Season 1
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC which depicts the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as "the Doctor" who travels in his time ship, the TARDIS, which appears from the exterior to be a blue police phone box.
With his companions, he explores time and space, solving problems and righting wrongs.
The programme originally ran from 1963-1989. A television film was made in 1996 as a backdoor pilot for a new series (which never entered production), and the programme was successfully relaunched in 2005, produced in-house by BBC Wales.
Doctor Who premiered in South Africa on BBC Prime (which became BBC Entertainment in September 2008) on Saturday 1 September 2007, at 19h00. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
The first season of Doctor Who originally aired in South Africa on BBC Prime from 1 September to 24 November, 2007, on Saturdays at 19h00. Each week the show was followed up by a behind-the-scenes special called Doctor Who Confidential, at 19h45.
A rebroadcast of the first season of Doctor Who premiered on BBC Prime on Sunday 8 June 2008, at 13h00. Episodes of Doctor Who Confidential follow the main episodes.
Double episodes of both Doctor Who and Doctor Who Confidential aired back-to-back every Sunday. There are thirteen 45-minute episodes in the first season.
Synopsis
The 2005 series (which is ongoing) first starred Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, but David Tennant took over as The Doctor from the end of 2005 until the present.
The story revolves around the time-travelling Doctor who, along with a little help from some Earthling friends, spends his time travelling through time to fight evil and save the universe, hundreds of times over.
His primary mode of transport is the TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimension (or Dimensions) In Space. The TARDIS is a 1950's-style police box which looks small on the outside but which is large inside, with all the controls to travel through time and space.
The Doctor and his companion spend each episode on new adventures, fighting recurring baddies like Slitheens and Daleks that are dotted throughout the series.
A feature of the show is not CGI and glittering, hi-tech effects, but rather clever, low-budget animations and FX which have turned the show into a cult.
Seasons
Series exclusive to BBC Entertainment
Season 1 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 1 September 2007 | Finale: 24 November, 2007 | Saturdays, 19h00
Special: The Christmas Invasion
Aired: Sunday 7 September 2008, at 18h30 | Length: 1 hour
Season 2 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 14 September 2008 | Finale: 7 December 2008 | Sundays, 18h40
Season 3 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 18 January 2009 | Finale: 12 April 2009 | Sundays, 19h00
Special: Voyage of the Damned
Aired: Sunday 4 April 2010, at 18h10 | Length: 2 hours
Season 4 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 11 April 2010 | Finale: 4 July 2010 | Sundays, 18h25
Special: The Next Doctor
Aired: 11 October 2010, at 20h30 | Length: 1 hour
Special: Planet of the Dead
Aired: Monday 18 October 2010, at 20h30 | Length: 1 hour
Special: The Waters of Mars
Aired: Monday 25 October 2010, at 20h30 | Length: 1 hour
Special: The End of Time
Aired: 1 and 8 November 2010, at 20h30 | Length: 2 hours
Season 5 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 15 November 2010 | Finale: 7 February 2011 | Mondays, 20h30
Special: A Christmas Carol
Aired: 25 December 2011, at 16h05 | Length: 1 hour
Season 6 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 26 December 2011 | Finale: 7 January 2012 | Daily, 16h10
Special: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe
Aired: 8 January 2012, at 16h05 | Length: 1 hour
Season 7 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 9 February 2013 | Finale: 19 May 2013 | Sat, 19h35/Sun, 19h00
Special: The Snowmen
Aired: 16 March 2013, at 19h35 | Length: 1 hour