'Doctor Who' Google Doodle Celebrates The Eleven Doctors Ahead Of 'Day Of The Doctor' Special

The "Doctor Who" 50th anniversary events culminate with the airing of "The Day of the Doctor" on saturday, simulcast around the world and in select theaters. Google is celebrating the sci-fi show's storied history with a Google Doodle featuring all 11 Doctors.

The "Doctor Who" Google Doodle features retro, 8-bit style Doctors, from William Hartnell's First Doctor to Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor. Clicking on the yellow "Play" button, or on one of the Doctors, will lead to a Dalek destroying the Google logo. Fans can then select their favorite Doctor and play a platform-based game that has the user dodging Daleks or running into them. It comes complete with a signature exclamation of "Exterminate!," in order to collect letters that spell out Google.

This is not the first time Google has paid tribute to "Doctor Who," as Google Maps featured an interactive Easter Egg that let fans inside the console room of the TARDIS. The Google Doodle is timed for the airing of the 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor," on Saturday. The date is special to Whovians as it was the day the show's first episode aired on BBC television. "An Unearthly Child" aired on Nov. 23, 1963, and starred Hartnell as the First Doctor and Susan Foreman as the first Companion, Carole Ann Ford.

While the legacy of "Doctor Who" seems assured now, for a long time its future was in doubt. In fact, some of its history is still lost as the BBC destroyed or erased tapes featuring classic episodes. Just recently, BBC announced the recovery of missing episodes in Ethiopia. The remastered episodes, "The Enemy of the World" and "The Web of Fear," star Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor alongside his Jamie and Victoria, his two Companions played by Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling, respectively. A film, "An Adventure in Time and Space," was also commissioned as part of the 50th anniversary events. It takes a look back at the history of "Doctor Who" and the production of the show in the 1960s.

"The Day of the Doctor" will be simulcast around the world. Fans can visit here to learn more about the simulcast theaters as well as a listing of theaters that will air the special on Monday. The special stars Smith and features the return of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor as well as John Hurt as the War Doctor.