On November 23rd, British science-fiction television show Doctor Who celebrated fifty years of time traveling and universe saving.

Unlike many shows in which the protagonists’ remains the same throughout the series, Doctor Who is all about change. The companions come and go while the Doctor dies and regenerates into a new one, which really means that the actor is replaced. The Doctor is an alien time lord who acts as the savior of the universe. The Doctor and his companions travel in a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) a time machine that is disguised a blue telephone box. So far there have been twelve actors who have played the coveted role of the Doctor and there have been over forty companions in total.

The episode was titled The Day of the Doctor and was written by the current show’s director Stephen Moffat but it was directed by Nick Hurran. The show featured the eighth Doctor known as the warrior Doctor played by John Hurt, twelfth Doctor Matt Smith, and the current companion Clara Oswin Oswald played Jenna Coleman. It also featured the previous Doctor (10) played by David Tennant and Billie Piper who played the role of Rose Tyler. The seventy-six minute special was simultaneously broadcasted in ninety-four countries around the world. Channels like BBC America, BBC One, BBC Entertainment, and other channels broadcasted the live event in order to avoid plot leaks to people in other time zones. 

The Doctor Who special was also played in theatres across the nation. The seventy-six minute special managed to place second on the box office following The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire.

“Seeing it in theaters, with an energetic crowd that laughed and screamed in every scene, made watching the great episode even more fantastic.” Mackenzie Nordahl (12)   

        For the most part the reviews were positive but the episode could have been longer. The episode proved to be well received mainly because it answered many questions about the planet of Gallifrey and the Time War.