To celebrate 54 years of Doctor Who, the BBC has released a special compilation of the Doctor’s adventures in space and time through the show’s opening credits.

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From the famous first sequence in 1963 (a “howlaround” effect filmed by pointing a camera at its own monitor) to the intergalactic 1996 TV movie opening and last year’s clockwork helix, all the most memorable titles materialise in this video. Expect plenty of abstract shapes, floating Time Lord heads and some cracking variations of the classic theme song.

But just a warning: the video also documents the 1987 opening titles (made for Sylvester Mccoy’s Seventh Doctor – see at the 4.35 mark below) containing some extremely rusty CGI, a Microsoft WordArt logo and some very strange synthesiser backing plugged into the opening music. It's retro to the extreme.

Not only does this video celebrate another anniversary of Who, but it also serves as a reminder that the opening credits are due to change once more. Not only are we getting a new Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), showrunner (Chris Chibnall) and Tardis (grooved edges!), but it’s likely Whovians will be treated to a revamped title sequence to mark a new age of the show.

Will it tinker with the theme song once more? Will Whittaker and the Tardis feature? We'll have to wait until the new series next year to find out...

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Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time will air on BBC1 this Christmas

Authors

Thomas LingDigital editor, BBC Science Focus

Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.

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