The task was to distill hundreds of thousands of hours of TV and 50 years of time travelling adventures into a compelling set of miniature images, that perfectly encapsulate the tone and content of this epic national treasure.

The stamp issue is termed an acquisition issue by Royal Mail, and kicks off the programme at the start of the year with its aim to appeal across generations in order to increase the stamp collector market in the UK.

The eleven stamps feature every actor to play the Time Lord in the 50 year history of Doctor Who. Carefully composed images distill each moving Doctor Who title sequence and its elaborate visual language into a single, iconic frame.

An innovative die-cut Mini-Sheet features four of the Doctor's most iconic foes reaching for a centre piece First Class stamp of the time travelling TARDIS itself.

The language is carried across all collectible products; First Day Covers, Presentation Pack, Prestige Stamp Book, Generic Sheet, Postcards and Handstamps all detail the constant evolution of the show with previously unpublished memories from those involved.

An initial press release from Royal Mail on Christmas Day 2012 triggered international coverage online, on television and within UK national press, including BBC and Sky News.

The first week of release saw 18,000 users register interest in the stamps and 13,000 'likes' and 'retweets' in social media. Pre-orders are the highest ever and forecast sales are estimated to top £4m, almost four times the average revenue achieved from a Special Stamp Issue in the UK.