'Doctor Who' premiered in its first iteration on the BBC in Britain, and brought a little hope into the world.
Nov. 23, 1963: Doctor Who Materializes on BBC
Let's celebrate with the original theme:
If you don't know about it, let me begin by saying that it's the longest running science fiction television show in the world. I first saw 'Doctor Who' back during the Tom Baker days on PBS. I saw just a bit of Peter Davison (whom I'd had a crush on back when he played Tristan on 'All Creatures Great and Small'). The various British series run by PBS in those days ('Omega Factor' was another) really fanned my sense of Anglophilism, and books like Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising sequence did as well.
I've seen several with David Tennant (who I think makes a very good Doctor). I sort of missed the Christopher Eccleston ones. I'd really like to get the DVDs. It's a shame some of the early 'Doctor Who's were lost. It would be horribly expensive to have a complete set, but I'd love to have one nonetheless.
The 11th Doctor is about to start his run. I wonder what they'll do when he runs out of regenerations? I'd hate to see the series close. But even if it did, it really has already lasted through my entire life and beyond, an era of its own and made many firsts. The music in the video above, for example was the first time a series theme was made entirely via electronic means. There have been several spinoffs, the most well-known probably 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' and 'Torchwood' (an anagramme of 'Doctor Who'). Even the TARDIS (the 1950s-style police call box in which he and his companions travel, short for 'Time and Relative Dimension in Space') has even entered the English language and it is more recognisable as itself than the model upon which it was based.
If you haven't watched Doctor Who, catch it on TV or on the BBC's channel on YouTube. You'll really enjoy it if you have any soul whatsoever.
No comments:
Post a Comment