At 813 episodes and counting, it effortlessly beats any other sci-fi, fantasy or horror series. But the best part is that it's still around, fresher than ever. How many of you have parents that were born before 1963? Not too many, eh? Just let that sink in for a minute. Are you done? Good. Now, the element that makes it stand out even more is that, unlike other long running sci-fi series (like Start Trek, for example, which is about 727 episodes long, depending on how you calculate), Doctor Who is still Doctor Who. Except for two spin offs after its 2005 revival (which don't even count), the title has always stayed the same. There's no Doctor Who: The Next Regeneration or Doctor Who: E-Space Nine, as cool as those puns may sound. While production crews, writers, directors and actors change all the time, the fictional titular character has always been the same. Regeneration was a concept that only the late 60S could have spawned. It was both a stroke of genius and luck because, guess what? It worked. No other show would even attempt doing such a stunt (what an obvious Doctor Who rip off that would be!), but just because the BBC creative staff of that time came up with a gimmick that now allows the show to go on forever, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's an easy job for the writers to maintain its success, and certainly not for the "next" actor who is enlisted in the coveted role as the Universe's chief defender.