June 4th, 2005

FANTASTIC! :  THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF DOCTOR WHO

Confession time again friends.  I have something that I have to admit to you all. I am a Doctor Who fan.  It's not something that I used to exclaim out loud, nor did I exclaim it proudly.  Why is that?  Well, simply put, being a Doctor Who fan is often something even the geekiest of the geeks keep to themselves.  Why is that?  I'm not sure.  Perhaps it's the corny acting, the terrible special effects, or the overall weirdness of this cult classic.  Doctor Who fandom has pretty much been regarded as the retarded younger brother of the Star Trek fans that live underneath the floor boards of their parents basement.  Traditionally it's not a proud place to be.  However, I think this is all about to change.  I think soon you're going to not only see a resurgence in the popularity of Doctor Who but also an army of Doctor Who fans who have no problem admitting their devotion to the show, just as someone who loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the X-Files has no issues with their fandom.  Last night I watched the North American premier of the first new Doctor Who episode in thirteen years (if you don't count the god awful "American" Doctor Who TV movie produced by FOX ten years ago).  The results made me feel both excited and proud to be a Doctor Who fan.

Doctor Who is really something that goes back to my childhood.  When I was about nine years old I stumbled upon the adventures of the time traveling Time Lord from Gallifrey, his fantastic Tardis, and his gorgeous companions.  Of course back then the Doctor was played by Tom Baker - the actor most associated with the role.  Despite all the series faults it was a great show to grow up watching and, at that time in my life, I ate, breathed, and lived for Doctor Who.  Much to my parents dismay my sun and moon revolved around Thursday and Saturday nights when Doctor Who aired.  The kids at school thought I was weird.  The Sunday School teacher was angry because I was sneaking Doctor Who novelizations into her class.  I was quickly walking down the fine line of being considered a nerd.  However, somewhere along that line I slowly lost interest in the show.  Perhaps I was just growing up or perhaps it was just that the stories weren't as good (it was, of course, the Colin Baker years by this point).  By the time the series wrapped up in 1989 I wasn't watching Doctor Who all that much; but your childhood heroes never truly leave you.  I still got a pang of nostalgia if I saw a long scarf, a Dalek, or heard that eerie theme music.

Doctor Who is a British television institution.  Premiering in 1963, Doctor Who was on the air for an astonishing 26 years making it the longest running science fiction series in the history of television.  Eight actors played the Doctor over the years (nine if you include Peter Cushing in the two Dalek feature films from the 1960's - kind of an "elsewhere" Dr. Who), and dozens of companions slipped in and out of the Tardis.  For most North American audiences the rotating cast always seemed a bit confusing but in England Doctor Who has become an important part of their culture with fans being able to tell each others ages depending on "who their Doctor" was.  Despite years of campaigning to get Doctor Who back on the air it looked like this show was a thing of the past.  The disastrous failed pilot for an American Doctor Who series clinched that idea.  However, the world of fandom was shocked last year when the BBC announced their plans to create a new Doctor Who series.  It just seemed too good to be true.  When I first heard that a new Doctor Who series was coming I thought, "gee, that's great but I'm not going to try to break my neck looking for copies of the show."  However, imagine my excitement when I found out that the CBC was going to be airing the new episodes on prime time three weeks after they aired on the BBC!  I mean, the American's don't even have this series yet!  Canada is the only North American country to be airing the new Doctor Who.  That tweaked my interest.  It tweaked it a lot.

This time around the Doctor is being played by actor Christopher Eccleston who has appeared in such films as "Elizabeth", "The Others", and "28 Days Later".  His beautiful companion is British pop singer Billie Piper.  I felt an odd excitement last night knowing it was on.  Settling down in the big comfy chair in the lunch room at work I felt goose bumps as the familiar, eerie Doctor Who theme music played and the familiar vortex graphics of the Tardis flying through space appeared.  Damn right!  The Doctor was back.....but was it going to be good this time?

Christopher Eccleston is a fantastic actor.  He managed to bring out the quirky side of the Doctor and showed some incredible comic timing.  However, he also managed to portray the Doctor's dark side and the hint of danger and mystery that the character needs to have.  Yet, as much as I like Eccleston, it will take a while for the new Doctor to grow on me.  Partially I think the problem was that you never see the Doctor regenerate from Paul McGann (the last actor to portray the character - and kinda the George Lazanby of the Doctor Who set) to Christopher Eccleston.  This is the first time a regeneration scene has never been done.  A regeneration scene obviously is important so the audience accepts the new actor just a bit more.  The other problem I had was that the Doctor's new costume just wasn't eccentric enough for my liking but, in the end, that is just a small quip.

Billie Piper, on the other hand, was extraordinary as Rose Tyler.  The companion was always meant to be the character the audience was to relate to the most and Billie Piper managed to make that happen.  Charismatic, likeable, and not to mention drop dead gorgeous (eat your heart out Janet Fielding) - Rose Tyler is a normal girl in an extraordinary situation who, while the rest of the people in her world are willing to sit around and let things happen, is not afraid to stand up and get her hands dirty in the cosmic war taking place around her.

The story of the premier episode was alright.  The Doctor battles an updated version of the Autons that Jon Pertwee fought in the early 1970's.  However, what was gone were the small sets, the campy look, the bad acting, dismal special effects, and the cheap look of the series.  I mean, it had its moments.  The man-eating recycling bin was a bit much but I found it humorous enough.  The special effects aren't exactly "Industrial Light and Magic" quality but, compared to the original Doctor Who series, it's light years better.  However, the real surprise when I was watching it at work was the fact that my co-workers eating their dinner in the lunch room were watching it intently as well.  Most of the people that were getting sucked into the show had never seen Doctor Who before in their lives.  There were people of both sexes and all ages laughing at the funny bits and getting involved in the action scenes.  Not once was the negative remark of, "what the hell is this?"  In fact, being on satellite television, Doctor Who ran on the lunch room TV from eight pm till 11 pm - being repeated three times by different people coming on and off their breaks!  The show was catching the interests of more than just the die hard fans.  That, in itself, is a testimony to the success of the new Doctor Who.

So I say bring it on!  I can't wait to see more of this new series.  I guess you could say that I am once again a fan of the Doctor.  Bring on a UNIT story!  The Ice Warriors!  The Cybermen!  And, of course, I can't wait to once again hear the death cry of the Dalek!  "EXTERMINATE!  EXTERMINATE!"  I'll be shrieking like a fan boy when that happens (which I believe is not for another five or six weeks until we see them).  The Doctor Who fans are about to crawl from under the floors and walk into the sun with their heads held high.  Doctor Who is no longer something to be ashamed about.  The Doctor is back and better than ever!