Doctor Who - The Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy (1987 - 1996)

Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor.

Sylvester McCoy saw out the era of the classic Doctor Who with a Doctor that at first appeared bumbling and childlike but then became devious and enigmatic and appearing to play a bigger game than what was at stake.

Unfortunately, by the time McCoy took the role, Doctor Who was no longer the show it once was. The writing had suffered immeasurably and Michael Grade was eager for the axe to fall on this show. He never liked Doctor Who at all and, in a 2004 interview said: "I thought it was horrible, awful. I thought it was so outdated. It was just a little show for a few pointy head Doctor Who fans. It was also very violent and it had lost its magic."

As such, McCoy never really got to show off his Doctor, much like Colin Baker didn't with his. When the final serial 'Survival' aired, the final scene shows Ace, his companion and the Doctor walking off, to continue their adventures, but off screen.

The end of Doctor Who was sounded when they moved it to a time slot where it was on at the same time as popular long running ITV soap 'Coronation Street', which only made its ratings fall even further. The last scene of the original series. has a melancholic monologue, spoken by McCoy which said:

"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, and the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, and somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Ace. We've got work to do."

That wasn't the last time we saw the Seventh Doctor, he appeared briefly in the 1996 TV Movie, where he was shot in the cross fire of a gang war in Los Angeles and when taken to hospital, died from the anesthetic that was applied to him by the Doctors. In the hospital morgue, he regenerates into the Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann.

All the Seventh Doctor's adventures are available to buy on DVD by clicking this link!

Doctor Who - Colin Baker - The Sixth Doctor (1984 - 1986)

Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor.

Colin Baker's tenure as the Sixth Doctor came at a time when the BBC was deciding whether or not the show would continue on. Coupled with an 18 month hiatus in production of the show between seasons 22 and 23. Plus, Michael Grade, who was then Controller of BBC One, did not like Doctor Who at all and he liked Colin Baker even less. This is due to Baker's divorce from Liza Goddard, who was best friend to, yes, you guessed it, Michael Grade.

Doctor Who - Peter Davison - The Fifth Doctor (1981 - 1984)

Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor.

Peter Davison had the unenviable job of taking over from the wildly popular Tom Baker in the role of the Doctor. This, the fifth incarnation of the Doctor was younger than his previous incarnations, with the outfit of an Edwardian cricketer with a stick of celery pinned to the jacket.

Doctor Who - Tom Baker - The Fourth Doctor

Jelly Baby?: Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor

When Tom Baker took on the role of the Doctor, many were unsure about him but he quickly made the role his own. With his voice that has been described as 'sonorous', and his manic, off-beat humour, audience numbers sky-rocketed to a number that hadn't been seen since the 'Dalekmania' that had hit Britain during William Hartnell's tenure. Baker's Doctor was also the first to be seen in the United States, when it was broadcast on PBS.

Doctor Who - Jon Pertwee - The Third Doctor (1970 - 1974)

Reverse the Polarity: Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor

At the end of the serial 'The War Games' The Doctor was forcibly regenerated by the Time Lords and sentenced to exile on Earth. We never saw the regeneration on screen, just Troughton disappearing in the War Games in 1969 and then in 1970 at the beginning of Spearhead From Space, Jon Pertwee emerging from the TARDIS and face-planting in a field.

Doctor Who - William Hartnell - The First Doctor (1963 - 1966)

The First: William Hartnell as The Doctor

When Doctor Who first aired on the BBC on Saturday 23rd of November 1963, it was delayed by 80 seconds due to the coverage of the assassination of President John F Kennedy the day before.

Poldark Is Back! Why Not Immerse Yourself In The World of Ross Poldark?

Poldark: Follow the love triangle of Ross, Elizabeth and Demelza.

Written by Winston Graham, the novels are set in the late 18th century at the time of the American Revolutionary War. Captain Ross Poldark returns home to his native Cornwall to find everyone thought he had been killed in the war, his sweetheart Elizabeth set to marry his cousin and his estate in ruins. The Poldark novels are a 12 book series which have been adapted by the BBC twice. The first time in 1975 with Robin Ellis playing Ross Poldark, and the most recent adaptation began in 2015 with Aidan Turner as Ross. All the series from the BBC's 1970s adaptation are available to buy by clicking the links and the first two series of the 2010's adaptation are available to buy.

Top 5 British Sitcoms Americans Need To Watch Right Now

Clockwise from Top: Rodney and Del Boy (OFAH), Gary Sparrow, (Goodnight Sweetheart), The Auf Wiedersehen, Pet cast, Godber and Fletch (Porridge) and Victor Meldrew (One Foot In The Grave).

You may not know this, but some of those classic sitcoms you grew up loving in the US? They were remakes of popular British shows. For instance, ‘Sanford and Son’ was a direct remake of ‘Steptoe and Son’ and then of course, more recently, ‘The Office’. Remakes of British shows sometimes become popular and sometimes flop. Here are 5 original British sitcoms that Americans need to watch right now. If you’re a budding Anglophile, then these will steep you much more in British culture…