Doctor Who
It’s Easter and in Britain that means our favourite man is back, seemingly from the dead. Yes, the new series of Doctor Who is here. I always wondered why the seasons start at Easter – the adventures of a being that has died and then come back to life at least a dozen times. It’s almost as if it is to wind up the followers of that other guy, Jesus something, who only died once then came back and gave everyone chocolate while riding around on a magical bunny.
Alright, I’ll stop mocking the faith of millions. They can be touchy. Forgive me – you have to, it’s in your book.
If you haven’t grown up in Britain, it is possible you have never heard of Doctor Who. He is a time lord who travels through space and time sorting shit out. Often with an attractive lady by his side. It is an immensely popular show. Part of the reason for this is that it just seems to get better and better, with increasingly intelligent Sci Fi stories, superb acting, cool effects, and is generally damn good Scifi drama.
Another reason why people are so fond of it, is that everyone (in the UK) has grown up watching the show. It’s part of the genius of the character that when one Doctor dies, he regenerates and comes back looking different, with a new face and new personality. The show has been going for half a century and all Brits remember being secretly terrified by some latex monster or other at some point in their childhoods. Unless they are liars or had lots of friends or something. There was a gap for a while in the nineties and a whole generation missed out. They generally have a blank look and lack imagination and are probably responsible for the recession, so it was great when the show returned.
The old shows were a bit hit and miss, to be honest. Some brilliant, some er, not. Some were written by people like Douglas Adams, so were pretty funny. Others were just terrifying even though they were for kids and had a shockingly low budget. Even after the return in 2005, some episodes were a bit crap and a too kid-friendly but they were rare. The new series, especially now Stephen Moffat is in charge of writing, are genius. There are some very cool ideas and genuinely creepy moments. Not for me, obviously, I fear nothing, but for most other people.
Doctor Who is in the Guinness Book of Records as being the longest running Scifi show in the world and the most successful. If you are one of those increasingly rare types that has never seen it, give it a go. With your kids, if you have them. You will enjoy Easter even more.