On November 23, 1963, "Doctor Who" was first broadcast on the BBC. Today, it remains a cult favorite among science-fiction fans young and old. Peter Capaldi (pictured with Jenna Coleman) took over as the Twelfth Doctor this season. Click through the gallery to see the men who have played the title character.
The Doctor -- a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who traveled through space and time -- was first played by William Hartnell, who took along his granddaughter on his adventures.
Patrick Troughton took over the role in 1966, and it was explained on the show that Time Lords can regenerate into new bodies upon their death. Troughton's Second Doctor was more of an oddball, prone to playing his recorder and fooling enemies into thinking he was a simpleton.
Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor dove headlong into the 1970s. He was the closest to James Bond of any of the Doctors, earthbound and a big fan of traveling in flashy vehicles.
The Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker, is a favorite of many fans, having played the character the longest starting in 1974. Baker brought back some of the childlike aspects of the Doctor in a big way, and he gained a robotic dog companion, K-9.
Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor brought the character into the 1980s as a young, well-dressed cricketer, leading a team of companions on his adventures.
The no-nonsense Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, took over in 1984. Despite his outlandish, colorful costume, he was one of the least approachable-seeming Doctors.
The Seventh Doctor, starting in 1987, ended the original series of "Doctor Who." Sylvester McCoy's take on the character returned him to the quirky mannerisms of the Second and Fourth Doctors, though this one was more of a schemer.
Up until recently, the Eighth Doctor's adventures on screen lasted all of one TV movie, a failed attempt to resurrect the series on Fox. Paul McGann returned on a "Webisode" just last week, explaining what became of his character when he regenerated.
The show was rebooted in 2005, and Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor was the first one many new fans saw. Wearing a leather jacket, this Doctor was stripped down to his bare essentials.
After Eccleston's departure at the end of the first new season, David Tennant brought back some of the quirkiness with his Tenth Doctor, a trenchcoat-wearing adventurer with a great sense of humor. He was recently voted fans' favorite Doctor by readers of the UK's Radio Times.
Matt Smith brought a youthful appearance to the Eleventh Doctor starting in 2010. His penchant for wearing bow ties and fezzes and dancing like a "drunken giraffe" plays against the fact that he is determined to save the day, and his companions, no matter what.
- "Doctor Who" ended its eighth season (and first with Peter Capaldi) with an emotional finale
- Spoiler: Deaths and other goodbyes
- Fans on Twitter had mixed reactions
(CNN) -- [WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the "Doctor Who" season finale.]
Saturday night's "Doctor Who" season finale was a roller coaster of feels, with deaths, goodbyes and one incredible James Bond-esque move by the Doctor.
It was the end of the first season of Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor.
Here are five moments that had us cheering or reaching for the tissues:
1. The Master kills Osgood
This one really hurt. UNIT captured the Master and made the Doctor the president of Earth, as they faced a massive invasion by dead-people-turned-Cybermen.
The Master tried the old talking-to-your-captor trick to bowtie-wearing geek Osgood ("Bowties are cool," after all), telling Osgood that she was about to be killed within 60 seconds.
Unfortunately for Osgood, the Master was no longer handcuffed and made good on her promise.
It was part of a terrific nutso performance by Michelle Gomez as the Master, but we'll really miss Osgood, who was like the ultimate "Doctor Who" fan.
2. Windsurfing into the TARDIS
The plane that carried the Doctor and members of UNIT exploded, and the Doctor was sent flying out of it, about to crash to the ground. Was this how it would all end?
Instead, the Doctor spotted the TARDIS and aimed himself to land right inside it. Wow!
The Master's AI interface assistant Seb was quite impressed by this, but the Master destroyed him as he squeed.
3. Clara reunites with Danny
After talking her way out of being killed by the Cybermen by impersonating the Doctor, Clara found herself in a graveyard, and discovered that an approaching Cyberman was her late boyfriend, Danny, who still had emotions, but was begging her to switch them off.
The Doctor arrived in time to tell her not to do it, but the Master did as well. After a heart-wrenching exchange among all of them, Danny and Clara said one last goodbye, as Clara took his sonic screwdriver and aimed it right at him, making him emotionless.
However, he was able to take control of the Cybermen and fly them away, blowing themselves up and foiling the Master's plan.
4. Kate Stewart's father kills the Master
Clara was determined to kill the Master, but she turned over the Master's vaporizing remote control over to the Doctor, but then the Master was vaporized by someone else: the Cyberman version of the Doctor's old friend, UNIT's Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Poetic justice.
5. Clara's goodbye
Two weeks later, when Clara (Jenna Coleman) was awakened by a portal from the afterlife, she heard from Danny, who sacrificed his one chance to return to life by returning the young boy he had accidentally killed while he was a soldier.
Clara and the Doctor later met at a restaurant, where she broke the news to him that she couldn't travel with him any longer. He assumed it was because she was back together with Danny, and she wouldn't tell him otherwise.
The Doctor had news for her as well: The Master gave him the coordinates for Gallifrey and he found it. But we saw the reality: It wasn't there, and the Doctor destroyed the TARDIS' control panel in frustration.
Clara hugged the Doctor, something he never likes doing, and told him, "Doctor, traveling with you made me feel really special. Thank you for that. Thank you for making me feel special."
He thanked her for the same. Don't mind us, we've got something in our eye.
Capaldi's message to grieving boy
But it wasn't over: The Doctor got a visit from Santa Claus, played by Nick Frost. What does the Christmas special hold for us?
Fans on Twitter had a lot to say about this finale, and they had mixed feelings.
"It's one of Moffat's trickiest finales ever," tweeted Andy Behbakht.
"While he wrapped up Series 8 in a pleasing way, I felt something big was missing."
"I have so many feels right now," said @GoodnightGoldie.
"Loved it! Can't wait for, can't believe I'm saying it...Christmas!"
Franklin Harris summed it up as "A thrilling conclusion to an uneven season that showed the strengths and weaknesses of producer Steven Moffat's fairytale approach."
"I just don't even know what to do with myself," admitted Kendall Ashley.
"That ending was tragic, and Clara and the Doctor NEED each other right now!"
What did you think? Share your comments below.
