Sad news across the world for geeks today, as word has reached us that the wonderful actor, Michael Gough, has passed away. He was 94 years old. To most people, Michael Gough was well known for his role as Alfred Pennyworth in the 1990’s Batman movie series, beginning with Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989 and right through Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin in 1997.

However, this wasn’t Michael Gough’s first involvement in a franchise loved by geeks internationally. A very young Gough appeared as The Celestial Toymaker in Doctor Who back in 1965. The episode, The Celestial Toymaker, saw Gough act with the First Doctor William Hartnell. He would later appear with Fifth Doctor Peter Davison, playing a different role, in the episode Arc of Infinity.

Today marks a sad day around the universe for Doctor Who fans. Long-time cast member Nicholas Courtney has passed away at the age of 81. Courtney portrayed the famous Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, otherwise referred to as the Brigadier, alongside eight of the eleven Doctors. His first role as Lethbridge-Stewart was in The Web of Fear opposite Patrick Troughton‘s Second Doctor, and his final role in the Doctor Who universe was along with Elisabeth Sladen in a 2008 episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures entitled Enemy of the Bane.

Aside from Doctor Who, Courtney has made his mark in other television series over the years, including Escape, The Avengers, All Creatures Great and Small, and Yes Prime Minister. Despite his acting in other shows, he is forever known as the Brigadier, an aspect of his career Courtney was openly proud of.

Doctor Who has a legacy that spans almost 50 years, and has captivated the minds and attention of fans from the very beginning of the show. The series has since become a cultural staple in the UK and an aspect of Whovian lore that has the attention of many fans is the history of the show behind the scenes and during its evolution through the years.

Loup_Dargent recently dropped us a line and drew our attention to a collection of some classic black-and-white photographs from the history of Doctor Who behind the scenes — some of which have not even been posted on BBC sources.

The collection of photos range from the Sixties to the Seventies with a focus on Daleks, and includes First Doctor William Hartnell, and Third Doctor Jon Pertwee. There are even a couple pics of Peter Cushing‘s Doctor as well.

Here are a few samples below. Be sure to click them to head over and see them at Loup Dargent’s site in their full sizes.

One of the greatest aspects of Doctor Who is that even though the Doctor will always be the Doctor, each incarnation brings some unique personality aspects to the Time Lord. Part of these personality traits are also embodied in the manner of image that the Doctor portrays himself: by costume.

From the long scarf of the Tom Baker days, to the crime against fashion that was the Sixth Doctor’s outfit, to Matt Smith declaring that both bow ties and fezzes are cool, each Doctor’s costume is as much a part of the mythos of the Time Lord as the sonic screwdriver, or even the TARDIS itself.

Doctor Who fan and graphic artist Alex Freeman recognizes this. Relatively known among geek fandom online for his minimalist designs for Star Wars book covers, Freeman has now taken on the challenge of applying his minimalist art approach to each Doctor’s personality and appearance. Using simple outlines and colors, he making posters for each Doctor, and his Flickr page states they should be on sale soon – providing there’s enough interest.

Happy Doctor Who Day!

It was on this day, 47 years ago, the British public was first exposed to an eccentric old Time Lord known only as the Doctor in Doctor Who, with William Hartnell being the first man to take on the moniker in the first episode of the series, titled An Unearthly Child.

Initially designed as a science fiction television show for children that would focus on history and science, nobody behind the scenes back in 1963 could have possibly conceived how much of a phenomenon that Doctor Who would become.

In the years since its initial launch, the universe of Doctor Who has expanded significantly, giving rise to a detailed mythos that would form to become the lore and legends of the Time Lords of Gallifrey — a foundation to the Who saga that rivals many other science fiction tales around the world that people have followed.