Time to Celebrate Doctor Who
I grew up a science fiction geek. In the late 1970s, it seemed like science fiction was everywhere. Star Wars had opened a portal to the mainstream, and everyone was talking about lasers and space ships. On my television, I discovered a British show called Doctor Who about a brilliant time traveler from another world who adventured throughout the universe with human companions.
This year, Doctor Who is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The year-long celebration culminates with the airing of the 50th anniversary episode “The Day of the Doctor” on November 23rd.
Though I haven’t watched the series from the very beginning (it first aired several years before I was born), I’m proud to say that it has been an important part of my life.
I couldn’t have been more than 10 or 11 when I saw my first episode of Doctor Who. It was the late ’70s, and science fiction was everywhere. In addition to re-runs of Star Trek, television was awash in new science fiction shows like Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica. I watched it all. Science fiction was my world.
On weekends, I often stayed up late watching an old black-and-white television in my bedroom. I think the screen was smaller than the ones on most laptop computers. On Friday night, the PBS station in Kansas City showed reruns of the BBC series Doctor Who, a different kind of science fiction show that seemed more like a weekly detective mystery with monsters.
I couldn’t quite understand all of it. The way they spoke often made it difficult to make out what they were saying (that, and the fact that I had the volume turned low so mom and dad wouldn’t hear). But I watched the show religiously, starting somewhere during the Tom Baker years and quickly moving into the Peter Davidson ones.
For the record, Davidison — the 5th Doctor — was my Doctor. He had a gentle manner that contrasted the manic demeanor of Baker’s 4th Doctor. He always seemed to be in control of a situation, even when he wasn’t. He genuinely cared about his companions: Tegan, a flight attendant from England; Nyssa, an aristocrat from the planet Traken; and the immature, but brilliant Adric. And he wore celery on his lapel. It was odd, but — as we learned in Davidson’s final episode, “The Caves of Androzani” — the celery had a purpose.
My exposure to Doctor Who came at a pivotal point in my life. My love of science fiction was taking me places I had never been. I started attending science fiction film festivals and conventions. I met kids and adults who loved science fiction as much — even more — than I did. And along the way, I discovered new worlds to explore.
Somewhere along the line, I even heard about a Doctor Who fan group that met at the Kansas City library. And though that group wasn’t quite what I expected, I am glad I attended at least one of their meetings.
The revived Doctor Who series started in 2005, shortly before I married. When it aired for American audiences on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2006, my wife and I watched the first episode, “Rose,” together. And we’ve seen every episode since.
The new series gave us updated incarnations of The Doctor and the Master, new companions, and new monsters. I marveled at the special effects which put the old days to shame. This was the Doctor Who that I always wanted, the one that I imagined the show could be.
Thirty years ago, Doctor Who was never mainstream enough to imagine it having anything more than a cult following. The idea that we’d celebrate its 50th anniversary at all would have been a minor miracle.
Over the past eight years, the show has found a larger audience. Doctor Who is no longer a cult show. It’s a certifiable hit. And it deserves to be celebrated. Now more than ever.
A couple of years ago, as we watched the annual Doctor Who Christmas episode with our kids — something of a holiday tradition in our home — my wife said, “You must be in Nerdvana. Did you ever think you’d have a wife and kids who would want to watch a Doctor Who Christmas special with you?”
Truth be told, it wasn’t something I ever considered. My love of science fiction had always set me apart. It made me different. Even growing up, it wasn’t something I talked about because it wasn’t “cool.”
In my lifetime, I’ve seen myself as a fan of a dozen science fiction and fantasy universes. Yet, it is Doctor Who that means the most to me these days. It’s a reminder of the longevity of science fiction, and my love of the genre.
And Doctor Who is something I now share with my family, which makes it — in a word — timeless.
Well said, Kevin. It’s like we’re pod people, I mean, two peas in a pod just from different cities. Thanks for this!
Thanks, Jason. Its always nice to discover we have even more in common.