A Tribute to the World's Greatest Science Fiction
TV Series
Although there are plenty of sites online
concerning the good Doctor...I thought I'd throw in a
short primer on the best TV science fiction show EVER
(and yes...that includes the Treks)...Doctor
Who!
Doctor Who was the longest
continuously running science fiction program in
television history. It's run began on the BBC in
1963 and ended in 1996, to be revived in 2005 and is still running (now to be seen on the SciFi Channel cable network in America). Originally intended as a
science program for early-teens, the show morphed
into straight science fiction - complete with various alien
monsters!
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
DOCTOR WHO
First of all, the program's
title is a joke...the main character is known simply
as The Doctor
(if you asked the question, you got the
joke).
The background story: There
exists an
alien race on the planet Gallifrey called
Time Lords.
They go about the universe, and forward and backward
in time, in devices known as TARDIS's (TIME
AND
RELATIVE DIMENSION IN SPACE)...which can be huge on
the inside, but just large enough to allow an entry
on the outside. The Time Lords use these TARDIS's to
do research on planets and on periods in time...but
just to observe. Humanoid in appearance, their
giveaways are their pair of hearts...and the ability
to regenerate their bodies (with different
personalities) 13 times when they die or are
killed.
One rogue Time Lord, named the Doctor,
finds all of this observing very dull indeed and
decides to break out. He steals a defective TARDIS
(stuck in the form of an old British Police Call
Box...similar to our old telephone booths)...and,
with the help of various human and non-human
companions...starts out on a 33 year
adventure...
The Doctors
 The very first Doctor
(played by William Hartnell) was a crotchety
old man with a little girl/Time Lord companion who
referred to him as "grandfather". This actor
introduced us to the adventures of the Doctor from
1963-66 and inspired two Hammer films of Doctor Who
that starred Peter
Cushing. |
 As the world moved
into
the "mod" world of the Beatles and the new rock of
the 60s, the second Doctor transformed into a dizzy,
Beatle
haircut wearing incarnation, portrayed by Patrick
Troughton (1966-69). |
 The
third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) would be an
incarnation closer to James Bond than any of the Fab
Four. Fast cars, dressed as a dandy and helping (or
being helped) by a special British army UNIT complete
with flashy gadgets, this Doctor ran from
1969-74. |
 The first to truly
introduce Doctor Who to America, Tom Baker's
fourth Doctor was a flighty, child-like and witty
character.
Fast with a quip or a jelly baby, this Doctor
appeared from 1974-81. |
 As
the yuppie Eighties began, it also saw a preppie
fifth Doctor as played by Peter Davison.
Sporting a
stalk of celery in his lapel and a bit more reserved,
this Doctor graced the set from
1981-84. |
 Regeneration occurs
again...this time, the sixth Doctor sees another
Baker take
the role (Colin Baker, no relation) but this
time he's cynical and sarcastic with a bit of an edge
to him. The only actor to be fired from the series,
this run lasted from
1984-86. |
 The
seventh and final Doctor (so far...barring the
movie), was a more
cheerful and optimistic fellow...I think (I've hardly
seen any of these episodes). Portrayed by
Sylvester McCoy, this Doctor traversed the
universe and time from
1987-96. |
 In
1996, an attempt was made to revive the Doctor Who
series. A joint effort of Fox and the BBC produced a
made-for-TV movie featured Paul McGann as a
more human Doctor...this time in battle with The
Master (Eric Roberts) for control of the Earth.
Unfortunately, a script that barely described the
Doctor to American audiences and poor ratings failed
to bring the Doctor back. Rumors of a theatrical
Doctor Who film and attempts to revive the series
continue. |
SUCCESS! 2005 - THE RETURN OF THE DOCTOR!
 After years of fan lobbying the BBC to either make a film or bring the series back, the Doctor returns in the form of Chris Eccleston and a new format for the episodes. The new Who is a bit bitter, a bit sarcastic, and is revealed to be the last Timelord..or is he? An instant hit on it's return, the series also went to complete hour shows instead of the several cliffhanger shows that marked the program for years. Eccleston played the Doctor for the first season of the new Who, then left the program. |
 David Tennant regenerated into the role of the time and space roving Doctor, bringing a bit more warmth and emotion to the role...as well as some underlying anger issues. My personal favorite Doctor to date, he has played the renegade Gallifreyan for two seasons now, with more to come. |
MONSTERS AND ALIENS
The Doctor has battled
everything from vampire aliens to monster robots in
his 33 years. By far, the most popular foes have
been the Daleks, with the Cybermen a
close second.
Daleks, those salt-and-pepper shakers with bad
attitudes that roll about screaming "Exterminate!",
have been featured in every Doctor regeneration...as
well as the Hammer films. The Cybermen almost
as
often have faced off against the Doctor...they're
aversion to gold saving our hero every time.
**************************
DUE TO THE SUCCESS OF THE RETURNING DOCTOR WHO SERIES
WE HAVE SOMETHING NEW...
DOCTOR WHO SPIN-OFF PROGRAMS
Introduced in the second season of Doctor Who, Torchwood is an ultra-secret agency created by Queen Victoria dedicated to collecting alien technology that ends up on Earth for the protection of Great Britain from all enemies, terrestial or alien. Headed by the enigmatic, omni-sexual, and seeming unkillable Captain Jack Harkness the program follows the adventures of the Wales branch of Torchwood, after a policewoman discovers them and is recruited to join them. |
More of a kid's show, this series brings back one the Doctor's fan favorite companions, as she faces dangers and adventures from across time and the universe! |
Thanks for taking the time to allow me to
introduce you to the good Doctor. This is meant
merely as a bare-bones introduction...there are a
great many sites on the web with even more
information on Doctor Who: as well as who's playing the series, the videos, the books,
the fan clubs, etc. etc. I hope you will give Doctor
Who a try one day...but with this word of caution: Even with the cheezy special effects of the old series and the much better effects of the new seasons as well as the British references...
YOU WILL BE HOOKED!!Special thanks to the Doctor Who Image Archive
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