Thursday, September 29, 2011

I need a Doctor

Being a book worm wasn't easy in the 90s (ok, stop back calculating and trying to figure out how old I am) in India as your reading options were limited to the usual Hardy Boys, Hardy Boys: Case Files, Famous Five, Three Investigators, Bobbsey Twins, Secret Seven and Five Find-Outers series. And when you were done with all the books you could lay your hands on and were waiting for someone else to buy a new set of books, you quietly read the odd Nancy Drew book (I can so imagine someone commenting on this).


That was until I laid my paws on my first Dr. Who book. For those of you who have never heard of the Doctor, he is a Time Lord who is able to move across time and space with the help of his extraordinary time machine called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space) usually with a human companion. To escape detection, the TARDIS looks like an ordinary blue police box from the outside but in truth, is much larger on the inside. The books that our school library was filled with were based on episodes from the long running BBC show (started in 1963!) that unfortunately never made it to Indian airwaves.


The TARDIS

The best part about the books was that they took you to different fascinating planets (with the occassional earth adventure thrown in for good measure) and pitted the ever witty Doctor and his faithful companion against some truly formidable foes that included the dreaded Daleks & the Cybermen. The Doctor would regenerate on occassion to signify the arrival of a different actor to replace the existing one on the TV series which meant that the series continued across the years. The morally upright Doctor ensured that no fight for survival was ever boring even though the challenges quite often seemed insurmountable. Unfortunately I lost touch with the good Doctor and with that an integral part of my childhood.


An old school Dalek

All until I managed to get all the episodes of the Doctor Who series that starred Christopher Eccleston as the effervescent Doctor. The books had set the bar so high in my younger years that I was certain that the TV show would be a disappointment and I prepared myself for the worst. Boy, was I wrong! I'm 8 episodes into the adventures of the ninth doctor & I just cant get enough of it. The story lines are as good as ever, the visual effects are amazing (considering it is a TV show & not a Hollywood blockbuster) & Christopher Eccleston has added a whole dimension to the Doctor.

New school Cybermen


Research tells me there are a ton of old episodes out there on the internet. Which means I need to take a break from downloading MMA fights, wrestling matches & seasons of Top Gear (What? Its not like you dont have a hard disk full of illegally downloaded stuff). I also need to bring a temporary halt to the Everybody Loves Raymond episodes that I watch in the evenings now that I have the excellent company of the Doctor. Work however has increased which means I have to sleep less if I have to be able to catch the Doctor in action. Being an old school guy isnt easy in the 21st century.

8 comments:

Nefertiti said...

first P.S. I Love You and now nancy Drew!!! who are you and what have you done to the neil I know?

Neil D'souza said...

I put the (I can so imagine someone commenting on this) bit in only because I knew you would have something to say ...

Nefertiti said...

I am just commenting to say that you are mistaken if you think you know me... bcz you dont!gahh!!!

Neil D'souza said...

Thank God for the small mercies in life ....

Nefertiti said...

go read sweet valley high...
u deserve it

Neil D'souza said...

Sweet Valley Who?

cdogzilla said...

If nobody has already given this advice, I suggest focusing on the Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee years of the old (classic) Doctor Who as you start watching more of the older series. There are many great stories from Doctors 1, 2, & 5 (hardly anything enjoyable from Doctors 6 & 7), but the third (Pertwee) and fourth (Tom Baker) Doctors are the ones I always suggest newer fans the older show start with.

Neil D'souza said...

Just the sort of heads up that I needed. Will get to Tom Baker & Jon in some time. Need to finish this series first!