Today In #DoctorWho History: June 17th

Come and 'av a go if you think you're hard enough!

Welcome to our daily round-up of the Doctor Who episodes which received their premiere broadcast on this day throughout the show's long history, along with anything else of note that may have taken place. You can click on any red text to read our full retrospectives/reviews for that episode, and note that all viewing figures listed are for UK broadcasts (unless otherwise stated).

June 17th
Episode 5 of The Evil of the Daleks was broadcast on this day in 1967. It's missing from the BBC archives now so only the lucky 5.1 million viewers tuned in got to see it in all its glory. Then we have another episode 5, this time its from the Third Doctor adventure The Time Monster. The 1972 story drew an audience of 6 million on its debut broadcast.

Also on this day, it's one of the best Doctor Who stories since the show's revival (a-hem), consistently topping fan polls as the favourite new-Who adventure (A-Hem), and featuring the most popular monster the series has ever created - the Abzorbaloff (A-HEM!!!), yes ladies and gentlemen it's Love and Monsters. Broadcast on this day in 2006 at 7:00pm, and watched by a slightly disturbing 6.66 million viewers.

Let that wash over you <shudder>6.66 million!</shudder>

Last up today for televisual adventures is the Twelfth Doctor adventure The Eaters of Light which premiered on BBC One in 2017 at 6:45pm and was watched by 4.73 million viewers.

And we have two birthday's of note today, one of which happens to be the Thirteenth Doctor herself...

Jodie Whittaker was born this day in 1982, and she shares her birthday with Arthur Darvill, aka Rory Williams, who was also born the same year. That's a picture of the two of them co-starring in Broadchurch, by the way.

Before becomming the Doctor, Jodie Whittaker came to prominence in her 2006 feature film debut Venus, for which she received British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations. She later appeared in the cult science fiction film Attack the Block, the Black Mirror episode The Entire History of You, and as grieving mother Beth Latimer in the aformentioned Broadchurch.

Arthur Darvill is of course best known for playing Rory Williams, companion of the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond's other-half, as well as Rip Hunter in Legends of Tomorrow and Rev. Paul Coates in Broadchurch.

Happy Birthday to you both.

Join us again tomorrow for another round-up of the episodes broadcast, the spin-offs aired, the special events, the birthday's celebrated and anything else of note that went down on this day in Doctor Who history.