniversary And Casting The Doctor (Huffington Post)
‘Doctor Who’: For Matt Smith, it’s been a ‘nutty and silly’ ride (LA Times)
The Doctor Who’s who of Time Lord assistants – where are they now? (Mirror)
Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman open Doctor Who 50th Celebration (Digital Spy)