When it started back in 1963, Dr. Who wasn’t expected to be as much of a hit as it is now. With characters that consist of aliens, robots and things straight out of science fiction, no one expected it to even make it through two seasons. However, Doctor Who has become one of the most popular shows on television.
In 2013, it held its 50th Anniversary Special which was viewed by over 10.2 million people. And, that was only a little bit more than the amount of people who watched the season opener. 6.54 million viewers tuned in to for the season nine opener “The Magician’s Apprentice,” which was one of the highest viewed episodes in Doctor Who history.
In 1962, Sydney Newman, Donald Wilson, and C. E. Webber came up with the idea for a new show. In 63, the show idea was like nothing that had been put on television. Together those tree minds came up with the idea of a time traveling alien who would traval across space and time in a police box. The character would also take alone human companions along his adventures where he would fight other aliens and try to explain the universe as he went along. lacking a name for this character, all the creators decided to call him the Doctors and to this very day the name has stuck. Sadly the original actor that played the Doctor became ill and was getting old, so the creators added a special aspect that when the Doctor gets hurt, he begins to regenerate, where his old body turns into someone else but he still remains the same person although aspects of his personality have changed.
While season nine was in the process of being made, producers stressed the thought of whether or not it would be a success or a failure due to the fact that season eight wasn’t the best season, part of which was because prior to season eight, Matt Smith had played the doctor and he was incredibly popular because of his fond nature and childishness. He had been replaced with actor Peter Capaldi. It was a rather big change for fans of the show, going from having a young actor, Matt, transition into a much older actor, Peter. Also, the way Peter carried himself as the doctor played into affect. While Matt Smith was more human, kind, and wiser, Peter Capaldi’s doctor is much more alien and more serious which we have not seen from a modern doctor.
Actor Peter Capaldi is known for being a tough actor. With roles on different programs throughout BBC America. It was a shock to some fans that Capaldi could play the family friendly time traveling alien and then go to a show where his language should not be heard by small children. Although he has been a different doctor than most are used to, its hard to to love him. Although, his doctor shows much more sadness than others, such as his character questioning why he should save people and why not give up which puts the mood and tone much more gloomier that could’ve been happier. Having that be the tone might also not be the best choice because a large portion of the viewing audience is children and children don’t want to watch a sad television show.
