Doctor Who is a television show.
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works , the term `` companion '' refers to a character who travels with , or shares the adventures of the Doctor . Doctor Who . It has influenced generations of British television professionals , many of whom grew up watching the series . In the long running British science fiction television series Doctor Who , regeneration is a biological ability exhibited by the Time Lords , a race of fictional humanoids originating on the planet Gallifrey . `` The Time of the Doctor '' is an episode of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who , written by Steven Moffat and directed by Jamie Payne , and was broadcast as the ninth Doctor Who Christmas special on 25 December 2013 on BBC One . The Time Lords are a fictional , ancient extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who , of which the series ' protagonist , the Doctor , is a member .