Fifty years ago, African Americans struggled against segregation.  The Rolling Stones hadn’t yet debuted.  The Vietnam War hadn’t yet begun, and poll taxes still existed.

Needless to say, a lot can happen in a half-century: even if you’re a Time Lord.

On November 23rd, 2012, the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special was broadcast in 94 countries, being shown in over 1,500 theaters.  During its massive 50th anniversary celebration, Guiness’ editor-in-chief awarded the episode for being history’s largest TV drama simulcast.

A simulcast is a program that is broadcast over multiple mediums; for instance, being simultaneously shown on televisions and movie theater screens.  Additionally, Doctor Who is a British TV show, the longest-running science fiction series of all time.  (it’s been around for 50 years, in case you weren’t paying attention).

Now, the Doctor (Doctor Who’s main character, a 1200-or-so year old alien) has changed quite a bit over the past half-century, having cycled through twelve different versions of himself through a process of regeneration.

(obtained from the BBC, Associated Press)

(In addition to the eleven pictured here, the episode included another Doctor as well, shown below)

(obtained from the BBC, associated press)

The 50th Anniversary special, entitled “The Day of the Doctor,” generally received extremely positive reviews, such as from Dan Ownen of MSN TV, who wrote ” ‘The Day of the Doctor’ was an impressive marshalling of Doctor Who’ s rich history, indelible iconography, and grand tradition, buoyed by excellent performances.”

Indeed, many West High students also approved of the episode.

Vikraman Aravamudhan ’14, when asked what he thought of the episode, replied “mind blown.”  Additionally, Mathius Sader ’15 even went so far as to throw a 50th anniversary Doctor Who party the night of the premiere.

“I really like stories that explore possibilities that haven’t been discovered yet,” Sader said about Doctor Who.  “I started to throw a lot of parties recently, so I thought it would be appropriate to have one for Whovians.” Aravamudhan also expressed excitement about the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special, in which current Doctor Matt Smith will be replaced by Oscar-winning actor Peter Capaldi.

Truly, Doctor Who has had a big impact on West High (and the world)…stay tuned for its 100th anniversary.  Just fifty more years to go…