Who in the what now?

The inner geek in me has awoken (again).

Spring is in the air, and the new season brings the return of Doctor Who. Its been a hard time since the end of the last series, when Ecclestone left the TARDIS in a hail of Daleks. Sure, there was the christmas special, and the box set, and i got a sonic screwdriver*, but it wasn't easy not having new Who to watch every week.

I'm loving the new series. I loved the last series. I loved the old series (yes, i too did hide behind the couch, thats not just a myth - there was one story, Meglos, when i was SOOO scared, i had to wait three weeks to watch it again when a new story started), i even had a Tom Baker Scarf (thanks mum). For some reason the thought of this eccentric old renegade Time Lord, careering round through time and space in a ship which happens to be stuck in the shape of an old battered Police Box caught my imagination when i was a kid, and i've never quite managed to shake the excitement of waiting every week to see what happens next. Those cliffhangers, eh!!

I can hardly move in my flat for Daleks (remote control, talking and even inflatable), cybermen, and an assortment of Doctors. I even have a k-9, but its only little. My dream is to have a life size remote control one, or better still a real one that can go into the kitchen and fetch mixers for me. There is even a TARDIS in the hall, but thats another matter entirely.

Anyhoo, i hope some of you have been enjoying the thrills and spills of the new Doctor. Tennent is shaping up to be really rather good, and i for one am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

I am also currently being scared by the new DVD of Genisis of the Daleks, one of the finest original Doctor Who stories, featuring Tom Baker as the Doctor. Terry Nation went back to tell the story of how the Daleks came about, and in a story that took heavy influence from the rise of Hitler and the Nazi's, introduced Davros, the Daleks meglomaniac creator, and portayed the Kaled's as SS/Gestapo-like vicious warmongers intent in creating the perfect race, a move which at the time stirred up an enourmous amount of complaints to the BBC and had Mary Whitehouse frothing at the mouth. Its a serious drama and one of those examples where even on a budget, the crew managed to create a serial which looks perfect and still stands up today.


check out www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho to see whats been happening and you too can revel in being a Dr Who geek.

Gav


*it REALLY works. Whilst travelling home from the pub last sunday night after more newcastle brown ale than was possibly wise, there was a taxi heading along Woodlands Road towards us, but its 'for hire' light was out. I pointed the sonic screwdriver at it, quick as a flash, the 'for hire' light came on and the taxi pulled over and stopped for me, amazing. I believe Tom Baker used to use the same trick in Soho.