Doctor Who at 50

So - at long last it's Doctor Who Day. 

One of those days I've known was coming for years - 

every 23rd of November since the the series came back someone has mentioned that in 2013 the show 50 years old. 

And here we are.

 Having a quiet Saturday. Megs and Ben doing art homework - 

- a long afternoon with Doctor Who episodes in the kitchen
 watching waiting to watch The Day of The Doctor.

But not on the sofa {or behind it.}

Not at the caravan {Easter Saturday = Wales and DW}

But at the cinema. In 3D at the cinema! With my dearest friends.

In the 70's I was a child - Tom Baker was my first doctor.

The Horror of Fang Rock left me with nightmares a phobia of lighthouses for years.

I adored Leela, and then Romana.

Saturday evenings were lovely - 

Jonathan and I wore our coats backwards - 

so if it got too scary you could just put you hood up over your face.

Sometimes we had to go out on a Saturday - missing the end of an episode - 

several from The Key to Time

No videos, no catch up TV.

We decided that it was the music that made it scary 

and experimented with turning the sound down on the TV.

I started reading the Target adaptations - not really understanding the regenerations - 

The War Games proved a bit tricky to understand.

In the 80's I loved Peter Davison 

and Nyssa - oh how I loved Nyssa

{I did NOT love Tegan}

1982 was my favourite year - I loved The Visitation and Black Orchid 

Earthshock shocked

{Jonathan cried for hours - killing a mathematician was just cruel}

The change to weekday shows became tricky - fitting around Orchestra practices - 

I missed more episodes until we finally got a VHS recorder.

Then it was The Caves of Androzani and my turn to cry.

Colin Baker  - I wasn't a fan - but of course I watched.

By then I was deeply in SF/Fantasy

{Dragons from Pern and Renunciates from Darkover 

And of course my beloved Star Trek} 

I was a teenager - and Doctor Who was probably the most uncool of my interests -

But The Trial of a Time Lord was still gripping.

Sylvester McCoy - I kept going through the ups and downs

{My ups were Remembrance of the Daleks and Silver Nemesis-

The downs Paradise Towers and The Happiness Patrol}

 Ace was ace - 

but of course there was no way I was talking about this stuff at School/College.

By then my reading was Pratchett and Eddings.
 

The final season started and I went away to Oxford - 

Not something you could watch in the JCR

I caught up the episodes on weekends at home.

I was dating Al - we had started watching ST:TNG on video.

Doctor Who was my past - and I really don't think I mourned it.

For years I was addicted to the various Star Treks

And the truly amazing Babylon 5

Of course -  Doctor Who never really did go away.

I wasn't a great reader of the New Adventures

But talk of a new series was always there in Starburst magazine-

The TV Movie came and went.

Children arrived in our house - 

SF/Fantasy books were mostly banished to the loft.

{I went through a bizarre phase of reading Chick Lit}

And then - 2005

Doctor Who was back

Not yet for the children 

{Megan had caught a glimpse of a giant maggot in a random rerun of the Green Death 

and declared Doctor Who far too scary}

We fell back in love immediately -

Even more so when we heard that David Tennant was taking over 

{we'd fallen for him in Casanova}

Megan started watching with Tooth and Claw

Ben sometime afterwards.

DVD's and hard drives meant that episodes were watch over and over and over.

Megan loved Rose - and the tears when she left went on for hours.

Crying rather became the thing as a sensitive girl grew into a hormonal teenager.

Donna's memories, the Ponds leaving.

Deaths and regenerations.

I don't want to go.

The magical crossover of David Tennant and Shakespeare.

Finding Kathie  - my perfect Crafting, Reading, SF/Fantasy, Shakespeare, Theatre Twin -

Discussing Doctor Who for hours.

Forum and Fans.
Reading spoilers and The Writers Tale.
Having our own adventure wth the Doctor at The Crash of the Elysium
{running to that music}

Doctor Who was loved and everywhere.

Children at school knew all about it.
This summer we even went to see a giant straw dalek

The art homework is done.
Time for tea - and then it's Doctor Who 
{just like 1977!}