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Spoilers (10)
Matt Smith actually owns the tweed jacket his eleventh Doctor usually wears.
Julie Gardner has said that when David Tennant was approached to play the Tenth Doctor he was immediately enthusiastic; his first response was to ask, "Can I have a long swishy coat?"
Writer and executive producer Russell T. Davies had Christopher Eccleston's name on a shortlist for the role of the Doctor but didn't really think that he would accept the role because of his reputation as a very serious actor with a background in hard-hitting dramas. However, Eccleston was such a big fan of Davies as a writer he got in contact to ask if he could audition for the part. Eccleston had not been a fan of the original series and watched Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang: Part One (1977), one of the most popular serials from the original run, as part of his preparation.
When the first series was being made, television pirates were desperate to acquire the preview tapes. One of the people in the office had the idea of labeling the tapes with the anagram "Torchwood" rather than "Doctor Who", as a security measure to disguise the tapes when they were delivered from Cardiff to London. Writer Russell T. Davies liked this idea so much that it later inspired him to use it as a title when creating the spin-off series, Torchwood (2006).
The TARDIS prop used for the first series with Christopher Eccleston was put up for auction by Bonhams of London in 2010 and sold for £10,800.
According to Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor's costume was inspired by the rock star and style icon David Bowie.
When Peter Capaldi was chosen as the Twelfth Doctor, he became the first Oscar winner to play The Doctor (though not for acting) and the third Scottish actor (after Sylvester McCoy and David Tennant).
At first, the estate of Terry Nation refused permission for them to use Daleks in the show (Nation held copyright over the Daleks). One of the reasons they refused permission was because of the BBC granting permission for the Daleks to be used in Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003).
On Thursday 31 March 2005, the day after the show was picked up for a second series, the BBC Press Office announced that Christopher Eccleston was quitting the show, citing a fear of being typecast and long working hours as reasons for his departure. The BBC later apologized for issuing this statement, as they had done so without consultation with Eccleston. In fact it was agreed by mutual consent some months earlier that Eccleston would only do one series, with the BBC holding off announcing the news until after the series was finished. This would have allowed the regeneration of Eccleston's Ninth Doctor in episode 13 to be a surprise for the audience. Unfortunately, the BBC Press Office jumped the gun under pressure from the British Press who were concerned that a second series had been announced, but it had not been confirmed that Eccleston was returning. Fan reaction to Eccelston's departure was violent and the debate reached such a fever pitch that Outpost Gallifrey, the biggest Doctor Who fan site on the Internet, was forced to close down its forum for days.
The Doctor and River Song meet out of chronological order. River Song's timeline in chronological order, as follows: A three-week-old baby (Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes to War (2011)). As a little girl, she leaves a distressed voice message for President Nixon in 1969 (Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut (2011)/Doctor Who: Day of the Moon (2011)). In a new incarnation and now going by the nickname "Mels", she's shown attending Leadworth Primary School with her parents. Mels is shown ageing alongside her parents, appearing as a teenage and later a young adult. She reveals her true identity after being shot by Adolf Hitler and regenerates into her next incarnation who eventually embraces the alias River Song. After reviving the Doctor at the expense of her own regenerations, River is left at the Sisters of the Infinite Schism hospital. In the year 5123, River enrolls at Luna University (Doctor Who: Let's Kill Hitler (2011)). River finishes her doctorate and is taken prisoner by Madame Kovarian and the Silence (Doctor Who: Closing Time (2011)). Older River witnesses the events at Lake Silencio in 2011 and helps him battle the Silence. Afterwards the Doctor returns her to her prison cell at Stormcage (Doctor Who: The Wedding of River Song (2011)). River speaks to Rory at Stormcage and we later see River show up at the end of the Battle of Demon's Run. The River who speaks to Rory at Stormcage is likely an older River at Demon's Run, as she is enable to reference Demon's Run in her diary. The appearance on the list is of the River who showed up after the battle. The Doctor takes River to the last Winter Frost fair of her birthday. She encounters Rory afterwards and refuses to go with him to help save her infant self (Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes to War (2011)). River is not yet a professor. She refers to the events of Doctor Who: The Pandorica Opens (2010) to the Eleventh Doctor, who hasn't yet witnessed them and says that she is hoping to receive her pardon (Doctor Who: The Time of Angels (2010)/Doctor Who: Flesh and Stone (2010)). Immediately following the events of "Flesh and Stone". River has received her pardon and goes to visit her mother. River has been pardoned from Stormcage and is now a professor (The Wedding of River Song). River dies in the Library, but her data ghost uploaded to the computer (Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead). The River in this episode is the River stored in the Library's computer (The Name of The Doctor).
Russell T. Davies did not audition any actors for the role of the Tenth Doctor, as he had recently finished working with David Tennant and believed him to be perfect for the role. Tennant was first approached about the possibility of playing the Tenth Doctor at a screening of Doctor Who: Rose (2005) at Davies' house on 23 March 2005. Contrary to fan-invented rumors, Tennant was never considered for the role of the Ninth Doctor.
Except for obvious scenes, most of the location shots are done in Cardiff, Wales in place for London. The one episode set in Cardiff, Doctor Who: The Unquiet Dead (2005), was filmed in Swansea, mainly due to the fact that no buildings currently in Cardiff were built during that episode's time, 1869. Aside from this, Cardiff is the home of "Torchwood 3", which is featured in the episode "Last of the Time Lords".
Fifth Doctor Peter Davison has said he considers this series an improvement on the original, not only because of its budget and digital effects but also because the series is produced by a writer, unlike the original series, which was always produced by a BBC staff producer who was assisted by a script editor. Davison has said that Rose, played by Billie Piper, was the first properly developed companion in the history of the series, and he expressed admiration for the sexual frisson and tension which was previously disallowed between the Doctor and his companions. He said he was "rather envious" of the French kissing the new Doctors got to do because his producer, John Nathan-Turner, had considered it inappropriate for the Fifth Doctor to even put his arms around his female companions in case viewers thought there was something sexual going on. Davison has also said he prefers the orchestral musical compositions by Murray Gold to the electronic incidental music produced by the Radiophonic Workshop during his time on the series.
A potential spin-off, "Rose Tyler: Earth Defence", was proposed in 2006, but did not progress beyond the idea stage, partly because Billie Piper did not want to return to the role, partly because Russell T. Davies realized that it would render the goodbye between The Doctor and Rose at the end of season 2 meaningless.
Each 45 minute episode takes approximately 3 weeks to shoot. The hour long specials can take up to a month to shoot.
For the first series, producers were fearful of alienating new audiences with references to the original show, such as names and events, so such things were kept to a very bare minimum until audiences adjusted to the mythology. Even the first journey to another planet beyond Earth didn't take place until series two, which is unusual considering the universe-trotting nature of the original series.
Peter Davison (the Fifth Doctor), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) and John Leeson (K-9) are the only actors to play the same character in both this series and Doctor Who (1963).
Actors considered for the role of the Eleventh Doctor include James Nesbitt, Robert Carlyle, Bill Nighy (who expressed interest), David Walliams (who also expressed interest and came extremely close to being cast, but conflicts with Little Britain USA (2008) forced him to turn it down), Harry Lloyd, David Morrissey, Paterson Joseph, David Knijnenburg, Daniel Radcliffe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Simm, Russell Tovey, Sean Pertwee, Russell Crowe and Randy Orton.
Hugh Grant was once approached to play the Doctor. He turned down the role, thinking the show would not take off. He expressed deep regret in 2007 after seeing how successful the show had become. He had played the Doctor in Comic Relief: Doctor Who - The Curse of Fatal Death (1999).
To celebrate the 50th anniversary special, and to combat his disappointment at not being given a role in it, Peter Davison made his own amateur webisode anniversary special The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (2013). The short webisode (which Davison wrote and directed and his daughter produced) starred his friends and relatives, with many former Doctor Who (1963) actors making cameo appearances. The plot revolves around Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy trying to sneak into the set of the 50th anniversary special, when Steven Moffat declines to cast them.
Georgia Moffett asked her son Tyler who his favourite Doctor was. Tyler named David Tennant, because he runs so fast. When Moffett married Tennant, he adopted her son and his name was changed from Tyler Moffett to Ty Tennant.
Peter Capaldi played a W.H.O. doctor in the film World War Z (2013), before starring in Doctor Who as the Twelfth Doctor.
Russell T. Davies originally wanted Kate Winslet to play River Song.
Freema Agyeman, John Barrowman, Naoko Mori, Eve Myles, and Gareth David-Lloyd are the only actors to play the same character in both Doctor Who (2005) and Torchwood (2006). While Eve Myles guest starred as another character in an early episode, she returned to play Gwen Cooper, her Torchwood character, in the 4th series finale.
Several episodes begin with the exact same sequence: a view of the earth's moon, then panning towards earth followed by a fast zoom down to London. Episodes in which this opening was used include Doctor Who: Rose (2005), Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion (2005), Doctor Who: Army of Ghosts (2006) and Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride (2006).
When Steven Moffat took over from Russell T. Davies as the showrunner, he wanted the series to be told from Amy Pond's point of view and wanted the series to be like a fairy tale. Amy Pond goes with her imaginary childhood friend The Doctor whom she nicknames The Raggedy Doctor and goes with him in his magic police box The TARDIS on a magical adventure across time and space.
On Saturday 5 March 2005 (some three weeks before its TV debut), a rough-cut version of Doctor Who: Rose (2005) was leaked onto the Internet by an unnamed employee of a third-party contractor to CBC in Canada. The person responsible had their employment immediately terminated. The version is mostly similar to the broadcast version - the most notable difference is that instead of using Murray Gold's new version of the theme song, a remixed version of the original was used instead
Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant had both previously collaborated with Russell T. Davies before being cast as The Doctor. Eccelston in The Second Coming (2003) and Tennant in Casanova (2005). Eccelston also auditioned for a part in Queer as Folk (1999).
This series is a direct continuation of the 1963-1989 series, rather than a reboot, reimagining or "next generation" style follow-up. The BBC decided to reset the series numbering at 1 for 2005, rather than call it Series 27, however fans informally refer to the seasons by the higher number.
Recurring characters Capt. Jack Harkness and Dr. River Song are played by actors who share March 11th birthdays: John Barrowman, born in 1967, and Alex Kingston, born in 1963.
The production schedule required Matt Smith to work 12 hour days for 10 months of the year.
The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) are the only Doctors to never encounter the Master on-screen. Although the Master wasn't introduced until the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) stories, the First (Richard Hurndall - for the late William Hartnell) and Second (Patrick Troughton) Doctors have crossed paths with the Master in the 20th Anniversary special Doctor Who: The Five Doctors (1983).
David Tennant became the fourth actor from the series to appear in the cinematic Marvel comic universe and on 27 January 2015, he was announced to be starring as Kilgrave in the Marvel comic series "Jessica Jones". Jenna Coleman appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Christopher Eccleston starred in Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Karen Gillan starred in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
Stephen Fry was set to write an episode for season 2 but due to budget constraints the episode was pushed back to season 3. The script was eventually canceled as Fry didn't have the time to rewrite the script to accommodate changes such as Rose's replacement Martha.
Alex Kingston and John Barrowman have the same birthday, both are recurring characters and have been on Arrow (2012).
Future Companion and Doctor Karen Gillan and Peter Capaldi both appeared in Doctor Who: The Fires of Pompeii (2008), both in different roles. Gillan as a Soothsayer and Capaldi as Caecilius. The Soothsayer had not been considered by Steven Moffat to be an ancestor of Amy Pond and in Doctor Who: Deep Breath (2014) when the Twelfth Doctor sees himself in the mirror, he remembers Caecilius and remarks that he had seen that face before. Both Scottish actors would appear together again in Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor (2013), in which Gillan made a cameo as Amy Pond and Capaldi appeared in the final seconds as the newly regenerated Twelfth Doctor.
Despite quite a lot of new scenes being added to episodes in post production during the first series, all 13 episodes ran under the standard length of 45 minutes, so teaser trailers for the next week's episode were tacked on to bring the length up to standard. This has now become a staple of the show from 2005 onwards.
Former head writer and producer Russell T. Davies had been offered by his successor Steven Moffat to write episodes for the series, but Davies declined.
The series is recorded on single camera video and then in post production it is 'filmised', a digital process designed to make it look like it was made on film. The process is so successful that even people who worked on the original series, such as director Christopher Barry and producer Philip Hinchcliffe, have mistakenly commented that the revived series is made on film.
Russell T. Davies named Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness after Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson, the main protagonists of the 1997 James Cameron film "Titanic", played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Kate Winslet had worked with Russell T. Davies on "Dark Season" and was the original choice for River Song.
Special effects model-worker Mike Tucker, director Graeme Harper, K9 operator Mat Irvine and costume designer Barbara Kidd are the only technical crewmembers to have also worked on the original show.
James McAvoy was rumoured to play The Eleventh Doctor.
While David Tennant was always the first choice for the role of the Tenth Doctor. Chris Barrie, Bill Nighy and David Walliams were also considered for the role.
Michael Grade, an outspoken critic of the original series for many years and the former BBC One controller who incurred the wrath of many fans when he took it off the air in 1985 for 18 months, admitted that he was completely won over by this revival of the series, which he described as "a classy, popular triumph for people of all ages and all backgrounds - real value for money for our licence fee payers".
In 2008, Russell T. Davies became the first Doctor Who writer since its beginning on television in 1963 to be honored by the Queen, receiving an O.B.E. He also became only the second producer of the series to receive such an honor (original producer Verity Lambert was made an O.B.E. in 2002).
Alex Kingston was born in 1963, the year Doctor Who (1963) first started.
Rory Williams's father Brian is played by an actor whose surname happens to be Williams - Mark Williams.
Less than a week before the Series 9 started, it was confirmed it would be Jenna Coleman's last series.
Jenna Coleman was rumoured to leave after Series Eight and that Clara would die of old age in Doctor Who: Last Christmas (2014). These were false. However, she will be leaving at the end of season 9.
In real life, David Tennant dated Sophia Myles and later married Georgia Moffett. Madame de Pompadour died at the end of Doctor Who: The Girl in the Fireplace (2006) and at the end of Doctor Who: The Doctor's Daughter (2008), Jenny dies from a fatal gunshot wound, but is revived.
Matt Smith had worked with Billie Piper in The Ruby in the Smoke (2006) and had a guest role in Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007) prior to being cast as the Eleventh Doctor.
Georgia Moffett auditioned for the role of Rose Tyler, but didn't get the part because it was felt by Russell T. Davies that she was too young and the part went to Billie Piper.
The character of Captain Jack (played by John Barrowman) introduced in the first series was the first openly LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender) character to be portrayed in the history of televised Doctor Who.
One running gag features the 11th Doctor who unintentionally lands the TARDIS in a very different location than he desired.
Steven Moffat who succeeded Russell T. Davies as head writer and producer of the revived series, wrote The 11th Doctor's brief scene and first lines at the end of Doctor Who: The End of Time: Part Two (2010), but was uncredited.
David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Arthur Darvill and Eve Myles went on to star in Broadchurch (2013). Directors on the series like James Strong and Euros Lyn also worked on that series.
On 29 October 2008, David Tennant announced that he was leaving Doctor Who after the 4 specials in 2009. On 3rd January 2009, it was announced that Matt Smith would take over from him in 2010.
Russell T. Davies was sounded out to produce a revival of the series by the BBC One Controller of the time, Peter Salmon, in 1999. Although nothing came of this due to BBC Worldwide's desire to make a film version of the show, by late 2003 the new Controller of BBC One, Lorraine Heggessey, had persuaded Worldwide to surrender their film ambitions so that she could commission a new television version.
After leaving the series, David Tennant would work with Sophie Aldred on the BBC animated series Tree Fu Tom (2012), providing the voice of Twigs. Aldred played Ace, companion of the Seventh Doctor in the original series.
The 2-part season finale Doctor Who: Army of Ghosts (2006) and Doctor Who: Doomsday (2006)is the first time that The Daleks and Cybermen both appeared and met each other on-screen.
In 2009, regular writer Mark Gatiss took over role of Executive Producer on Steven Moffat's other series Sherlock (2010) which Gatiss is co-creator, so Moffat could concentrate on producing "Doctor Who".
Sarah Louise Madison who played a Weeping Angel throughout the Matt Smith era, also played a Time Zombie in Doctor Who: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (2013).
Russell T. Davies had a policy of not employing writers from the original series. Bob Baker, who was a writer during the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker years, contacted Davies and offered to write for the series but was told he was not wanted.
As of May 2014 39 actors have acted in both the original series and the new series. The first being William Thomas, and the most recent being Donald Sumpter' who plays Rassilon in Hell-Bent..
In July 2015, there were false rumours that Karen Gillan would return as Amy Pond in Series 10 in 2016 and that David Tennant and Tom Baker would appear in the 2015 Christmas Special.
For the 5th season, at the height of the show's promotion campaigns to other countries, the decision was made to have a narrated prologue sequence added to the start of every episode, where Amy provides a basic outline of the show. This prologue sequence only exists in syndicated versions and isn't present in the initial UK airings.
In Doctor Who: The Invasion of Time: Part Six (1978) in the original series. Borusa is seen reading a newspaper about the 1912 Titanic disaster, which the 4th Doctor claimed he had nothing to do with it. In Doctor Who: Rose (2005), Rose Tyler is shown an old photo of The Ninth Doctor with a family in 1912 and is told that The Ninth Doctor told the family not to go aboard the Titanic and that the family survived. In the 2007 Christmas Special Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned (2007) The Tenth Doctor goes aboard the Sto passenger spaceship, which is named after the Titanic passenger liner that sunk in 1912.
When Jenna Coleman was auditioning for Clara Oswald, the name on the script was Jasmine not Clara.
Maisie Williams appeared in Series Nine between seasons of Game of Thrones (2011).
The choice of Russell T. Davies to write and produce the family series surprised some commentators, as he was most famous for writing the explicit and uncompromising adult drama about homosexual men in Manchester, Queer as Folk (1999).
Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Toby Jones and Tony Curran whom had guest roles in the series starred in The Adventures of Tintin (2011), which Steven Moffat co-wrote.
In one of River Song's diary entries, The Doctor and River Song went to a picnic on Asgard. Christopher Eccleston, who played the Ninth Doctor, starred as the main antagonist Malakith in Thor: The Dark World (2013). Thor's realm is Asgard.
In 2016, star Peter Capaldi accused the BBC of neglecting the series with its inconsistent scheduling.
Lara Croft, the main protagonist of the Tomb Raider games is a strong influence behind River Song. Like Lara Croft, River Song is an archaeologist is known for using a gun.
David Tennant and Karen Gillan both appeared together on the cover of Radio Times in 2011.
The Time War was not the only time The Daleks were on Gallifrey. In Doctor Who: The Five Doctors (1983) the 20th anniversary special, a Dalek was seen pursuing the 1st Doctor and Susan in the Death Zone on Gallifrey.
One of the main differences in style between this series and the original 1963-1989 series is that this series is shot on single camera video (like a movie), whereas the studio scenes of the original series were usually shot on multi-camera video. This means the 2005 series can be edited far better than the original series and directors can make it much more energetic and faster in pace. It also means that more time and money is required to record it.
In the audio production of "Roses" featuring the 1st Doctor, which was a short story set after The Dalek Master Plan. The Doctor's granddaughter Susan's real name is revealed as Arkyitor. Arkyitor means "rose" in High Gallifreyan. The 9th and 10th Doctor's companion is Rose Tyler.
Steven Moffat originally planned to cast an older actor for the 11th Doctor.
Steven Moffat credits The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) as a big influence on writing Doctor Who: The Girl in the Fireplace (2006) and the creation of River Song. Alex Kingston mentioned the novel in an interview saying The Doctor and her character keep missing each other.
In Doctor Who Magazine, Karen Gillan was called "The New Sophie Aldred".
In July 2015, Karen Gillan attended the Armageddon Expo in Wellington, New Zealand, which became the biggest event at Armageddon Expo ever and loads of fans of the show and of Gillan had turned up to meet the Scottish actress.
Both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi injured their knees during filming and eventually underwent surgery.
In the books and audio productions, The Doctor in his 4th, 7th and 10th incarnations, met Boudica, warrior queen of the Iceni tribe. In "The Romans", The First Doctor and Vicki met Emperor Nero, whom Boudica led her tribe in rebellion against. Alex Kingston has played Boudica in the Warrior Queen (2003), which Frances Barber (Madame Kovarian) also starred in as Agrippina.
The song in Doctor Who: Vincent and the Doctor (2010) featured in the scene which The Doctor and Amy take Vincent Van Gogh to visit the Art Gallery is "Chances" by Athlete.
In Supernatural: The Girl Next Door (2011), Jewel Staite played a character named Amy Pond, whom is a nod to the character played by Karen Gillan and is seen as both a child and an adult. Staite attended the Armageddon Pulp Culture Expo in Wellington, New Zealand in 2006 and Gillan attended the Armageddon Pulp Culture Expo in Wellington, New Zealand in 2015.
Series 9 experimented with a slightly different format, each story played out over two episodes, meaning each story was roughly the same length as a classic series 4 parter.
If Russell T. Davies remained as showrunner in 2010. Lady Christina De Souza (Michelle Ryan) may have been brought back as a full-time companion of the 11th Doctor.
Jenna Coleman auditioned for Mels, an earlier incarnation of River Song.
Peter Capaldi insisted on "no romance," with his companions. His Doctor unlike his predecessors the 10th and 11th Doctors did not share a romantic onscreen kiss with his wife River Song.
Jenna Coleman who was supposed to leave on Series 8 was "badgered," into staying for Series 9 by her co-star Peter Capaldi and show runner Steven Moffat during the 2014 Doctor Who World Tour.
It was rumoured that Sophia Myles, who played Madame de Pompadour in Series 2's_"Doctor Who" (2005) {The Girl in the Fireplace (#2.4)}_ would replace Karen Gillan as the new companion in Series 7. Steven Moffat denied the rumour, stating that her return in the series as The Doctor's new companion would be inappropriate and Jenna Coleman was officially announced as the new companion, Clara Oswald.
Because of the varying technical and logistical demands of the 13 episodes of the first series, filming was broken into five production blocks. Episodes 1, 4 and 5 formed block one, and was filmed between July and September 2004. Block 2 comprised episodes 2 and 3, and was filmed between September and October 2004. Block 3 contained episodes 6 and 8 filmed between October and December. Block 4 was split into two sub blocks, 4A and 4B due to the large visual effects demands of episode 7 which on its own became block 4A, filmed between December 2004 and January 2005. Episodes 9 and 10 made up Block 4B, filmed from December through February 2005. Episodes 11-13 formed Block 5 filmed from February until March 2005.
It was rumoured that Lucy Lawless was going to play The Doctor in a Comic Relief special. However, the rumour was false.
Alexei Sayle, whom played DJ in the 1985 story "Revelation of the Daleks", would later appear opposite future Doctor Peter Capaldi in "Drunk in Time", a parody of the 1960s science fiction series Lost in Space (1965) in Sayle's BBC sketch comedy show The All New Alexei Sayle Show (1994).
On BBC1 and on DVD, each episode is uncut and uninterrupted and are 45 minutes long, due to BBC1 being a commercial free network. But in New Zealand, Australia and other countries, the episodes broadcast are 60 minutes due to adverts.
Matt Smith co-starred in Terminator Genisys (2015), a film about robots and time travel. Genesis of the Daleks was about The Fourth Doctor, Sarah and Harry travelling back through to Skaro before the Neutron War and prevent the creation of the Daleks.
River Song's name translated in chinese means Jiang Song. It's a famous man's name in chinese history and the book Water Margin. He's also called the welcome rain, like River in this show.
The Eleventh Doctor is known for wearing a fez, but he was not the only Doctor to do so. In Doctor Who: Silver Nemesis: Part One (1988), the Seventh Doctor was briefly seen wearing a fez.
Each season of the series has a story arc. A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, video games and films with each episode following a narrative arc. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes.
Michelle Ryan's character Lady Christie De Souza and one-off companion of the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) in the 2009 special Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009) is an aristocrat and thief. Later in Series 9's Doctor Who: The Woman Who Lived (2015), The Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) discovers recurring character Ashildr (Maisie Williams) living in 1651 England as the aristocrat Lady Me and as the masked highwayman known only as "The Knightmare". A highwayman was a robber that stole from travelers
On February 19th 2016, YouTube member Daniel Williamson made and published a video photo montage of 10 stories from the original and the new series as a countdown of "The Top 10 Darkest Doctor Who Stories Ever Made" from the original and revived series: Earthshock (#19.19) came in at Number 10. The 1996 TV Movie "Doctor Who" came in at Number 9. Revelation of the Daleks (#22.12) came in Number 8. The Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp (#23.5) came in at Number 7. Vengeance on Varos (#22.3) came in at Number 6. Face The Raven (#9.10) came in at Number 5. The Waters of Mars came in at Number 4. The Caves of Androzani (#21.17) came in at Number 3. The Curse of Fenric (#26.2) came in at Number 2 and The Angels Take Manhattan (#7.5) came in at Number 1, making The Angels Take Manhattan (#7.5) the darkest Doctor Who story.
Doctor Who: Series 2, Volume 2 (2006) was the first DVD release of the series to be given the M rating in New Zealand. Mostly due to the opening fight scene in Doctor Who: Tooth and Claw (2006). Doctor Who: The Complete Eighth Series (2014) and Doctor Who: Series 9 Part 1 and Doctor Who: Series 9 Part 2 (2015) were also given the M rating.
The series took a break in 2009 and 2016. However, four specials were broadcast throughout 2009 to mark the end of the Russell T. Davis/David Tennant era: Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009), Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars (2009), Doctor Who: The End of Time - Part One (2009) and Doctor Who: The End of Time - Part Two (2010) and Series 5 aired in 2010. Production on Series 10 commenced in July 2016 and The Doctor did return for the 2016 Xmas Special Doctor Who: The Return of Dr. Mysterio (2016). The tenth series airs in 2017.
The series is not a reboot and is a "revamp" of Doctor Who (1963) and a direct continuation of Doctor Who (1963) and Doctor Who (1996).
Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne expressed interest in playing The Doctor when Peter Capaldi leaves the series. Eddie Redmayne starred in the science fiction Box Office flop Jupiter Ascending (2015) as Balem Abrasax. Christina Cole whom co-starred in the film as Gemma Chatterjee played Lillith in Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Code (2007).
The Doctor performing a guitar solo on top of a tank in Doctor Who: The Magician's Apprentice (2015) was inspired by Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), which The Doof Warrior performs electric guitar solos on top of his Doof vehicle.
Maisie Williams announced that she would not return again as Ashildr and that Ashildr would not be The Doctor's new companion.
Spoilers
In each series, there is an underlying story arc that pans all episodes until finally fully addressed in the season finale. For Series 1, it is the concept and identity of the Bad Wolf. Series 2, the Torchwood Institute. Series 3, the identity of Mr. Saxon. In series 4, there are several little references and jokes that eventually lead to the plot of the finale, including the missing planets and the bees disappearing from Earth, and repeated appearances of Rose Tyler on screens and monitors. In addition, there are repeated references to there being something on Donna's back. While this does not carry on to the series finale itself, it does play an important part in the episode which sets up the finale's story. In series 5, there are "cracks" in the universe, which must ultimately be fixed in the series finale. In series 6, a future version of the Doctor is seen to be killed, causing complications for the "present" version of the Doctor and his companions, also there is the repeated appearance of Madame Kovarian who only Amy can see. Series 7 revolves around the "impossible" Clara Oswin Oswald, whom the Doctor keeps running into in various places and times, though she does not remember him. In Series 8 it is the identity of the mysterious Missy and where the people are going after they die, while Series 9 deals with the identity of the long-prophesied 'hybrid' of two powerful warrior races, believed to be the Daleks and the Time Lords.
Peter Capaldi had appeared on the show in a completely different role before being cast as the 13th onscreen Doctor, but Colin Baker did too in the original, so this is not the first an actor playing the Doctor had previously appeared as a different character on the show. Coincidentally, Capaldi appeared in the episode in which Karen Gillan had a different role before being cast as a full-fledged companion, Doctor Who: The Fires of Pompeii (2008).
The Eleventh Doctor spends 900 years on Trenzalore before his regeneration in Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor (2013), almost half of his lifetime as depicted over the entire 50 year run. This also technically makes Handles, the Cyberman head that keeps him company over the centuries, the Doctor's longest-serving companion besides the TARDIS.
Almost all of the Doctors from the modern era (that have regenerated) have seen the first person they met in their new body just before they move onto the next incarnation.
The only Doctor this does not apply to is the War Doctor, who regenerated from Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor in front of the Sisterhood of Karn ( Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor (2013) ) but regenerated alone in his TARDIS after the events of Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (2013). In fact, the last people he saw before changing were the Tenth and Eleventh incarnations of his future self (and Clara).
- David Tennant regenerated in front of Rose, and then visited her before succumbing to radiation in the TARDIS.
- Matt Smith crash landed in Amelia Pond's garden and also hallucinated her saying goodbye to him before he regenerated ("...the first face this face saw").
- Christopher Eccleston regenerated alone in the TARDIS, and as of September 2015 his first moments have not been revealed, but certain scenes in Doctor Who: Rose (2005) (such as him studying himself in Rose's mirror), imply that he was new to his body. At the very least this confirms that Rose was his first (and only) companion, possibly the first person he ever spoke to.
The only Doctor this does not apply to is the War Doctor, who regenerated from Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor in front of the Sisterhood of Karn ( Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor (2013) ) but regenerated alone in his TARDIS after the events of Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (2013). In fact, the last people he saw before changing were the Tenth and Eleventh incarnations of his future self (and Clara).
With Peter Capaldi's 12th Doctor still to regenerate, every other Doctor (named since 2005), except for the Ninth (Christopher Eccleston), has regenerated in a story centered around the return of Gallifrey, including John Hurt's brief stint as the War Doctor in Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (2013).
Each of the actors playing the Doctor in the revived series have also played villains in well known series/films. Paul McGann played Gollic in Alien³ (1992), John Hurt played Chancellor Sutler in V for Vendetta (2005), Christopher Eccleston played Malekith in Marvel's Thor: The Dark World (2013), David Tennant played Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Matt Smith played Skynet/Genesys in Terminator Genisys (2015), and Peter Capaldi played Cardinal Richeliu in The Musketeers (2014).
In the season eight finale, Clara lies to the cybermen that she never existed and she was actually the doctor all along. This is proceeded by the opening credits that revealed Jenna Coleman's name first instead of Peter Capaldi and Clara's eyes instead of the doctor's, as if to trick the audience into thinking that she really is the doctor.
In the 2008 audio story of Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles "The Catalyst", it was revealed Leela (Louise Jameson) companion of The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) had survived the destruction of Gallifrey in the Last Great Time War and Leela had been captured and imprisoned by a warrior race called the Z'nai and they interrogated Leela for information on the Time Lords.
The tenth doctor says "what" in the end of every season finale except the fourth that David tennant is in.