49 years of Doctor Who

Back in 1963...

Exactly 49 years ago today, the world's greatest TV programme, Doctor Who, was born...

At 5.15pm on 23rd November 1963, the first episode of the Doctor Who story An Unearthly Child went out on BBC One. It saw school teachers Ian Chesteron (William Russell) and Barbra Wright (Jacqueline Hill) discovering the TARDIS and a man named the Doctor (Willam Hartnell) along his granddaughter Susan (Carol Ann Ford) in a junk yard in London.

Over the last 49 years, has been a huge success with 11 actors in the lead role, along with numerous companions, making up 229 stories with 789 episodes and a total of 33 series.

... now in 2012

2013 looks set to be a huge year as the programme celebrates half a century since the transmission of An Unearthly Child. There will be the remaining eight episodes of series seven in the Spring featuring Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman. Although there are very few details about the 50th celebrations, Steven Moffat promises that it will be "huge" and "the best year to be a Doctor Who fan." The BBC recently confirmed that Mark Gatiss is scripting a 90-minute drama for BBC Two titled An Adventure In Space And Time which will explore the people who brought the iconic series to BBC One in 1963.

Doctor Who will return on Christmas Day with Steven Moffat's The Snowmen featuring Richard E. Grant and Tom Ward.