We hear the word doctor, and an image of a person with stethoscope in white garb, comes before us. Buoyed by the technological advancements in the early 1960s, BBC instilled a sci-fi ingredient to the image of doctors in the 1960s, and produced the longest-running science fiction TV show series called Doctor Who. This enthralling saga aired from 1963 to 1989, and became even bigger when Universal Pictures made a movie on the same theme.

The cynosure in the melodrama is the Doctor who transcends time and space in his specially designed carrier, a Time Machine called TARDIS. As he explores time and space, he meets sinister forces of different kinds. As of now, eleven different actors have portrayed the role with the passage of season 1 in 1963 to the latest series 6.It is because of the fact that the doctor belongs to Time Lords scion and he revitalizes into a new form, every time he meets his death. This is called regeneration.

The Doctor is so fondly remembered owing to monsters like Damek in the 1963 series. And if one has the entire space as one’s playground, then evil forces are encountered as a matter of course. There could be a handful of villains but the frightening factor of villains like Ice Warriors, the Sensorites, Cyber Man have enabled them to make their way into the list of great TV sci-fi villains. Many people have grown up watching the show behind their sofas while biting their nails, waiting for the scary scenes to get over.

Running on for more than 30 seasons now, even a late comer of today’s generations would be having a ball when Matt Smith is seen playing the role of the Doctor in today’s times. It is believed that the upcoming season would be more gothic and delve into darker realms.