Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 36: You will see the Doctor now

The day after the assassination of John F. Kennedy seems like a bad time to debut a new TV show, even in the UK. But on November 23, 1963, the BBC rolled out the first episode of Doctor Who, albeit 80 seconds late in order to finish news updates about the assassination. Originally intended as a family show that would use time travel to explain scientific concepts and visit moments of historical importance, it soon morphed into the sci-fi hit that attracted fans for decades.

In 1985 the leadership at the BBC tried to cancel the show, but only succeeded in delaying a new season for 18 months. That may have been enough, though, as once the show returned it did not draw as well (a move to a new time slot likely didn't help), and the show was taken off of the scheduled in 1989. There were vague promises that the show would return.

Which it did... eventually. There was new content in various media - books, audio plays, and even a TV movie in 1996 - but no new series, mostly due to attempts to create a feature film. Once it became clear that the film wouldn't happen, the BBC decided to bring back the series with Russell Davies as showrunner.

And so on Saturday, March 26, 2005, the first new episode of Doctor Who in fifteen years aired on BBC One (along with a companion documentary series on BBC Three, which aired directly after the episode). The show drew enough viewers to land in the top ten for the week, and was greenlighted for both a Christmas special and a second season. From there the show built into becoming a TV staple for viewers worldwide, along with a number of spin-off series such as Torchwood.