The BBC released this press release on September 28, 2006 and included this picture of David holding that certificate:
"Doctor Who has been named TV's longest-running sci-fi show, after 43 years and 723 episodes, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
"This achievement is all thanks to the remarkable production team who first created Doctor Who," said Russell T Davies, who penned the TV revival.
He also thanked the audience "who have kept it alive for all these years".
The series began on 23 November, 1963, and was revived in 2005 after 16 years off the screen.
William Hartnell played the original Doctor Who, with Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Peter Davison among those following in his footsteps. Christopher Eccleston took up the mantle of the ninth Timelord last year - following the show's relaunch. He was replaced after just one series by David Tennant after Eccleston dropped out.
Guinness World Records editor, Craig Glenday, added: "This is a proud day for Doctor fans everywhere."
US series Stargate SG-1, now in its 10th series, holds the world record for "longest-running science fiction show (consecutive)".
It launched in 1997 and has run for 203 episodes without a break. Hit US series The X Files previously held the record, notching up 202 episodes." This record appeared in the 2007 edition of the book.
This article appeared in The Western Mail (Cardiff):
t is a battle that has raged across time and space, waged between sci-fi fans eager to prove that their favourite show had the most longevity. The fans, known affectionately as anoraks, have been quarrelling over whether Doctor Who or Stargate SG-1 deserved the title of longest running science fiction series.
In theory, Stargate SG-1 is the longest running consecutive show, having been on air since 1994.
Doctor Who has been going for more than four decades but has been on and off the air over the years until its current incarnation as a BBC Wales production written by Russell T Davies.
The subject was a topic for heated debate at sci-fi conventions the length and breadth of the nation.
It was a clash that made the battle against the Daleks pale into insignificance, but in the end it was solved by an all-powerful source of knowledge - Guinness World Records .
And while Stargate SG-1 remains the Longest Running Science Fiction Show (Consecutive), Doctor Who has entered the prestigious annual book with a new record.
After 10 doctors, 732 episodes and 44 years on air, the BBC show has been officially honoured with an all-new record for Longest Running Science Fiction TV Series.
For any confused sci-fi fans still embroiled in the debate, Craig Glenday, editor of Guinness World Records , said, 'Doctor Who is without question the longest running science fiction show in terms of years.
'Stargate SG-1 has run without a break since it first hit our screen in 1997 however, so it is the longest show with consecutive back-to-back episodes.'
The 10th and latest incarnation of the Doctor, David Tennant , wasn't even born when the first episode of the show went on air, but he's always been a fan.
He said, 'I've been a Doctor Who fan for a very long time. My gran knitted me a cricket jumper when Peter Davison was the Doctor. She'd already knitted me a Tom Baker scarf when I was nine.
'In fact, Tom Baker was responsible for my becoming an actor. I took one look at his Doctor Who and decided it was the job for me. I was convinced that when I was old enough I was going to play the part of the Doctor on TV.'
Russell T Davies, writer and executive producer of the current series, said, 'This achievement is all thanks to the remarkable production team who first created Doctor Who is 1963, and the audience, who have kept it alive for all these years.' - September 29, 2006 - RIN SIMPSON
Doctor Who also hold the record for the most books writtenn about a single character. This appeared in an article about the Oxford literary festival:
"The first Doctor Who novels came out in the 1960s. There were just a couple at first, although if the Doctor was the time traveller he'd have us all believe, he could surely have predicted their great success. Now there are more than 250 original stories and 150 books based on the TV scripts. According to Guinness World Records , this is the largest number of books about a single character." - The Sunday Times - March 16, 2008 - Roland White
This record first appeared in the book in 2001.
At the 2009 Comic Con Guinness presented Russell T Davies with the certificate for the show having become the most successful Sci-Fi Television Show. The award was bestowed based on the show’s run (1963-1989, 2005-current) and international sales data.
This is a clip of Russell accepting (the first 2 minutes 40 seconds in this clip:
Most recently www.davidtennantontwitter.com reported that David will appear in the 2013 edition of the book as the most prolific Doctor (with 340 appearances including audiobooks, TV shows, novels and DVDs). The photo is the one from 2006 holding that certificate.