'Doctor Who' 50th anniversary postage stamps on the way

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LONDON, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- England's Royal Mail and BBC Worldwide say they have created a series of postage stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of TV's "Doctor Who."

A series of stamps will depict the 11 actors who have played the role since the longest-running science-fiction series in the world premiered Nov. 23, 1963.

The stamps can be pre-ordered at www.royalmail.com/doctorwho and will be available online and in post offices starting March 26, when a five-stamp miniature sheet will go on sale that includes the Doctor's space and time-traveling TARDIS machine, as well as some of the hero's most famous foes -- a Dalek, a Cyberman, an Ood and a Weeping Angel.

"The stamp design will see the face of each Doctor appearing out of the iconic swirling screen idents, made famous by the opening credits of the TV show," a news release said. "The first two stamps are in black and white, as the first two incarnations of the Doctor were broadcast in monochrome. Featuring on the stamps are the present Doctor, Matt Smith, as well as David Tennant, Christopher Eccleston, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker, Peter Davison, Tom Baker, Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton and the First Doctor, William Hartnell."

"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," Andrew Hammond, managing director of stamps and collectibles at Royal Mail, said in a statement Wednesday.