A set of stamps issued today to commemorate Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary have broken sales records at Royal Mail, attracting more pre-orders than any other stamp set produced by the company.


The first class stamps, which are now available to buy online and in 9,000 Post Office branches, feature images of every actor to star in Doctor Who since it was first broadcast in 1963.

There’s also a mixed sheet of stamps featuring the TARDIS and four of the BBC sci-fi drama’s most iconic villains: a Dalek, a Cyberman, a Weeping Angel and an Ood.

“We’ve had a fantastic response from the public who seemingly can’t wait for the stamps,” said Royal Mail’s managing director of stamps and collectibles Andrew Hammond.

“This is a fitting tribute to this remarkable 50th anniversary and we hope our stamps will enable people across the UK to feel part of the celebrations of such a national treasure.”

The collection was launched last night at an event in London attended by Peter Davison, Tom Baker, Paul McGann and Matt Smith, who are among the actors whose faces adorn the stamps. Here are a few pics from the launch:

In addition to the stamps, Royal Mail is also creating unique postmarks in each of the Doctor’s hometowns, meaning that post mailed in Northampton, for example – where Matt Smith is from – will feature a postmark with the actor’s name and the length of time he’s played the role.

“With the second part to the latest Doctor Who series out on Saturday, these stamps are the perfect way to mark this as well as the 50th anniversary,” said BBC Worldwide’s product development director Fiona Eastwood.

See the complete collection of stamps in the gallery below:


498