What the Heck is Dr. Who? I keep Hearing about Dr. Who

[Col. Newman]

What the Heck is Dr. Who? I keep Hearing about Dr. Who. Could someone please fill me in

Thanks

[Deputy-Assistant-Second-Prime]

What the Heck is Dr. Who? I keep Hearing about Dr. Who. Could someone please fill me in

Thanks

Wow, okay. It's not easy to explain.

Doctor Who, produced by the BBC, was the longest running science fiction series, running 26 seasons from 1963 to 1989. The show was relaunched earlier this year in various countries (but not in the U.S. yet). Doctor Who is considered a cult classic in the U.S., and an outright cultural phenoma in Britain. The show started off as a kid's series, then changed its format to a family series, and got more mature and serious over the years.

The classic series was a uniquely formatted serial consisting of usually 25 minutes episodes, forming discrete story blocks. For example, the first four episodes were entitled An Unearthly Child. And sometimes one story led directly into the next. Occasionally, multiple stories were part of a larger quest. I know of no other example of this format in television.

Early in the series, the stories would alternate between historical and science fiction genres. Later, the science fiction elements would dominate the series.

The classic series is famous for its low production values, yet enthralling stories, as those BBC crews pitted their artistic talents against a small budget. The classic series often demanded the viewer suspend quite a lot of disbelief and imagine things that could not be shown on screen due to budget constraints. Doctor Who was a guinea pig for the testing and refinement of new SFX techniques. The film industry owes their much of their SFX success to the classic series.

The new series is roughly 45 minutes per episodes, typically single episode stories, mixed with a few two-parters.

[Deputy-Assistant-Second-Prime]

Okay, so what is the show about? It's about a mysterious traveller known as the Doctor.

The TARDIS
He has a ship capable of traveling through time and space he calls "the TARDIS" (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space). The Doctor "liberated" this vintage type 40 right before it was supposed to be scrapped. As a result, it's not very reliable and often malfunctions. The navigation system is particularly flakey, meaning the Doctor never quite knows where he is going to materialize next. Also, the chameleon circuit, which controls the ship's outer appearance, is completely busted, leaving the TARDIS exterior stuck in the shape of a 1950s London police box. [Police box...think big blue telephone booth/small shed with a light on top.]

The TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental, meaning the exterior is just the ship's anchor to another dimension. When you step through the doors of that police box, you enter the control room of the ship which is much bigger than the exterior could possibly accomodate. A door at the far of the control room leads to an endless maze of corridors and rooms and levels, which not even the Doctor has fully explored. Basically, the ship is bigger on the inside than the out.

[Easter Lily]

Actually it wouldn't be a bad idea if we could get a mod to make this thread sticky ... and convert it into a Dr Who primer or FAQ...

Doing a good job there DA Second Prime...

[Osiris-RA]

Hehe, I was like "Who is Dr. Who now?" So it's Sci-Fi. Interesting. I must dally on the BBC channel more...it does come on there, no?

[Deputy-Assistant-Second-Prime]

Hehe, I was like "Who is Dr. Who now?" So it's Sci-Fi. Interesting.

Well, at best, it's soft sci-fi often plunging into the realm of sci-fi/fantasy/horror. Hey now. I'm doing the best I can to give the feeling of the series without giving too much away.

I must dally on the BBC channel more...it does come on there, no?

I'll leave it to my fellow fans in the U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and elsewhere to address the scheduling specifics and the new series (which I haven't seen, so don't spoil me).

[Deputy-Assistant-Second-Prime]

Actually it wouldn't be a bad idea if we could get a mod to make this thread sticky ... and convert it into a Dr Who primer or FAQ...

Doing a good job there DA Second Prime...

Thank you. It's a labor of love. And I'm not done yet.

[Deputy-Assistant-Second-Prime]

The Doctor
Basically, without giving too much away, the Doctor is an alien from "another world, another time". He can not return home, so he travels the universe, adventuring. The Doctor is, by Earth's standards, a brillant scientist as well as an ardent activist. In fact, after living a very sheltered life, his intense curiousity ensures he will never stay anywhere for too long.

Obviously the most confusing aspect of the Doctor, is that he has been played by various actors over the years who look, act, and dress very differently. Upon the onset of death, the Doctor's race has the ability to shed their old body, and within moments, take on a new form. This process also effects the Doctor's personality and can only be employed twelve times, giving him thirteen lives.

In the continuity of both the classic and new series, ten actors have portrayed the character of the Doctor.

Classic Series
01. William Hartnell
02. Patrick Troughton
03. Jon Pertwee
04. Tom Baker
05. Peter Davison
06. Colin Baker
07. Sylvester McCoy (and in the 1996 movie as well)

The Enemy Within (1996 Movie)
08. Paul McGann

New Series
09. Christopher Eccelston
10. David Tennant

[Deputy-Assistant-Second-Prime]

Well, that's enough to start with. Obviously, there's a lot of history to the series, but I think I gave a sense of it without giving away too much.

If this thread is to be a primer for Doctor Who, let's try to avoid explaining too much. We don't want to spoil it for the new fans.

Col. Newman...any questions?

[Reefgirl]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/ for the new Dr Who (Chris Ecclestone and David Tennant)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/index.shtml Doctor's 1-8

[Qasim]

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who

[Willow'sCat]

Well, that's enough to start with. Obviously, there's a lot of history to the series, but I think I gave a sense of it without giving away too much.

If this thread is to be a primer for Doctor Who, let's try to avoid explaining too much. We don't want to spoil it for the new fans.

Col. Newman...any questions?

You did a great job explaining the Doctor. See you are a HUGE fan.

The TARDIS
He has a ship capable of traveling through time and space he calls "the TARDIS" (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space).

Time And Relative Dimensions In Space! I love the T.A.D.I.S.

Oh and of course David Hewlett (Dr McKay) is a Dr Who fan. I think that is an important thing to note here on GW.

[Deputy-Assistant-Second-Prime]

...and we can't forget Gallifrey One.

http://www.gallifreyone.com/

[Col. Newman]

Well, that's enough to start with. Obviously, there's a lot of history to the series, but I think I gave a sense of it without giving away too much.

If this thread is to be a primer for Doctor Who, let's try to avoid explaining too much. We don't want to spoil it for the new fans.

Col. Newman...any questions?

no I think I understand the basics now thanks

[Metarock Sam]

You could even look on my site with a good definiton of doctor who site on (plus its got the movie theme playing in the background.) however I havnt finished it so its rather rusty and only goes up to the sevent doctor im afraid.
http://www.freewebs.com/metarocksamsspace/doctorwho.htm
enjoy !!!