Stamp of approval for Doctor's 50th: Royal Mail marks anniversary year with First Class celebration

PUBLISHED: 00:11, 26 December 2012 | UPDATED: 09:33, 26 December 2012

The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who will be marked by a special set of stamps next year.

The Royal Mail said 11 stamps will be issued on March 26, featuring each of the actors who have played the role of the Time Lord, ranging from the first Doctor, William Hartnell, to the current one, Matt Smith.

David Tennant, Christopher Eccleston, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker, Peter Davison, Tom Baker, Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton will also be featured on the stamps, which will all be First Class.

Christmas special: The Doctor Who stamp, showing the eleventh Doctor Matt Smith

A five-stamp miniature sheet will also be available, showing the Doctor's time-travelling machine, the Tardis, and some of his famous enemies such as a Dalek, a Cyberman, an Ood and a Weeping Angel.

Andrew Hammond, managing director of stamps and collectibles at Royal Mail, said: 'We are delighted to be able to celebrate this remarkable 50th anniversary. These stamps pay tribute to the brilliant actors that have played the Doctor over the years as well as the adversaries that helped make the show so popular.'

Fiona Eastwood, product development director at BBC Worldwide Consumer Products, said: 'The Doctor Who stamps are the perfect way to mark and celebrate the 50th anniversary of this much-loved programme. The collection is re! ally impr! essive, and I am sure they will delight all Doctor Who fans.'

The first Doctor Who episode was broadcast in November 1963 and the programme now attracts audiences of up to 16 million.

The 50th anniversary of TV favourite Doctor Who will be marked by a special set of stamps next year

The fourth Doctor Tom Baker was also featured on the 50th anniversary stamps

The seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy

The ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston

The series has been sold to over 200 countries. Matt Smith is the youngest actor to play the role, Tom Baker is the oldest living Doctor and Jon Pertwee was the first to be filmed in colour.

The setoff stamps are among Royal Mail's 2013 stamp programme which will also include 11 other commemorative stamp issues, at least five of them marking significant anniversaries.

These include set! s celebra! ting the 150th anniversary of the London Underground, the 125th anniversary of the Football League and the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice.

A Great Britons issue will honour Benjamin Britten, David Lloyd George, Vivien Leigh and Peter Cushing and sets will also be dedicated to the Merchant Navy A Great Britons issue will honour Benjamin Britten, David Lloyd George, Vivien Leigh and Peter Cushing and sets will also be dedicated to the Merchant Navy and British Butterflies.

Royal Mail's five-stamp miniature sheet showing the Doctor's time-travelling machine, the Tardis, and some of his famous foes such as a Dalek, a Cyberman, an Ood and a Weeping Angel