The single longest running sci-fi TV series
With the endless limits of outer space at the writer’s disposal, science fiction is a genre that can majorly benefit from the television format. There’s only so much interplanetary exploration you can fit into a two-and-a-half hour feature film runtime, but the small screen allows tales of space travel and alien technology to stretch over hours of storytelling, while also providing greater opportunities to develop storylines and characters.
A number of shows have taken advantage of the space and scope that television allows for. Some of the most beloved entries into the sci-fi genre have taken up the series format, from Matt Groening’s iconic animated show Futurama to Chris Carter’s cult conspiracy classic, The X Files. While the love for both of these shows is reflected in their longevity – Futurama has run for eight seasons while The X Files received 11 – neither of them takes the title of the longest-running sci-fi series of all time.
That honour, perhaps expectedly, goes to a show that spawned from across the Atlantic, from the minds of C. E. Webber, Donald Wilson and Sydney Newman: BBC’s Doctor Who. The tale of the time-lord has endured through generations of science-fiction fans and casual television watchers, running for an impressive 40 seasons made up of 877 episodes.
The show is a staple on British television, encouraging families to gather around the screen annually to watch a long-awaited Christmas special and always keeping them guessing as to who the Doctor will regenerate into next. It’s this concept – the very premise of Doctor Who – that has allowed it to continue for so long, to find new fans and to keep up with contemporary culture.
The show began just over 60 years ago, in 1963, with William Hartnell taking on the role of the Doctor. He would complete a lengthy stint as the character, playing the time lord for four seasons until his departure in 1966. From there, the regenerations began. Hartnell became Patrick Troughton, who became Jon Pertwee, who became Tom Baker, and so on.
As each actor took their leave from the role, others were fighting to take their place as the most well-loved alien on television. The Doctor kept regenerating for well over two decades, until the show came to an end in 1989. But that wasn’t the last we would see of the sonic screwdriver-wielding time lord.
The TARDIS would return to the BBC in the mid-2000s, with Christopher Eccleston taking up the role. As he recruited Billie Piper’s Rose to keep him company on his travels, he proved that the story of the Doctor was just as fit for a contemporary audience as it was back in the 1960s. David Tennant provided the role with new snark and suits, and Matt Smith afforded the time lord a heartfelt humour. Several generations on, Ncuti Gatwa is still carrying the time lord torch.
Alongside benefitting from the potential to swap out its star at any moment, the show has also benefitted from its wide-spanning nature – with each episode providing endless possibilities of place and time for the Doctor to visit. With 900 episodes on the horizon, there are still countless stories to tell from across Earth and beyond.
No sci-fi show has even come close to competing with Doctor Who’s impressive, six-decade run, and, as the show continues to air, it seems like no show ever will.
