So the genesis of me watching Doctor Who goes back to about 1986. A classmate was talking about this British show about a guy who’s an alien, and travels in time and space in a blue phone box. He doesn’t have complete control over where he wants to go.
This concept intrigued me and I thought I would try and catch an episode. The first episode I watched was *the* first episode, An Unearthly Child. I caught it at the beginning of the story. I remember Susan reading the book on the French Revolution that Barbara lent her, and saying “That’s not right!”. My imagination flipped on with that simple comment. and I watched to see what happened. Her grandfather lived in a “Police Box” in a junkyard (what?!?), but when the teachers went to find out more about her situation, and barge into the “Police Box” where it’s all white and very clean, and… bigger on the inside? What?!?
The time travel aspect is what I came for, but I ended up staying for everything else. 😀
Most of the time the episodes would be on late Saturday nights on the local PBS station where I would sneak out of my room into the family room and watch. After several minutes of having the volume on just loud enough so as to not wake up anyone, one of my parents would come into the room:
“Kim, do know what time it is?”
“But I want to watch Doctor Who!”
“I don’t care, it’s late. Go to your room!”
“But this is the only time it’s on!”
“NOW!”
And I would. I am sure there were times when they knew I was watching it and didn’t bother to tell me to go to bed. It made it easier on the few days when it would be on during the day. Ah!
The only merchandise I could find was VHS tapes in the video store. And this was when I was driving. My two favorite ones (the *only* ones) were Suncoast Video and Media Play (I loooooovvvveeeddd Media Play! A video, book, CDs, and electronics store in one!). For many years, these tapes would be the only merchandise I had (shirts? mugs? blankets? AS IF!!). And I still have them! And what a shock it was when I found out that the stories were not 1 1/2-2 hours but 25 minute chunks.
What stunk about being an American fan was that I was one of very few American fans. I don’t know what ever happened to that kid who talked to me about the show (*sniff*) but from the 80s until I got on the internet in 1995, I was the only fan I knew (most of the fandoms I was in back then, and still a part of, I was the only one). Which was lonely in one way..,
But helpful in another in that I formed my own opinions about characters and stories without being bombarded by popular opinion. Much to my surprise I found out when I did get onto the internet that most fans didn’t like Adric, hated the 6th Doctor, and blamed the 7th Doctor for the show’s cancellation.
Even though it’s been back for 13 (13? Hmm… that number rings a bell or two!) years and has been a big success, I’m still not used to it. It’s weird to have a shirt (what?) and wear it and almost be guaranteed to get at least one reaction from it when I go out. That’s just… weird. And exciting. And something I do not take for granted.
Another tie: Tenth Planet and Tomb of the Cybermen. Early versions of the silver nemesis (haha, pun). While the 1980s version of the Cybermen was what I was most familiar with in my early fan days, there is something about the first few Cybermen stories, especially the Mondsian Cybermen with their bare hands, that is really appealing. Maybe the early sci fi tv look, along with the excellent out-of-this-world music. At first I thought both versions looked really bad and sounded so weird. Both over time I grew to like them.
Tenth Planet is a true classic, not only do we get the first Cybermen story, we also have the first regeneration. While sadly there are parts missing, there is enough that survived that the recons (reconstructions) are very good (I am more of a fan of the telesnaps than the animation, to be honest.)
And below is what survives of the 1st regeneration:
A cool thing about this story is that it takes place in 1986, which is the year that I became a Whovian :).
Tomb of the Cybermen is another great one, this time with the 2nd Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria (not to be confused with Vicki)
And below, the sweet little chat the Doctor and Victoria have. This made the rounds last year when Deborah Watling, who played Victoria, passed away.
This story also introduces us to the nasty little pests known as the Cybermats.
Audio Adventures
For the audio adventures, I had already mentioned how Real Time scared me silly, so much so I can’t listen to that again because it creeped me out.
One story I have not heard yet, but I have heard many, MANY good things about is Spare Parts. One day (yes, one day) I’ll buy it. And be creeped out yet again!
Next on Doctor Who 30 Day Challenge – Favorite Friendship
A lot of people don’t like 6 or 7. Some people don’t even like 4. But for me, I love them all. As in the Day 1 challenge, I have two top favorites. Solid second place goes to 7 and 11 (and yes I know that traditionally this would be “third” place in “normal” ranking, but I never agreed to that way of doing it, and this is my list, so 😛 ). And all the other guys bob between 2nd and 3rd place, depending on which one I had just watched or listened to.
But, really, I don’t dislike any of them.
The closest thing to a least favorite Doctor would be the way the Patrick Troughton was portrayed in An Adventure in Space and Time. I was totally into the film, and I still love the thing to pieces. (Detail! So much detail! And all the cameos!) But seeing the person portraying Patrick Troughton portraying the Second Doctor was just off and pulled me out of the moment. For someone dressing up as him for a convention, that’s fine. But it really broke the “realism” that was given to everything else in the film.
Actually, now that I think about it, I wasn’t too keen on how the First Doctor was written in Twice Upon a Time, which soured me on the episode. Well, so did Testimony (not totally convinced that they were good guys, but that’s another blog post).
I loved David Bradley in An Adventure in Space and Time, and what was wrong with him in this wasn’t his fault. And I love Moffat, he just disappointed me with his version of the 1st Doctor. The housekeeping line (I don’t remember 1 saying things like that), or the smack-bottom (yes Hartnell’s Doctor did say that line, but it was to his grand-daughter Susan, not to someone who he just met. Different kind of relationship), While watching the 1st Doctors stories on Twitch Doctor Who marathon, people in the chat commented saying that he didn’t seem misogynistic. So that was good to see.
Tip to anyone who writes for a certain Doctor: watch some stories of that same Doctor beforehand and/or during.you writing your story!
But, when it comes to the original Doctors, nope, no problem with any of them :).
Next in the Doctor Who 30 Day Challenge – OTP (One True Pairing)
doesn’t have complete control over where he wants to go.
wasn’t his fault. And