A Mad Man with A Box

I am a huge Doctor Who fan. Not just the current version of the character, or even just since his reboot in 2005. I can fondly remember staying up late to watch reruns of the Doctor’s adventures on PBS. For those who don't know the character, Doctor Who is a British Sci-Fi program about a time traveling alien and his human friends that has the honor of being the longest running science fiction program on television.

I was a fan of Tom Baker (4^th Doctor) and Peter Davison (5^th).  I disliked Colin Baker (6^th Doctor) for the same reasons most fans didn’t like Colin Baker. And then sadly there must have been a drop in the pledge drive because at some point they stopped rerunning episodes.

While I never forgot about the Doctor, I did grow up more and found other outlets for my geekiness. I discovered Star Trek and comic books. I read Star Wars novels and wanted to grow up to be MacGyver. My memory of the Doctor was pushed aside slightly. It wasn’t until 1996 where the Doctor was brought back into my life. The Fox Network teamed up with the BBC to make a TV movie that should have sparked a new series. Sadly, it never went anywhere and once again The Doctor and I parted ways.

My Temple

After that brief encounter, many things happened in my life. Graduated High School, went to college, got even more nerdy and geeky. Comic books and sci-fi went from being obscure and outsiderish to being mainstream cool, and I felt a certain joy knowing I loved this stuff before the rest of you.  So therefore it was only a matter of time before the good Doctor would return.

In 2005 the BBC granted the wishes of nerds and fanboys across the world. A brand new series of Doctor Who was released. Christopher Eccleston was cast in the title role in a brand new regeneration and the events of the previous series were all a part of his back story. Along with Christopher was Billie Piper playing the role of Rose Tyler, his new companion. The companions are a staple of the show with them being the audience’s eyes into the amazing life of the doctor.

 

After one brief season of thirteen episodes, where we were introduced to a host of new characters and planets, Christopher Eccleston departed the show after the Doctor had a startling encounter with his old enemy the Daleks. But like every fan of the show knows when the main actor leaves that doesn’t mean the show is over. In the final minutes of the season finale the 9^th Doctor regenerated into the 10^th played by David Tennant.

For many fans David Tennant was their Doctor. What Peter Davison had been to me, he was to them. And that is their introduction to the world of Who. Those who mourned the loss of 9 quickly forgot about him with 10. While Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor seemed to hide a secret pain, David Tennant’s doctor was full of fury.  Part of me has to thank him for drawing so many people to the series.

During David Tennant’s run as the Doctor we saw many classic Who characters and villains return to the series. While the previous series saw the return of the Daleks, the next season saw the return of another classic villain, the Cybermen. That season also led to the establishment of Torchwood as a part of the Who universe which would become a spin off series all its own. We also saw the return of former Doctor companion Sarah Jane Smith. She was also spun off into her own series (sadly the actress who played Sarah Jane, Miss Elizabeth Sladen, passed away at the end of the fourth season).

"I don't want to go"

After three seasons and multiple specials, both actor David Tennant and showrunner Russell T. Davies decided it was time to leave the show. During the massive two part special The End of Time, which saw the return of Timelords and a massive showdown between the Doctor and his arch-nemesis the Master, the 10^th Doctor once more regenerated.

In a burst or energy and flames that destroyed most of the interior of the Tardis, David Tennant regenerated into Matt Smith. Matt Smith’s portrayal of the Doctor is where the title of this entry comes from. His version of the Doctor truly is a “Mad man with a box”. The box of course being the Tardis which got a major overhaul from the one used for Eccleston and Tennant. Matt Smith’s version of the character appears to be almost an idiot savant. A genius when it comes to complex things but complete rubbish and almost childlike when it comes to the simplest of tasks.

Along with a new doctor we got a pair of new companions. Initially the Doctor was teamed with a feisty redhead named Amy Pond. The two were later joined by Amy’s fiancée (later husband, played by Arthur Darvill). This was significant because so far since the series had been rebooted in 2005 the Doctor’s companions had all been women (not counting Donna’s grandfather during a Christmas special).  An additional character added to the cast off and on was River Song, played by Alex Kingston, who appears to know everything about the Doctor’s future.

 

And that is where we currently leave the Doctor. Currently this is the seventh season of the new Doctor Who and it is looking to be quite a treat. Just a bit of trivia but next year is the Fiftieth anniversary of the original Doctor. We can only hope the creators and writers have something special in store for us the fans.