Since it debuted in 2005, the rebooted incarnation of Doctor Who has won over a legion of fans dedicated to the time traveling alien and his human companions. But while it’s relatively easy to keep track of the four Doctors and eight seasons that encompass “New Who,” it can be much more confusing to understand the older incarnation of the show, dubbed “Classic Who.” But thanks to the YouTube channel Omni Verse, viewers looking to immerse themselves in the older version of the show can do so with remarkable efficiency. This 15 minute video plays all 707 existing episodes of Classic Who simultaneously, creating an overwhelming collage of bad special effects and kooky costumes.
First launched as a black and white educational program on BBC in 1963, the long running “classic” era of the show includes eight actors playing eight different versions of the Doctor across 33 years of television. Unlike the kind of episodic TV favored today, classic Doctor Who stories are broken down into multi-part serials. Some of these have been lost to the ages, although it’s not impossible for them to turn up again.
This Omni Verse video includes 135 episodes for William Hartnell’s First Doctor, 119 for Patrick Troughton, and 128 for Jon Pertwee. It also plays the full collection of Tom Baker’s 178 episodes, Peter Davison’s 71, Colin Baker’s 31, Sylvester McCoy’s 42, and Paul McGann’s sole appearance in a 1996 TV movie. In a highly controversial decision, the video also includes footage from two 1960s spin-off films starring Peter Cushing, which aren’t generally considered canonical.
While it’s hard to discern much detail from this overwhelming kaleidoscope of television, the video is an impressive visual salute to Doctor Who’s long lasting legacy. Plus it’s pretty cool to see the show’s various musical intros played in concert. [via Daily Dot]