45 years after it first graced our screens, a whole new generation now follows the Doctor's thrilling adventures. Today, BBC Archives travels back in time to find out how it all started.
From early discussions about whether the BBC should even have its own science fiction drama through some of the ideas that fell by the wayside we release the documents which show how the Doctor and his trusty TARDIS were created.
Read the original character outlines for the series and discover some of the big secrets that the Doctor was meant to be hiding. The documents include hand-written notes by Sydney Newman, the man often credited with creating the series. But as the documents show, he was not alone.
Previously seen only by a handful of lucky Doctor Who enthusiasts, this is the first time these documents have been made available to the general public.
Also included in this collection are clippings from the Radio Times, an audience report that shows what the public thought of the first episode and a gallery of rare images from the first episodes.
