What’s a fandom that has been around as long as I can remember, but which I am now just getting into? If your answer was Doctor Who, you are right!
My earliest memory of the Doctor Who franchise is watching it on PBS with my family. One of the only comics my family kept for years was the first issue of the Doctor Who comic book featuring the fourth doctor. One night my mom told me about the relaunch of Doctor Who with a tv movie, which would turn into a series - I remember sitting down with my mom and watching the TV movie and having a great time, and we waited for the new show but it never came. In the years since then, a lot of other stuff has happened and while my mom watched the 2005 relaunch, I didn’t. At that time, I was involved in all different kinds of nerd and geek culture but for some reason not Doctor Who. The recent announcement of the new series and specials got me intrigued again. I sat down and watched the specials, started watching the relaunch…and I am now hooked.
One of the first questions for any Doctor Who fan is which Doctor is “your” Doctor? I never really had one, until I found out that the Doctor I had liked as a kid (the Eighth Doctor, David Tennant) had come back for a small mini episode and appearances in audio dramas and books. So far, I have watched four seasons of the relaunch series from 2005 taking me up to the David Tennant stuff which I am loving. I have also watched the specials on Disney+ each week and found them to be charming and great for newer fans like me; my favorite episode was “The Star Beast”. I’ve also tracked down a DVD copy of the TV movie from 1996 and have rewatched that – it is a product of its time, but also the start of what would have been a very fun show if it had time to find its footing. As I journey through this new fandom and catch up on what I have missed, I’ve adopted him as “my” Doctor. I’ve enjoyed the world and franchise so much I have started to watch the classic series, and as a fan of original series Trek and other shows of the like, the effects are charming and fun for me, and don’t bother me at all The first episode introducing the Daleks, the major foe for the Doctor, was cool to see, although the First Doctor (William Hartnell) is very prickly and takes some getting used to. It has been fun exploring the classic series and seeing the foundation laid for what’s to come in future.
I have found watching Doctor Who to be therapeutic and fun and a new fandom to delve into, there’s much to find and love and collect, and isn’t that what being alive is about? I plan to continue on with the classic relaunch, and the new Christmas special which has just aired, I’ll be on the lookout for some of the audio and books with the Eighth Doctor to see what he has been up to. I know there are tons of podcasts and channels and places to find Doctor Who information to help catch me up. I’m hoping to continue to update the site with a “My New Adventures with Doctor Who” series of posts every couple of months and give a report of what I’ve watched and what stands out. Whether you are a newly devoted fan like me or a die hard Whovian, I hope you will come along with me for this journey. I think it's going to be a great time…in time and space!
Where to Watch:
Doctor Who (Current 2024): Disney Plus
Doctor Who (2005 Relaunch): Max
Classic Doctor Who (1963-1989): Britbox on Prime
