In the summer of 1986 I was living is Scottsbluff, Nebraska. I hated it there. My mom, who was and still is a medical transcriber, worked the graveyard shift at the VA hospital. My brother and I had to sty quiet so she could sleep. The town was small and we lived across from a corn field. Crickets would get into our home and hide under the refrigerator. The only was to drown out the chirping was to blast the insects with a hairdryer. The big news in town that summer was Scottsbluff was getting a Walmart!
Sunday mornings my dad would go to work, my brother would be out doing his thing, and mom would be asleep, meaning I had the television all to myself. It was a sleepy Sunday morning, flipping through the cancels when I landed on PBS. They were running one of their regular telethons and they were talking about a British show called Doctor Who that they showed in syndication. My curiosity peaked, I steeled in to see what the show was all about.
I was fascinated by this character, the Doctor, who would travel in space and time with ordinary people helping others along the way. His ship was a Police Box, hiding in plain sight. I had no idea that the show had been on since 1963, or the rich history I was about to discover. The episode was finally ready to start and I couldn’t wait.
The episode was called simply, Robot. In the opening scene of the episode the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, “regenerated” into the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker. Baker’s Doctor was a bit of a madman, going through several costume changes before deciding on his iconic coat, hat, and 22 foot long scarf. I was also introduced to Sarah Jane Smith played by Elizabeth Sladen (who I instantly had a crush on) and Harry Sullivan, played by Ian Marter. The Doctor and his companions along with the members of the British military call U.N.I.T. battled a robot who grew to giant proportions. I was hooked!
I have been a fan of the show ever since. Through the wonderful world of the internet I have been able to go back and watch every episode from the 1963 premiere of An Unearthly Child to the regeneration of Peter Capaldi into Joie Whittaker. To say that I am a fan is to put it mildly. Sadly, many of the early episodes with the William Hartnell and Patrick Troughten have been lost. There is a movement to bring back these episodes as animation, using the original audio recordings. I would love to see the completed episodes. Most of the early episodes that I have seen just show random pictures as the audio plays.
I was late to the party when Doctor Who was resurrected, I started watching again regularly with the 50th anniversary episode. In my opinion Peter Capaldi was the best of the new generations of the Doctor thus far. Probably because he reminded me so much of Tom Baker. You never forget your first Doctor.
I am excited to see what Jodie Whittaker does with the role. I have no problem with the Doctor being female. I think it is a great move, and one they have been preparing the world for since the introduction of Michelle Gomez as Missy. I have to say I hated the name “Missy.” She was a regeneration of the Master, one of the Doctor’s oldest and dangerous foes. Calling her “Mistress” would have been much more sinister, but that is just my take.
There are those out there who are absolutely against Jodie Whittaker talking on the role. I believe that we should al give her the chance we gave all the other new Doctors that have graced the screen. It will be a fascinating new perspective of the character. Some people are afraid of another try at a love story. I personally don’t see the Doctor as a sexual being. As for Jodie Whittaker, from what I have seen she is an excellent actress. She deserves her chance to shine! I for one will be tuning waiting somewhat impatiently for the Series 13 season premiere in October.
Shoemaker's Hall 