Cabell Craig - The Doctors Whos who : celebrating its 50th year : the story behind every face of the iconic Time Lord

WE OWE A DEBT of gratitude to the Doctors.

After 50 years of Doctor Who, we owe a debt of gratitude to those excellent English and Scottish actors who adorned strange Edwardian for the most part costumes, took to the controls of the TARDIS and made television history. How many times have we watched William Hartnell in Carry On Sergeant, Patrick Troughton in The Omen, Jon Pertwee in Worzel Gummidge, Tom Baker in Blackadder, Peter Davison in All Creatures Great and Small, Colin Baker in Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!, Sylvester McCoy in The Hobbit, Paul McGann in Hornblower, Christopher Eccleston in The Second Coming, David Tennant in Broadchurch and Matt Smith in Womb and said He was Doctor Who?

No matter what else those actors did (or do), they will always be known as the Doctor. A man an actor instantly recognisable, instantly trusted by parents with their children, because he plays such a unique character in television history.

It is fitting that during the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who there is a book that looks at the careers of these special actors who have played the Doctor, to give something back to them and to acknowledge the wider parameters of their acting skills. This was something I originally undertook several years ago in the first edition of this book, The Doctors Whos Who. The success of that book has made it possible to revise, update and significantly add to it for the 50th anniversary, in order to celebrate the actors careers alongside the programme itself. No book has done this before. Of course, each Doctor Who actor has released an autobiography or had a biography written about him; but this snapshot overview paints a picture of the programmes influence on each Doctor and shows the impact those Doctor Who actors have had on British culture since around the time of the Second World War.

Doctor Who has had an influence on the supporting cast too. Actors who have appeared in a short scene in a single episode way back in time are still asked for autographs by fans and requested to attend conventions or contribute to DVD documentaries approximately half a century later.

Think about some of the key supporting actors who have passed away (in 2011 and 2012 alone): Nicholas Courtney, Elisabeth Sladen, Caroline Johns and Mary Tamm. In each case, mention was made of their key role in Doctor Who alongside the headline announcement of their sad passing; but surely the 1974 movie The Odessa File was far more important to Mary Tamm than Doctor Who?

Doctor Who demands to be recognised. It is a career highlight, so it is right that we spare a thought for the other work the Doctor Who actors have done throughout their careers and the other people who have touched their lives.

Doctor Who has evolved over the years. Regular cast members have come and gone but as long as a blue police box materialises and dematerialises with a wheezing, groaning sound and the programmes once haunting now wonderfully menacing theme tune assures us that the character of the Doctor is unchanged, the programme will continue to cast its spell over legions of fans across the world for many years to come.

Doctor Who isnt a cult TV programme. Approximately eight million regular viewers per episode make it something more, especially when you couple that figure with overseas franchises, DVDs and the ability to watch the show later via BBC iPlayer. The final head count proves that after 50 years Doctor Who is more popular now than ever before, and its reputation will continue to grow over the next half century.

The Doctors journey is far from over and more actors will have their lives unrecognisably changed by taking on the iconic role.

I realise that I have been very lucky in that I have had three massive successes in my career to date: The Navy Lark, Doctor Who and Worzel Gummidge. These have kept me in the public eye for far longer than many of my contemporaries.

I Am the Doctor Jon Pertwees Final Memoir

The Doctor is always on the side of the good and he must always win in the end. And, of course, I just adored doing it. It is a unique and magical experience to be able to live out a public fantasy on a gigantic scale and get paid!

Tom Baker

The title page to a draft script of An Unearthly Child by Anthony Coburn, the first ever Doctor Who story.