Whovians around the world are celebrating the 50th anniversary of "Doctor Who" and the latest surprise from writer Steven Moffat, who has--spoilers! If you want to know exactly what he did, read the captions of the photos I just added to this gallery. The global simulcast of the anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor," has just ended. Here's a quick look at the Doctors so far, and the next Doctor.
Curt Wagner, RedEye's Show Patrol
VIDEO: Regenerations of all the Doctors
PHOTOS: 50 years of "Doctor Who" villains
PHOTOS: "The Day of the Doctor"
READ: RedEye's Geek to Me goes to Chicago TARDIS this weekend
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BBC has updated the 50th anniversary image to include John Hurt's War Doctor (fourth from right), but not Perter Capaldi's upcoming Doctor.
We'll be debating whether the War Doctor is now the Ninth Doctor, moving everyone after back one number. Show exec producer and head writer says in Doctor Who Magazine the numbers stay the same.
"I've been really, really quite careful about the numbering of the Doctors. He's very specific, the John Hurt Doctor, that he doesn't take the name of the Doctor. He doesn't call himself that. He's the same Time Lord, the same being as the Doctors either side of him, but he's the one who says, 'I'm not the Doctor.' So the Eleventh Doctor is still the Eleventh Doctor, the Tenth Doctor is still the Tenth..."
Begging your pardon, Mr. Moffat, but at the end of "The Day of the Doctor," Matt Smith's Doctor does call him "Doctor." And after the War Doctor says he won't remember trying to save Gallifrey, "for now, for this moment, I am the Doctor again. Thank you."
So, technically, the numbers should change. Right? — MATT BURLEM / BBC, Nov. 23, 2013
TARDIS tenure: 1963-66
The first and oldest Doctor (55 when he started), Hartnell first played his Doctor as a cantankerous old man but later mellowed. He may have looked frail, but he took on the Daleks, angry cyborgs and the Celestial Toymaker before he was finished. Thanks to him, "Doctor Who" made it through the early years.
BBC America will show the docudrama "An Adventure in Space and Time," about the early days of "Doctor Who," on Nov. 22. — BBC, Nov. 22, 2013
TARDIS tenure: 1966-69
Patrick Troughton (center) made his Second Doctor more playful and fun than No. 1. This Doctor hid his sharp mind with a bumbling, goofy attitude. Still, he managed to freeze the Cybermen before being banished to Earth by the Time Lords. — BBC, Nov. 22, 2013
TARDIS tenure: 1970-74
The Third Doctor spent almost all his time on Earth after being exiled there while still the Second Doctor. Pertwee brought a more physical approach to the role, making No. 3 a Bondian action hero of sorts. He helped the task force UNIT fight off the Autons, Sea Devils and what would become one of the Doctor's greatest foes through the years, The Master. — BBC, Nov. 22, 2013
TARDIS tenure: 1974-81
The longest serving Doctor, Tom Baker was famous for his Doctor's fun eccentricities, the iconic long knitted scarf and floppy hat and his companion Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen, left), who would go on to star in her own "Who" spinoff series. — BBC, Nov. 22, 2013
TARDIS tenure: 1981-84
Peter Davison presided over a more science-based tenure of "Doctor Who." His Doctor was clever, kind and the first to express a distaste for violence, although he battled many classic foes, including the Master, Cybermen, Omega, the Black Guardian and the Silurians. — BBC, Nov. 22, 2013
TARDIS tenure: 1984-86
Colin Baker brought out the grumpy, cynical and much darker side of the Doctor. Many consider his tenure to be the series' low point. — BBC, Nov. 22, 2013
TARDIS tenure: 1987-89
The series already was in decline when McCoy took over. McCoy's No. 7 was something of a clown, but he managed to defeat the ancient time manipulator Fenric. After his tenure, "Doctor Who" took a hiatus until the 1996 TV movie in which McCoy has his regeneration scene. — BBC, Nov. 22, 2013
TARDIS tenure: 1996
Paul McGann played Doctor Who in the 1996 TV movie that many hoped would revive the series. His Doctor battled the Master, who was plotting to steal the Doctor's remaining lives.
McGann did not get his regeneration scene when "Doctor Who" finally returned to TV in 2005. But McGann returned to the role in a 2013 minisode that finally gave him his regeneration and serves as a prequel to the 50th anniversary special.
Watch the minisode here. — BBC, Nov. 22, 2013
TARDIS time: on screen 2013 (off screen time; since the regeneration of the Eighth Doctor in "The Night of the Doctor" minisode a few weeks ago)
The War Doctor, played by John Hurt in the 50th anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor," is now technically the Ninth Doctor, making Christopher Eccleston the Tenth Doctor and so on. (I think that should be correct!) The War Doctor wiped out the Daleks and the Time Lords in the Time War, but in "The Day of the Doctor" he and all the other Doctors froze Gallifrey in a painting and thus ended the war without destroying the planet. — Adrian Rogers / BBC, Nov. 23, 2013
TARDIS tenure: 2005
Christopher Eccleston helped bring "Doctor Who" into the modern era, but lasted just one season on the show. He and companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) fought the Slitheen.
With the addition of the War Doctor, Eccleston is now the Tenth Doctor. — Adrian Rogers / BBC, Nov. 22, 2013
TARDIS tenure: 2005-10
Cheeky but tough as the Doctor, Tennant is considered by many to be one of if not the best Doctor. He's credited with helping make the show popular around the globe. He traveled with several memorable companions, although my favorite is Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), who in a battle against the Daleks became ever-so-briefly the "Doctor-Donna."
After "the Day of the Doctor" revelations, Tennant's Doctor is actually the Eleventh Doctor. — Adrian Rogers / BBC, July 8, 2006
TARDIS tenure: 2010-Christmas 2013
If David Tennant sparked international interest in "Doctor Who," Matt Smith solidified it, making the show a global phenom. His Doctor is charismatic and a little wacky, but has a dark edge brought on by all the evil he has witnessed.
After "The Day of the Doctor," Smith's is now the Twelfth Doctor. Smith will end his time in the TARDIS in the 2013 Christmas special. — Adrian Rogers / BBC, May 22, 2028
TARDIS tenure: Christmas 2013-?
At 55, Peter Capaldi is the same age as the first and oldest actor to play Doctor Who, William Hartnell. He will take over this Christmas.
After "The Day of the Doctor," in which he appeared briefly to help end the Time War, Capaldi's Doctor can now be considered the Thirteenth Doctor. — BBC, May 18, 2011
Doctor Who, the First Doctor (William Hartnell), the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison), the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker), the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy), the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann), the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) — MATT BURLEM / BBC, Nov. 22, 2013
