Happy Anniversary to Doctor Who!
Posted By Kathleen David on November 23, 2010
47 years ago we first saw a show that changed the lives of many. Not that anyone knew it at the time. It was slated to be an educational show taking some teachers through time and space to show different historical dramas. Well that got thrown out the window in the fifth episode when they went to a distant planet and met the Daleks.
Thus began the saga of Doctor Who which became bigger than anyone probably thought it was going to be. Many actors proudly tell their fellow thespians that they were on or are going to be on Doctor Who. It is a badge of honor among them. Entire careers have been launched from the writers’ room. There were conventions dedicated to the show even when it was on “hiatus”.
Personally I have made many friends over the years because of my love for Doctor Who. I have been part of the fandom since the late 1970s. I have enjoyed watching episodes with friends that are still friends. I belonged to the Terminus TARDIS and the PMEB.
I have made puppets based on the characters and given puppets of themselves to the actors of the characters. I get two reactions on that one. It depends on how they view puppets. A couple of years ago I met Peter Davison at DragonCon. I introduced myself as the maker of the puppet that a friend had passed for me. He told me that he loved it and was proud to own it. Then he said something that I will always remember. He said, “Tell me that you are still making puppets.” I assured him that I was and he said, “Good. Talent like yours should not go to waste.”
I remember when I saw the reboot. It was thanks to a buddy of ours who had a copy on his hard drive. I was amazed and wanted to see more. The Doctor was back and it was magnificent. Since then I have met more fans and gotten to write a Doctor Who short story that saw publication in a Big Finish Anthology. So I am now a published Dr. Who writer among my many other accomplishments.
So Happy Anniversary to Doctor Who! Long may you air!
I think I am going to watch Unearthly Child now.
I am grateful that Doctor Who became what it has.
Me too. My sister and I shared a brownstone in Chicago, and would not go out on Who Night. We’d sometimes point celery stalks at each other and shriek, “Exterminate! Exterminate!” like idiots. Silly, blissful fun and escapism. Plus, Wow, the HAIR on that Doctor, and the snark. Just the right degree of snark and cool, but not an ounce of mean (except to Davros, and Cybermen, et al). My fiancee of 28 years ago took me to ChiCon on our first date and we each bought a souvenir. His was a Spock thing, mine was a little sandbag lizard with scarf & fedora like Tom Baker. Love. Just pure, geek love love love goes out to Doctor Who. All the regenerations, every writer, every stage prop and subplot are magnificent. When an episode is corny, I love and when it is interesting and quirky, love it, and of course when the 21st Century demands a hint of eros: love.
Long Live the Doctor.