Doctor Who, the televsion programme, celebrated it's 50th anniversary last fall.
Lots of the best British things did recently. The Beatles, James Bond...
but, I digress...
In the past fifty years, many actors have filled the main role of "The Doctor." William Hartnell portrayed the first incarnation when the show premiered (the day after the JFK assassination), but for most of us (unless you were born in the nineties) the first Doctor we saw (on this side of the pond) was the fourth, Tom Baker, sporting his super-long multicolored scarf. He held the role the longest, and tends to be who people think of first when they envision the Doctor... (Well, younger folk might think of David Tennant or Matt Smith, and might not even be aware the show existed before it came back to television in 2005.)
I remember the show, and its low budget special effects on the PBS of my youth. I also remember being scared, but watching anyway. Friends have told a similar story. In retrospect, I don't think I was really scared, per se, but more unnerved by something about the show. How it seemed to all take place in one room. (Which it turns out it was - being filmed on one stage.) Stuck in one room where you couldn't get away from any of the bug eyed monsters that would inevitably turn up. THAT would be scary to a child. The Empty Child saying "Are you my mommy?" THAT would be, is scary to my wife. ;)
The 2005 reboot of the show looks worlds better and the storytelling is as good as ever. Impressive, considering Douglass Adams was the head writer during the Tom Baker years. Adams who also gave us the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything. You know, THE ANSWER to the question of what are the degrees latitude for geocaches around these parts. So, there's the first number you need. But you already knew that. Sylvester and William give you the degrees west, but you knew that too ;)
GC55MMN = Baker, Baker. MMW = Capaldi + Davison + Eccleston + Hartnell + Pertwee + Tennent
50 years, 800 episodes, 12 doctors
Well,... I suppose not 12, exactly.
We saw The Doctor(s) travel with many companions over the years; together (and sometimes seperately) they faced many enemies, odd things, (Ood things), and other things that go bump in the night.
Yes, there were scary things, but there were also loads of funny things and cool things too. Not to mention loads of great fan art and online memes. A quick Google image or Pinterest search is great for a few laughs (or "likes" or "favorite points," or whatever the kids are into these days). But, unless you're caught up, watch out for < insert River Song voice over > "Spoilers" ;)
"Where are we going?" "Are you talking philosophically, or geographically?"
