At sixteen minutes past five on 23rd November 1963, a British television institution was born. Originally scheduled to run for just thirteen weeks, Doctor Who would go on to become the longest-running science-fiction programme in the world, eventually spawning twenty six seasons of adventures from 1963 to 1989.

In total, eight actors have played the part of Gallifrey's most famous Time Lord. From the very first - William Hartnell in 1963 - to the very last - Paul McGann, in the 1996 TV Movie - the Doctor has wandered through time and space in his trusty time machine, an old type-40 TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space). Although appearing to be nothing more than a battered blue police box, it is in fact vastly bigger on the inside than on the outside, and always departs with its familiar wheezing, groaning sound.

Along the way the Doctor has battled against some of the most memorable monsters in TV history, such as the Daleks and the Cybermen, as well as his arch nemesis, fellow Time Lord 'The Master'. In his fight against evil he has been aided and abetted by thirty different companions, from his granddaughter Susan in the beginning to the beautiful American, Dr Grace Holloway, in his last adventure. In between, Peter Purves, Frazer Hines and Louise Jamieson (from Eastenders) have all had stints aboard the TARDIS as the Doctor's companions.

Perhaps because of its sometimes obviously low budget - rather than despite it - there has remained a great deal of affection for Doctor Who in Britain and around the world. Wobbly sets and monsters with flared legs somehow seem more British and cosy than its big-budget American counterparts. So step aboard the TARDIS and prepare to be whisked off to past times and alien worlds with that enigmatic stranger known only as 'The Doctor.'