On November 23, 1963 Great Britain was introduced to an eccentric time traveller known as The Doctor and his time travelling machine the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space). Over the course of the next three decades, Doctor Who and its stars would become sensations in Great Britain and build a cult following throughout the world. But the premier episode was seen by few due to a lone assassin.
On November 22, 1963, at 1:00pm President John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead, struck down by the gun of Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. The following day the world mourned, and the televisions were filled with programming related to the late president and the new President, Lyndon B. Johnson. The first episode was buried in the news of the assassination. Fortunately, it was replayed the following week, before the second episode aired, and the rest is history.
The show would see unexpected popularity that only waned as it came toward its cancellation in 1989. A TV movie was released in 1996 as an attempted back door pilot to resurrect the series, but it failed. In 2005 the series was successfully re-launched and has continued to be a staple sci-fi program for the world to this day.
-Professor Walter
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