“Fantastic!”, “Allons-y!”, “Geronimo!”
You may have stumbled across a random episode of this show on a Sunday morning after a cosy breakfast. Maybe it was something you vaguely remember from the past, whether you ever watched it or not. Wherever you are from, especially if you are a fan of sci-fi films and series, it is almost impossible not to know about this show.
This year, these days, the 60th, yes, 60th anniversary of Doctor Who is being celebrated. A whole 60 years. It is absolutely fantastic! It holds the record for being the longest-running science fiction television programme in history, and it will go on for who knows how long.
It is about a Time Lord who travels through time and space in his unaltered spaceship called the TARDIS. In fact, it is the very first thing we see in the very first episode of Doctor Who, and since 1963 it has been the only permanent and indelible instrument of the show. The interior design of this blue box has changed several times (according to the show, the spaceship has a sense of humour and therefore changes, but of course it is for a design change depending on the current Doctor and events), but this box still stands strong.
Photo by Charlie Seaman on Unsplash
Over the decades, many people have played the role of the Doctor. They have a transition called the regeneration. If there’s a chaotic challenge that even the Doctor can’t handle, he becomes someone new. A clever way of changing actors between seasons, if you ask me. Sounds unique and brilliant.
Personally, what I like most about it is that the plot is unprecedented. Sure, there are productions that include other planets, the life there, the events and their consequences that reflect on the main character, etc.. But this is a whole journey that takes us from one to the other, with a background story to all the episodes.
Most (if not all) of these stories are standalone, so they’re good to watch if you don’t want to spend all your time watching everything. You might miss a few things, but it won’t affect the overall flavour too much, that’s for sure. This is why it also works for non-regular viewers.
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Another effective part is that there are countless different and well-designed lore-based creatures and their proper actions that would affect the story and perhaps be a crucial part of the seasonal narrative. I like this a lot because it shows that highlighting minor characters can be powerful. It makes us think about the importance of a clever alien who knows he can deal with all sorts of difficulties can be defenceless, and the helpless and needy people who can also be strong.
Speaking of supporting characters, each of the Doctor has at least one companion, a close friend with whom they travel and who also brings a different perspective to the experience. We are those companions through them. We can see the situations through their eyes, as ordinary people caught up in the extraordinary things happening around us. With this style you can enjoy both the first and second person view, which is also a rare pleasure.
The ever-lengthening series has two parts as old times and modern times. The modern part was aired in 2005 after a 16-year break. I think it is so interesting to see a show that has become even more successful after such a long break. We know that sometimes things don’t work out for productions when they try to remake them, because they just can’t make the audience feel the way they used to.
But somehow Doctor Who has managed to do that. To be honest, I am more surprised by the old productions. We know the visual effects were amazing to them then, but unbearable to watch now. That is why Star Wars was a huge success when it first came out, because the effects were really stunning. But for a TV show that was also criticised for being nonsense, violent and scary (for children), it is even more incredible how things have turned out over time and created a huge fan base.
Doctor Who is a sci-fi legacy among others, but needless to say the most effective one. Whether you were a ten-year-old kid or a forty-year-old adult, you had it and you still have it in your life. That is a rare sight in the world.
Finally, if you search for Doctor Who in the search engine, there’s a Doctor Who doodle that lets you play a mini-game that you might want to check out.
Articles that might interest you:
Comments