Hello everyone! 🙂
Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and HAPPY 60TH ANNIVERSARY ‘DOCTOR WHO’!!!
Yes, it’s 60 years to this day that the first TV episode of ‘Doctor Who’ called ‘An Unearthly Child’ was transmitted on the 23rd of November 1963. The original ‘Doctor Who’ cast included William Hartnell as the First Doctor, William Russell as Ian, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara and Carole Ann Ford as Susan. 🙂
A lot has changed since then. We’ve had more actors playing the Doctor, including Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, John Hurt, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker and Jo Martin. 🙂
David Tennant is back to play the Doctor in the 60th anniversary specials on TV and there’s Ncuti Gatwa to look forward to in the upcoming 2023 Christmas Special and Series 14 in 2024. There’s also been plenty of companions who’ve joined the many Doctors on many adventures in Space and Time.
There are companions like Jamie, Zoe, Jo, Sarah Jane, Leela, Romana, Adric, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough, Peri, Ace, Grace, Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy, Rory, Clara, Bill, Graham, Ryan, Yaz and Dan. There’ll be a new companion in the form of Millie Gibson as Ruby, who I’m looking forward to seeing. 🙂
Let’s not forget the monsters that the Doctor has fought over the years in various incarnations. There’s of course the Daleks as well as the Cybermen, the Master, the Sontarans, the Silurians, the Ice Warriors, the Zygons, the Autons and the Celestial Toymaker, who’s making a return for the 60th.
And let’s not forget what has made the TV series last for so long. The Doctor’s time and space machine called the TARDIS. Without it, there wouldn’t be the many adventures that the Doctor and their friends have had over the years, whether it’s in Earth’s past, in the future or in other dimensions.
I’m happy to be celebrating this iconic sci-fi TV show that has been with us over the past 60 years. I got into the series from watching Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor when the new TV series started in 2005. But I’ve been able to embrace my love for both the classic and the new TV show eras.
There have been times when my love for ‘Doctor Who’ has been up and down, especially when I share my thoughts on certain ‘Doctor Who’ stories on ‘Bradley’s Basement’. But I always enjoy checking out the ‘Doctor Who’ TV series and the mediums that it’s been able to spread its wings on.
As well as the TV series, ‘Doctor Who’ has found its way into the audios, books and comics. I’ve especially enjoyed the Big Finish audios, featuring both classic and new series Doctors and companions. I’ve also enjoyed revisiting the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV seasons in their ‘Collection’ Blu-ray box sets.
To celebrate 60 years of ‘Doctor Who’, I’ve shared my latest anniversary stories, including ‘Interdimensional Rescue’, featuring the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Billy, as part of the ‘A Sparkle of Doctors’ anthologies by the Divergent Wordsmiths as well as my latest story ‘The Thirteen+ Doctors’.
The latter is an epic three-part 60th anniversary story that features the first thirteen Doctors and their companions, including Ian, Barbara, Susan, Jamie, Zoe, Jo, James Darby, Nyssa, Billy, Peri, Ace, Jen, Rose, Donna, Amy, Rory, Bill, Yaz and Dan. I’m pleased to have written the epic anniversary adventure.
No doubt, many ‘Doctor Who’ fans are hyped to check out the 60th anniversary ‘Doctor Who’ specials by Russell T. Davies, starring David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Neil Patrick Harris. I’m looking forward to checking out the specials too and I’m hoping to share my reviews on them soon.
My upcoming reviews on ‘The Star Beast’, ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ and ‘The Giggle’ won’t be available on ‘Bradley’s Basement’ until sometime in December 2023. The same is for the upcoming 2023 Christmas Special with Ncuti Gatwa. I look forward to sharing my thoughts on the certain TV stories. 🙂
The current 60th Anniversary Marathon of ‘Doctor Who’ is ongoing and we’re currently on Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. Soon, by the end of November, we’ll be starting on Jodie Whittaker’s era of ‘Doctor Who’. This will be before we get right to Doctors like Jo Martin, David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa. 🙂
No matter how you celebrate the occasion, I hope you’ll enjoy ‘Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary today. It’s an amazing achievement that the TV show has lasted so long and it’s thanks to the fans who have made the series achieve its longevity. I’m glad to be a part of the celebrations themselves.
I’ve enjoyed attending conventions, including three recent ones – Sheffield and Swansea in September, and Scarborough this November – to celebrate 60 years of ‘Doctor Who’. I’ve enjoyed meeting people like Sarah Sutton, Peter Davison, Jodie Whittaker and David Tennant from checking out ‘Doctor Who’ in its various incarnations.
Thanks for reading!
Bye for now!
Tim 🙂
Bradley's Basement 
Hello again Tim,
There is something special about this funny little tv show. It inspires such devotion and passion from those that fall under its peculiar charm. Well done on creating the epic Thirteen+ Doctors story. It has all the right ingredients for an anniversary story, you must be delighted with it.
Doctor Who was created by a team from an initial spark of an idea from Sydney Newman. Right from its inception it faced opposition from a corporation management who didn’t understand it. Without Verity Lambert’s determination and Waris Hussein’s confident direction of that first serial it wouldn’t have been broadcast.
The consistent watchwords of Dr Who are creativity and collaboration. In the 1960s, a team of disparate talents tried to make a weekly adventure serial for family viewing What they created was televisual magic.
The lead characters that first generation of children journeyed with were played with conviction and realism. Everyone who appeared, took their roles seriously, particularly William Hartnell, who embodied Dr Who so completely.
The writing never talked down to children or hid from them unpleasant realities of evil. While, the production and design teams worked miracles in the primitive technical surroundings of Lime Grove Studios.
Doctor Who is unique. The fans who encountered it as children and stayed with it through thick and thin have always known it.
Now, with the Sixtieth Anniversary specials and the Fortieth series of this venerable show airing next year maybe more will appreciate and enjoy its fun, thrills and sheer creativity.
Thank you to everyone who’s played a part in bringing Doctor Who to the small screen.
Happy Birthday Doctor!
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Hi Tony,
Thanks for your comments. I greatly enjoyed writing ‘The Thirteen+ Doctors’. It was a challenge to write, but I’m pleased I was able to do a team-up of the first thirteen Doctors and their companions to battle against a deadly foe, which is what I’ve wanted in a special anniversary special. Many thanks for your help in improving the story in areas where it needed improving.
I’m pleased I’m able to check out ‘An Unearthly Child’ and ‘An Adventure In Space and Time’ on DVD and on Britbox to acknowledge how the ‘Doctor Who’ story began, especially with people like Sydney Newman, Verity Newman and Waris Hussein being vital members in starting it all off back in 1963. It’s also intriguing how things were done in the 1960s compared to nowadays with William Hartnell playing the First Doctor, joined by William Russell as Ian, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara and Carole Ann Ford as Susan, who I’ve greatly enjoyed watching in their TV adventures over the years.
It’ll be interesting to see how the official 60th anniversary specials turn out as well as the upcoming Series 14 with Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson. No doubt, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the episodes in the neo-Russell T. Davies era when they come along shortly to BBC TV and BBC iPlayer.
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂
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Thank you, Tim, and Happy 60th Doctor Who Day! https://youtu.be/G3IGQKniY7A?si=5HwQxkc2El3MxfJw
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Thanks scifimike,
Hope you’re having a good ‘Doctor Who’ Day! Thanks for the YouTube video.
Tim 🙂
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I am. Just finished watching my own Dr. Who Day marathon of assorted clips, trailers and videos on my iPad.
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Good for you, scifimike,
I’ve been watching some of ‘The Mind Robber’ episode in ‘Tales of the TARDIS’ on BBC iPlayer as well as the latest colour version of ‘The Daleks’ on BBC Four and watching ‘The Doctors Revisited; The Fifth Doctor’ on Britbox.
Tim 🙂
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