Doctor Who (1980's) - 1981 to 1989
The series began in 1963 with William Hartnell. By the 1980's the Doctor was in his 5th incarnation and saw Peter Davison play the Doctor Who charector from 1981 to 1984. The Fifth Doctor's era was notable for a "back to basics" attitude, in which "silly" humour (and, to an extent, horror) was kept to a minimum, and more scientific accuracy was encouraged by the producer, John Nathan-Turner. It was also notable for the reintroduction of many of the Time Lord's enemies; such as the Master, Cybermen, Omega (a founding-father of Gallifrey), the Black and White Guardians, the Sea Devils, and the Silurians.
The sixth Doctor was played by Colin Baker who remained in the role from 1984 to 1986. The Sixth's Doctor's brightly coloured, mismatched clothes and brash personality set him apart from all his previous incarnations. The Sixth Doctor appeared in three seasons; however, in Season 21 he appeared only in the final episode of The Caves of Androzani which featured the regeneration from the Fifth Doctor and thereafter in the following serial The Twin Dilemma to end that season. The Sixth Doctor's era is noted for the decision of BBC controller Michael Grade to put the series on an 18-month hiatus between seasons 22 and 23.
The seventh Doctor, played by Sylvestor McCoy saw the series to it's end in 1989.
In his first season, the Seventh Doctor started out as a comical character, mixing his metaphors ("Time and tide melt the snowman," for example), playing the spoons, and making pratfalls, but soon started to develop a darker nature and raised the profound question of who the Doctor actually is. The Seventh Doctor era is noted for the cancellation of Doctor Who after 26 years. It is also noted for the Virgin New Adventures, a range of original novels published from 1992 to 1997, taking the series on beyond the television serials.
The Seventh Doctor's final appearance on television was in the 1996 Doctor Who television movie, where he regenerated into the Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann. A sketch of him is later seen in John Smith's A Journal of Impossible Things in the new series 2007 episode "Human Nature".
Doctor Who - 5th Doctor Titles
Doctor Who - 6th Doctor Titles
Doctor Who - 7th Doctor Titles
