20 years ago, I watched with joy asDoctor Whoreturned to the small screen - and it brought my childhood back with it.Doctor Whois technically the world’s longest-running science-fiction TV show, launched all the way back in 1963. Change is baked into the show’s format, because the Doctor can regenerate, allowing new actors to take over and the entire series to be reinvigorated.
Look a little closer, though, andthere’s another story to be told.Doctor Whowas canceled in the 1980s, with Sylvester McCoy’s story “Survival” quickly rewritten to end on a powerful closing monologue. There was an attempted revival in the 1990s, with an ill-fated made-for-TV movie starring Paul McGann; when that failed, it really did look as thoughDoctor Whowas dead. Until, that is, one fateful day in 2005. I’ll never forget that day, and I’ll always owe showrunner Russell T. Davies so much for bringing my childhood back.
How I’d Fallen In Love With Doctor Who
I can barely remember the tail-end of the Sylvester McCoy years. To be fair, I was only six years old whenDoctor Whowas abruptly canceled by the BBC; it wasn’t until BBC2 began reshowing past episodes in the early ’90s that I really started to fall in love with it.My dad had grown up withDoctor Who, and he wanted to share the experience with his son.I was immediately captivated by the sheer wonder of it all; the infinite possibilities of a dimensionally-transcendental craft that traveled time and space. I was hooked.
Doctor Whowas a massive part of my childhood. We used to holiday in Wales, where we’d visit theDoctor Whoexhibition at Llangollen. There, I’d pick up cheap Target novelizations that allowed me to enjoy stories I didn’t expect to ever see, especially not after the BBC stopped showing old episodes. We eventually got Sky for a while just forDoctor Who, because UK Gold took to showing an entire story every Sunday afternoon, and we videod it to watch when we got back from church. (Yes, videos were still a thing.)
All 17 Doctors In Doctor Who, Ranked Worst To Best
Seventeen different actors have played the Doctor on-screen since the BBC’s sci-fi TV show began in 1963 - and here’s our ranking of them!
I’ve always been a reader, andDoctor Whofueled that - through the Target novelizations, the Virgin New and Missing Adventures, and ultimately the BBC’s new range of novels that came after the McGann movie. For me,Doctor Whowas my gateway into so many other sci-fi and fantasy franchises; I began collecting comics, and I was quickly hooked toStar Wars. None of these things were considered “cool” back in the ’90s, of course; I was bullied a lot at school, and I still remember accidentally “outing” one friend for likingDoctor Who. His reputation never recovered.
He’s Back - And It’s About Time
ModernDoctor Whoviewers can’t imagine what it was like in the ’90s, the so-called “Wilderness Years.” The TV show seemed to be dead and gone, especially after thefailure of the Paul McGann movie.Doctor Whoonly really continued in print - and audiobooks eventually, but I couldn’t afford those. By the time I went to university, it seemed as though my interests would always be niche. At least, it did… until 2005.
I’d been hearing rumblings aboutDoctor Who’s return for some time, but I’d found it hard to believe. On that fateful Saturday night, though, I had an experience I’d given up on ever having;I got to watch New Who. Was it the same? No, but I understood that was why it worked. “Rose” was faster-paced, and every scene had a sense of momentum; there’s a moment where the Doctor delivers a monologue, but the camera keeps moving to give it pace. Christopher Eccleston was perfect, and I had tears in my eyes by the end.
I was hooked. Again.
Doctor Who’s first season wasn’t perfect, of course; I couldn’t stand the Slitheen, and I guessed the entire Dalek arc as soon as the Doctor told Rose aboutGallifrey’s destructionin “The End of the World.” Still, I was on theDoctor Whowebsite immediately after every episode, collecting all the images, visiting spinoff sites and playing Dalek games. I dressed as Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor to a fancy dress birthday party. My friends and housemates were amused at my excitement.
I gradually began to realize something had changed, though.I was used to the idea thatDoctor Whowas niche, that my interests were terminally uncool. Now, though, the show was popular, and everybody wanted to talk about it. When I dressed up as the Ninth Doctor, nobody blinked (although my offering friends a jelly baby did get a double-take). “My childhood’s back,” I remember saying, “and this time it’s cool.”
Doctor Who Was A Forerunner For Massive Cultural Change
Looking back,I’m convincedDoctor Who’s return was a forerunner- a sign of things that were about to change, on such a massive scale. Three years later, I went to the cinema with friends to watchIron Man, and I was buzzing with excitement because I knew an entire shared universe was about to be born. Later that year, I walked out fromThe Incredible Hulkwith other friends - ones who hadn’t watchedIron Man, and who had no idea why Robert Downey, Jr. appeared in the end-credits. I remember excitedly explaining.
The years have passed, andthose very “uncool” things I loved are now mainstream. I still remember an old schoolfriend actually getting in touch to apologize for bullying me over my love ofDoctor Whoand my interest in comics; he now knew what he’d been missing out on. Now, I do this for a job - I write about superheroes andStar Wars, and I have the privilege of talking aboutDoctor Whotoo. One wonderful Christmas, I even got screeners, meaning I was one of the first to see a new TARDIS interior. My wife rolled her eyes at my tears.
Looking back, I can’t help feeling as though the path of my life was set on that wonderful day in 2005.I’ll always owe Russell T. Davies a debt, because he brought my childhood back and made it cool. Twenty years later, fifteen seasons later,Doctor Whois still going; not perfect, with many stumbles and the occasional pratfall (sorry, not a fan of theTimeless Child), but still so very full of wonder and joy as this madman (or woman!) in a box wanders the galaxy. Long may they travel.
Tonight, I’ll have a glass of wine in RTD’s honor, and wish him the best for season 15; but for now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s something in my eye again. I think it’s time for me to turn on the TV.Doctor Whobeckons.
