Unofficial Fandom 50: Doctor Who Primer [2/50]

[thisbluespirit]

When I first thought about doing a Fandom/Fannish 50, as I said, the aim was not to do manifestos, and obviously Doctor Who is too big to cover in only one post anyway.

Naturally, I then immediately drafted out a manifesto for the whole of DW on the theme of "it's not THAT intimidating, I promise!", and it has been sitting complete in my posts in progress since January.

I wasn't going to post it - I think my flist is now comprised of DW fans, people who have left thanks to the Timeless Child, and people who don't want DW in their lives - but my intended Post #2 is not quite done (blame Yuletide ficcing), this one was, and I didn't want to have a long gap between posts - and it is the 23rd of November, after all. (I'll maybe see about linking it to tumblr or something, and that might give it more usefulness.)

So, have a chirpy DW primer I prepared earlier! Forgive me if it's annoying. And -

Happy 62nd birthday, Doctor Who! ♥

---

As most people around here probably have at least a vague idea of it already, this is mainly addressing the idea that it can be seen as too overwhelming and large and wanky.

It's true there is a lot of it, but the nature of DW is that it's all optional and rather than 40+ series of 100s of episodes you have to work your way through it's just... enough joy just waiting out there for a lifetime, with no need or hurry to catch it all. And the fandom can be wanky at times, but no more than any other, and a lot less than some. I've had more fun and made more friends hanging around in odd little corners of DW than any other fandom.

What is it?

It's a UK science fiction family-aimed show about a mysterious alien known as the Doctor who travels about in a time and space ship (known as the TARDIS).

The ship's exterior is stuck in the shape of a 1950s police box. It's bigger on the inside than the outside, like the show.

It all started in 1963, when two schoolteachers followed a mysterious Doctor's granddaughter Susan home to find out what was up with her weird knowledge, fake address and grandfather who didn't like strangers. In a panic, the Doctor abducted them and took them to the stone age. This worked out so well that the Doctor has continued to travel about with (mostly) human friends ever since. (Not all via kidnapping, though. Just a few of them.)

Together they explore all of space and time and fight monsters and alien invasions, plus many other even weirder things. And then it all ends, and starts again.

It was off-air from 1989-1995 & 1997-2004 and in that time several officially sanctioned runs of comic strips, novels and audios were made. There are also some spin-offs, both on TV and in other media. You can pick up any of these that you want to or not as you please. Or just watch the spin-offs and not watch Doctor Who. If anyone screams, ignore them.

There are also many unofficial fan productions, but you can worry about that later, if you want to.


Who is Doctor Who?

A mysterious traveller in Time and Space known only as the Doctor. Some fans will get very annoyed if you call them "Doctor Who," so you should do that.

The Doctor is a bit of a mix of wizard, wise mentor, or trickster character who's usually a side-character in things, but in this neverending story, they're the hero.

What we know is: They aren't from this planet or time period and they aren't human. They have a granddaughter. They are on the run from someone or something.

Later on, we learn they are probably a Time Lord from the planet of Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterberous. The co-ordinates for it are the same as the DW production office's extension line in the 1970s. In 21st Century Who and some of the Extended Universe (EU), Gallifrey may or may not exist, you may not be able to find it, and/or it may not stay around for long. Maybe none of this is true anyway. We don't know. These are the reasons why people say we have no canon. (This is nice, but not precisely true: all the broadcast episodes are canon. It's just very a flexible, inconsistent and wibbly-wobbly canon, plus you can add or remove any bits of the EU you choose. It doesn't exactly retcon, it embraces the "everything happened somewhere somewhen anyway in a different timeline" approach.)

When the Doctor gets close to death, they can cheat it by means of "regeneration," a process which renews them into a new body with a different personality and dress sense, but they're always the same person deep down. That's why we have lots of different Doctors but they're all still the Doctor. Regeneration is always sad because the old Doctor is dying and you don't want them to go, but two seconds later you are confronted with a shiny new Doctor to learn to love, which is exciting. This conflicting experience is our one staple, other than the TARDIS.


Why are you telling me this giant 60 year old show with hundreds of episodes, novels, audios, comics, whatever, is easy to get into?

Because Doctor Who eternally soft-reboots itself. It started in an era where anthology shows were the norm, and while there is continuity between episodes/stories, each one is set in a different location with new guest characters. You didn't like last week's alien planet? Welcome to Victorian England. Next week: aliens are invading Cardiff or London.

Plus, there's the concept of regeneration. It's always understood that every new Doctor's era will be a fresh start with new fans arriving while some old ones depart grumbling for good, or for a season. Companions arriving or leaving are also a good place to stop and start, and each producer/showrunner's era has a different feel, and those may divide a Doctor's era, or cross more than one Doctor.


So if I want to pick up any individual story in any medium but I don't care about the rest, I can?

Yes!

There are exceptions - some EU material occasionally has some complicated arcs, and from 2005 the TV show has (often 2-3 part) season finales that you might want to get some context on first (or not spoil yourself for if you think you might watch the rest later), but absolutely, yes. In any medium.

If you are curious about one installment for any reason (actor, writer, it just sounds intriguing, whatever) and that's it, go for it! Have fun. Never worry about DW again. \o/


Look, what if I do want to get into it? Where do I start? There are 800+ episodes out there and you've just told me there are hundreds of audios and books as well!

Start anywhere you like! Most of us did. Story that sounds cool, companion you like the look of, Doctor you're most curious about. Start from the beginning. Start at the end.

The only rule is if someone starts wildly insisting you absolutely have to start at any given point or else oh noes, ignore them. There is no reason to be linear about DW unless you want to be.

And, like I said, each individual story and era and Doctor and companion have their ending, so you're not signed up for good unless you want to be.


But I want to do the thing! Where DO I start?

In reverse broadcast order, from 2024 to 1963, here are some stories that are generally recognised as decent jumping in points, where the show changes showrunner or Doctor or has some other significant element of soft-reboot. As I said, though: you really can start anywhere.

('New' Who series are usually 8-13x 45min episodes, with some exceptions. 'Classic' Who seasons are divided up into at least 4 serials of 2-10 x 25 min episodes, with some exceptions. Most serials are 4-6 episodes long. There is also one 12 part serial, but you can't watch that: it's missing).

* The Church on Ruby Road (2024) with Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. New Doctor, new-old showrunner, new partnership with Disney+, no dated SFX to contend with. It's bright, it's fun, it's fast & it's deeply weird in the good way. It does refer to the past, but it's a fresh start, deliberately intended to allow newbies to jump on board.

*The Woman Who Fell To Earth (2018) - Thirteenth Doctor's era. New showrunner, a female Doctor in the shape of the excellent Jodie Whittaker, very different feel, and another good starting point. (Don't ask about The Timeless Child, though.)

*The Pilot (2017) S10 - The Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi)'s final series, but starts with new companion Bill arriving, a fresh feel, strong series & a great TARDIS team.

*The Eleventh Hour (2010) - arrival of Eleven (Matt Smith), with new showrunner, new companions and one of the best series so far. The BBC used this point to target the US more heavily, so a lot of people started here on first broadcast.

*Rose (2005) - the start of the 21st C revival & designed for people who had never seen the series (but made by old school fans), so it's not surprising a lot of people advise starting here. It's a good place! But it really isn't obligatory. Go with your heart and ignore dogmatic fans, if you want to try a different era first. But if you're after Christopher Eccleston or David Tennant's Doctors, this is where you'll find them.

*The TV Movie (1996) - Paul McGann is the Eighth Doctor, for one night only. It is a pilot for a revival that never came, and a little daft (ahem), but it's pretty, it's fun, and if you have an eye on the novels and audios, knowing Eight is a great help for getting into those. The first stories for those respective lines are Storm Warning (Big Finish Audios) and The Eight Doctors (BBC Books), if you're less into TV as a medium.

*Remembrance of the Daleks (1988) You want to go old school, but not the hard way? 1980s DW is not as slow-paced as 60s & 70s by any mean, the serials are shorter, Seven & Ace are a popular duo and a lot of their stories paved the way for the shape of the 21st C show. Things will explode a LOT and everything's a metaphor. It's great.

*Castrovalva (1981) - the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)'s first story. Technically, it's part of a trilogy that started with The Keeper of Traken & Logopolis from the previous season, and you could also start there, too! But it's easy enough to pick up and Five is another popular choice - lots of great stories, interesting companions, more continuity, and no serials longer than four parts, and you can continue on through the 80s.

Robot (1975) - the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) is still one of the most popular and iconic incarnations, so if you want to find out why, there's no reason not to start here. There are still some six parters, but less than previous eras, although the SFX will sometimes be made out of bubblewrap. If you've watched 2005's era, this is where you'll find Sarah Jane and K9. You'll also get Douglas Adams as script editor for a season.

* Spearhead From Space (1970) - you want to start DW as early as you can and work forwards, but worried about coping with black and white serials and missing episodes? This is one of the biggest soft reboots of the classic run. The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) arrives, all new, alone, and stranded on Earth, the show moves into colour, every single episode exists, there are a bunch of still-popular regulars in addition to the Doctor & their companion. There are many six and seven part serials, but the days of unexpected 8+ part serials are gone.

* An Unearthly Child (1963). You really are a methodical sort and you want to start at the beginning? Well, you can. The whole of DW has never been so available, and while some episodes are still missing - they were destroyed by the BBC back in the late 60s/early 70s - most of them have been animated or reconstructed, and there's a solid run through s1 & 2 with only one or two missing installments or isolated episodes that you can skip before you need to worry about that. It is old TV, made on a limited budget, but it always thought big. The original Team TARDIS are great favourites with people who've watched this era, they have some really good low-key character arcs, and there is something wonderfully addictive and comforting about watching the show grow into itself. Here, it could be anything - and very often is.


* Watch every story in chronological order by the date the story is set in rather than broadcast. There are lists around to allow you to do this and a whole book. I am reliably informed (by someone on tumblr who attempted it with the New Who list) that this is the worst way to watch Doctor Who. Perfect for the rebellious/unconventional viewer/listener/reader and very much in the spirit of the show.

I mean, caveat: it IS the worst way to do it and I'm not serious, but it would be very funny. If you attempt this, please liveblog.


* Put every story in a randomiser and watch it that way. Time-wimey, wibbly-wobbly, amiright? Pretty much the method every hiatus fan had to do it in anyway, the randomiser in that case being "which novelisations are in my library," "in which order will BBC release the VHS/DVDs," and "what the BBC feels like repeating every once in a while" or "what gets shown on [insert local appropriate random TV channel here]." Call it being traditional. Also in the spirit of the show. So much so, there actually is a website designed to let you do just that.


Basically, DW can be everything and anything and has been by turns, and therefore absolutely all of it is for no one but equally there's almost certainly at least one tiny bit of it that is for you. Canon, such as it is, very flexible. Settle in for life and have fun, or pick up one era or medium or spin-off or episode/serial or book or audio or whatever and never come back again, and everything in between.

(Obviously, for any fellow fans who are about to scream at me - there are arcs and continuity and character growth, right from the very beginning, and, of course, context adds a lot to everything, once you've got it. I'm only saying that the newbie can worry about all that later. Unless they want to worry about it now).

This post is just to say - if you think you would like to try it or whichever individual installment of it you're curious about, then don't be put off solely by the fandom or the size of canon or the confusing nature of it.

Doctor Who is a joyful thing to have in your life and beyond that there are no rules. ♥

Comments

[liadt]

The only rule is if someone starts wildly insisting you absolutely have to start at any given point or else oh noes, ignore them. There is no reason to be linear about DW unless you want to be. Yeah! Said "someone" sounds annoying anyway, best watch sometime they hate to get rid of them(!). Watching a Doctor or companion's last story first could be a bit sad.

I'd go with 'City of Death' for Four (fight!).

[thisbluespirit]

I'd go with 'City of Death' for Four (fight!).

I only put down specific stories that were generally agreed as good starting points in that section, if people are being linear/methodical. And lovely as CoD is, I don't think it's particularly known as a soft reboot point!

[liadt]

My introduction to Four was through the few tapes my brother bought in the 1990s and 'City of Death' was the fluffiest in the pile!

[thisbluespirit]

Awww! <3

[lyr]

Happy Who-day! I know I started as a toddler with Sarah Jane and 4, but I can't quite remember what my first episode was.

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, that's sweet, though! A good place to start! <3

[swordznsorcery]

Hooray! But um. I'm clearly missing something obvious here, but how is Gallifrey sometimes in the EU? I mean, I would't be surprised. I can see it quite enjoying Luxembourg, but probably not entirely what you meant.

(Yes, I am blatantly refusing to Google.)

[thisbluespirit]

LOL, sorry - EU is the usual general fandom term for "Extended Universe" for spin-offs and the like, so much so, I didn't even think about it being confusing! I mean, the DW EU almost certainly has Luxembourg in it by now, because *waves hand at ALL the audios and novels and everything* but yeah, I didn't mean the European Union.

ETA: Just realised I missed the obligatory, "It's in Ireland!" joke here. /o\

[swordznsorcery]

It probably is in Ireland sometimes. I mean, it's Gallifrey. It makes up its own rules. ;)

Thank you. Extended Universe makes much more sense! :D

[sovay]

Pretty much the method every hiatus fan had to do it in anyway, the randomiser in that case being "which novelisations are in my library," "in which order will BBC release the VHS/DVDs," and "what the BBC feels like repeating every once in a while" or "what gets shown on [insert local appropriate random TV channel here]."

In my case it was "I have no affinity for Douglas Adams but the friend my brain turns to lemon pudding around likes Douglas Adams and we are already hanging out and watching things in a weirdly charged yet chaste fashion because neither of us has the gaydar God gave a clam and that's how I saw The Pirate Planet." It was 1998–99 and the tapes were in the local library. We then did not watch any of the surrounding serials because they were not written by Douglas Adams. Neither did we manage to date.

[thisbluespirit]

The traditional randomiser method, indeed, then!

We then did not watch any of the surrounding serials because they were not written by Douglas Adams. Neither did we manage to date.

Aw. It is a measure of my DW-fandom brain that my first reaction is: "They didn't have City of Death?" And then that it's a shame you didn't get the next one anyway, because Stones of Blood ought to be a little more in your line in general, and might even have helped with the gaydar. (It's got blood-drinking standing stones, guest lesbians archaeologists and "Does your cailleach ride a bicycle?") And only after that: aww, sorry re. the non-dating. <3

[sovay]

And then that it's a shame you didn't get the next one anyway, because Stones of Blood ought to be a little more in your line in general, and might even have helped with the gaydar.

Even to this day, I like both standing stones and lesbians. (Enys Men could only have been more targeted to my interests if it had queerness. Even so.)

We watched Labyrinth. We watched Becket. We watched Dead Again. I'm sorry, we hadn't a clue.

[thisbluespirit]

Aww. <3

[verdande_mi]

Doctor Who :D :D I really should watch the last episodes with Gatwa, as I never got around to posting about them them.

I also did start re-watch of Jodie's run, but was lured away by other things.

Time-wimey, wibbly-wobbly <3 <3

[thisbluespirit]

Time-wimey, wibbly-wobbly <3 <3

Indeed! And it's always time for a rewatch. <3

[senmut]

Doctor Who got big enough, with enough spin offs and extra media, that I am happily cherry-picking what is "my" canon. I am glad that it has a thriving fanbase, old and new.

[thisbluespirit]

Yes, and it's loose enough that so many of us do that, and it's no big deal, too! <3

[hamsterwoman]

and rather than 40+ series of 100s of episodes you have to work your way through it's just... enough joy just waiting out there for a lifetime, with no need or hurry to catch it all.

Aww!

I'm probably fairly firmly in the "people who don't want DW in their lives" part of your flist, but this was still lovely to read, and also helpful, because while a lot of my flist (and a few RL friends) are Doctor Who fans of various degrees of seriousness, all I know about it I've picked up by fannish osmosis, and that invariably leaves some gaps, so it was neat to read a primer.

It's also reassuring to hear that if I ever do decide to give it a shot, it should be possible to have that starting point be anywhere.

[thisbluespirit]

and rather than 40+ series of 100s of episodes you have to work your way through it's just... enough joy just waiting out there for a lifetime, with no need or hurry to catch it all.

Aww!

I haven't even watched all of the (existing) TV eps yet, just because I don't want to have no new-to-me DW left to watch, so I mean that when I say it, heh.

So glad it was interesting from that pov, too! That was what I hoped, really.

It's also reassuring to hear that if I ever do decide to give it a shot, it should be possible to have that starting point be anywhere.

Sometimes TM people guest for an ep! You might need to one day. :-D

ETA: Of course, since I wrote this, I have intermittently been trying to vaguely tot up TM appearances in DW, and was just thinking to myself, I bet there are more than I can think of, turned to watch the next ep in my rewatch and got Greg Davies himself mostly as the ranting head of a king, lol. XD

(Although also that then made me laugh too because a) this ep would seem to disprove my 'start anywhere' theory because continuity except b) this is DW. You could watch the previous 2 seasons and it wouldn't help and this character's story arc is canonically non-linear & confusing anyway, which I do think flips back into totally proving my 'don't worry, just start wherever and roll with it' take. It's such an appropriate way to start with her, ha).

In my count before it drives me to imdb very pointlessly save for my own satisifaction, I have got:

Frank Skinner in The Mummy on the Orient Express
Charlotte Ritchie in one of the Chibnall NYR specials (Something of the Daleks, whatever)
Aisling Bea in the good one of the Chibnall NYR specials The One With the Time Loops yay (yes, I need to memorise my 13 better, but I can't remember all the 'of the Daleks' stories in new who, only in classic).

& now Greg Davies in The Husbands of River Song

Plus, Rose Ayling-Ellis will notch up another come this NYT & if we count that there's also Nicola Coughlan and I THINK Rylan was also in a NYT, wasn't he? & all 3 were in the last season of DW.

Fannish brains, sorry. I thought it might amuse you, too, though. Especially that I apparently summoned up random Greg Davies!

[hamsterwoman]

Sometimes TM people guest for an ep! You might need to one day. :-D

Hehe, as I was writing that comment, I was reflecting that a likely trajectory was that DW would end up included in my Britcom rabbit hole somehow, so, yeah, agreed, that's definitely a possibility!

Especially that I apparently summoned up random Greg Davies!

Haha! I did know Greg had been on it, because someone on Reddit posted this past series about Reece and Greg having both played DW villains.

Rylan was definitely on a NYT!

I guess so far, other than Greg, whom I like, but whose acting roles I seem to enjoy less than just Greg being Greg (or Greg being Taskmaster, I suppose), all the TM people are ones I'm neutral or just mildly positive about. But if Liza ever has a cameo role (she seems the most likely, of my top level faves, since the others don't seem to do any acting), then I might have to :P

[thisbluespirit]

Haha! I did know Greg had been on it, because someone on Reddit posted this past series about Reece and Greg having both played DW villains.

Oh, yes, and Steve has been in it as well! I forgot Reece, but I'm pretty sure he was in that s9 episode I haven't seen, which is why I didn't remember. (I am sooo going to have to sort this out for my own satisfaction soon, lol).

I will certainly let you know if Liza pops up! I would love to see her do a cameo as well. DW does swallow nearly everyone sooner or later, though, it's true. People even turn up as themselves sometimes, like Rylan.

Charlotte Ritchie's DW role was where I first saw her, actually - I liked her so much in that, it was probably the main reason I watched Ghosts when it first came out. I still hadn't watched TM at that point, though - which was why Greg Davies came as a shock to me yesterday, because apparently I haven't rewatched that ep at any point since I would have known whose head was yelling at people from inside a bag! XD

[astrogirl]

Obviously I'm not exactly the audience for this, but I'm glad you posted it, regardless, because it's a fun read.

The co-ordinates for it are the same as the DW production office's extension line in the 1970s.

Are they really? I never knew that, and I am weirdly delighted by it.

Put every story in a randomiser and watch it that way.

I now genuinely want to see someone who knows nothing about Doctor Who doing this and posting reaction videos as they go. Part of me can't help wondering if that might in fact be the theoretically ideal way to watch it, chaotic, weird, timey-wimey thing that it is. :)

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, thank you! <3

Are they really? I never knew that, and I am weirdly delighted by it.

So Tom Baker always used to claim, which I suppose means it ought to be verified, but he is fairly consistent on saying that was what he used for it. XD

I now genuinely want to see someone who knows nothing about Doctor Who doing this and posting reaction videos as they go. Part of me can't help wondering if that might in fact be the theoretically ideal way to watch it, chaotic, weird, timey-wimey thing that it is.

Exactly! I really really do think people should attempt DW in some more non-linear ways. Admittedly, this is probably very selfish - but it does seem so apt! And if people want to be linear, why not start at 1963 (if you think you're hard enough)? XD

Also I would dearly love to see someone attempt the terrible chronological approach and at least liveblog it. I feel like it ought to be funny enough to be worth it. If I wasn't being permanently crappy at rewatching DW, I might give it a go myself, but that's not quite the same thing.

[astrogirl]

So Tom Baker always used to claim, which I suppose means it ought to be verified

LOL, yes, not necessarily the world's most reliable source, but I will choose to believe him on this one!

Also I would dearly love to see someone attempt the terrible chronological approach and at least liveblog it. I

I feel like that would be downright cruel to encourage anyone for half a second to do, but, well, you know I'd be there for it if they did. :)

[thisbluespirit]

I feel like that would be downright cruel to encourage anyone for half a second to do, but, well, you know I'd be there for it if they did.

It is probably one more for shaking up a rewatch than a serious first watch! But hey... XD

[thisbluespirit]

Someone just linked me to The Randomiser, which is a custom made way to randomise all the DW TV episodes. I mean, of course there is. I nearly did go looking, but I was too lazy. XD

[astrogirl]

Thanks, I just had a very fun time playing around with that a bit, and it certainly generates some... interesting... playlists. :)

[thisbluespirit]

Haha. XD

I mean, I laugh, but I started my DW life with the last ten minutes of Happiness Patrol, and then dived into the Targets with Time-Flight, so... I think if it's going to get you, it'll get you, really. (I mean, as you know, I adore Happiness Patrol, but the last ten minutes are a very bizarre way to begin the whole show... so therefore obviously perfect!)

[xyzzysqrl]

Stumbled upon this, and I'm considering picking up some Doctor Who watching with a friend at some point, and this looks quite likely to help if only by reassuring both of us that we can basically watch whatever the frick we want at any given point and it'll probably turn out okay.

I have a small handful of episodes I VAGUELY remember from late night PBS as a child that I should try to find a source on, because I'd quite like closure on some of that stuff, but: thank you for writing!

[thisbluespirit]

Stumbled upon this, and I'm considering picking up some Doctor Who watching with a friend at some point, and this looks quite likely to help if only by reassuring both of us that we can basically watch whatever the frick we want at any given point and it'll probably turn out okay.

Aw, I'm so glad to hear that! That was the general intention. Lots of my particular DW circle started in theoretically terrible places and yet somehow... here we all are. XD

I have a small handful of episodes I VAGUELY remember from late night PBS as a child that I should try to find a source on, because I'd quite like closure on some of that stuff, but: thank you for writing!

You can always try me if you like, although I make no promises about what I may or may not recognise, heh...

[xyzzysqrl]

I make no promises about what I may or may not recognise

Gazing out upon the long history of the EVERYTHING I completely understand. Filtered through my incredibly poor memory from decades past, here's what I remember seeing:

1: The Doctor (I think this one may be Tom Baker?) is walking through a big field with his companion and rambling about how "That's not a real jeep, this isn't a real forest, and YOU'RE not the real--" and then he turns around and the companion's face falls off and there's circuit boards under there.

2: There's a very large stop-motion T-Rex possibly in London and people are understandably upset about this.

3: This apartment building may be eating people? Some of the inhabitants certainly are. I don't think the Doctor realizes this because he's left his red haired lady with them. Somehow graffiti may be involved? This one's very vague.

4: Everybody at the circus has to work at the circus...?

5: The Tardis is pink now. ... *big shrug* Uhm.

6: There's a ghost haunting a railway station and a scientist studying it is... somehow making the situation worse by studying it and I'm not actually sure this one's a Doctor Who when I think about it.

Anyway that's all I've seen outside of post-"Rose" shows, which I'm much clearer on because that version of the Doctor wasn't THAT long ago. *glances at a calendar and immediately disintegrates*

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, well this is a fun quiz, where I know all the answers! Your descriptions are v helpful, and I believe I even know the non-DW one.

1. The Android Invasion, with Four & Sarah Jane
2. This seems most likely to be The Invasion of the Dinosaurs, with Three & Sarah Jane
3. Paradise Towers, with Seven and Mel (Bonnie Langford, the redhead)
4. The Happiness Patrol, Seven & Ace
5. Must be The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, with Seven & Ace

6. Yes, not DW, I don't think. But it does sound a LOT like "Assignment 2" of Sapphire & Steel, which ran from c.1978-1982 and had serial stories in 20 min eps, like DW. It starred Joanna Lumley & David McCallum in the title roles, as strange non-human operators who turn up and investigate weirdness. The second serial was set in a train station being haunted by "the darkness", with the ghost of a WWI soldier hanging around - and there's an amateur ghost-hunter called Tully, investigating and taking scientific recordings, which sets everything in motion. ITV have it up on their Retro YT channel, so if it's not region-locked, you could easily find out here.

[xyzzysqrl]

"You know," I said to myself looking over that list of moments I recalled, "I can't imagine most of these are particularly memorable to anyone. Surely there's lots of circuses. Probably some cannibals. The robot thing is very specific, but dinosaurs. C'mon. I'll be very lucky if even a couple of these are picked off."

I am EXTREMELY IMPRESSED, let's say.

I'd forgotten that I'd seen and enjoyed the Eighth Doctor, the Fox TV film, and on the basis of that once a friend gave me some burned CDs of audio dramas. I kind of got lost in them (I'll have to try again later, this was many years back) but one that I did enjoy was -- yes! Sapphire and Steel, investigating a wedding on a ship! I REALLY liked that one and wasn't sure what the connection was and somehow never linked the mental chain off to that half-remembered episode.

So we're also considering Sapphire and Steel for a good watch. My friend says David McCallum looks a lot like David Tennant, and I'm watching the intro with some delight towards the "Behold: We have computers now." rendering of everything.

From the sound of it we probably ought to be looking at the 7th Doctor for most of what I recall, but I'm curious what would happen if we broke out random chance. Oh well. There are other distractions right now.

Thank you so much for your help!

[thisbluespirit]

Ha, thank you! And you would think there would be more circuses, wouldn't you? But there are only two that I can think of, and definitely only one where it's the main setting and the circus workers are trying to escape from it. Also, I've watched Classic Who way too much, as you can tell. XD

So we're also considering Sapphire and Steel for a good watch. My friend says David McCallum looks a lot like David Tennant, and I'm watching the intro with some delight towards the "Behold: We have computers now." rendering of everything.

Ha, good luck! It is definitely another show that I adore. Very strange and not quite like anything else. The BF S&S audios are pretty good - some of their strongest ones, I think.

And, lol, of course a custom-made randomiser already exists! I did think to myself, there probably is, but I was too lazy to go looking. But it does kind of prove my point, really. Thanks for the link!

[usuallyhats]

Love all of these potential starting points! They did make me ponder what the most chaotic (as opposed to just bad) jumping on point is and I feel like it has to be Shada. ("Which version?"/"Yes")


I kind of want to do the "chronological by date the story was set" watchthrough - maybe if I ever finish my current Very Slow In Order Class Who Watch 😂

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! <3

They did make me ponder what the most chaotic (as opposed to just bad) jumping on point is and I feel like it has to be Shada. ("Which version?"/"Yes")

Oh, yes, brilliant - that has to be it! XD

I kind of want to do the "chronological by date the story was set" watchthrough - maybe if I ever finish my current Very Slow In Order Class Who Watch

I feel exactly the same - right down to the very slow in order (re)watch. *fist!mumps* <--- ETA bumps. 0_o

[jhall1]

This is an excellent post.

I'm old enough to have watched DW from the very first episode, and have missed very few episodes since. It's one of the few things I can brag about. One interesting thing that has changed is that for the first few stories the first Doctor was more of an anti-hero than a hero, cowardly and self-serving, with Ian and Barbara being the real heroes. But of course that didn't last long.

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! And that really is quite the achievement. Like the Doctor, you came the long way round! <3

[tinny]

This is a very joyful post and I love that about it! <3

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, thank you! <3