Mindy Newell: Today’s About Yesterday
Last week I told you about my family’s celebration of my dad’s 90th birthday. This week I’m going to talk about another birthday.
The Doctor’s.
Doctor who?
That’s right.
He turns 50 years this year, plus another 1000 – give or take. And tonight – uh, last night, actually – all us Whovians are – uh, were, actually – being treated to the first of a series of special events celebrating his golden anniversary, with The Doctors Revisited: The First Doctor, which is going to be – uh, was, actually – on at 9:00 PM, to be followed – uh, was followed – by a re-airing of the sixth episode, The Aztecs. I’m surprised – I mean was surprised – that the producers didn’t choose to air the first episode, An Unearthly Child.
In that episode, schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright become – became – curious and concerned about their 15-year-old student, Susan Foreman. Although the girl is – was – brilliant in science and history, but she doesn’t – didn’t – know how many shillings there are – were – in a pound. In fact, she says – said – that English currency is – was – on the decimal system. And she argues – argued – that she cannot – couldn’t – solve an equation about dimensions with only “a.” “b,” and “c” – there must be a “d” and an “e,” she insists – insisted. They follow – followed – her home one evening and discover – discovered – that Susan apparently lives – lived – in a police box sitting in the middle of the junkyard. Shortly afterwards, Barbara and Ian break – broke – into the police box and meet – met – Susan’s grandfather, a churlish old man who introduces – introduced – himself as the Doctor.
And that’s when they discover – discovered – that the police box is – well, actually, the police box is still the – a TARDIS, a strange machine which is bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside – well, actually, it still is – and which travels through space and time – well, actually, it still does, though it can’t return to fixed points in time, as we saw in this season’s The Angels Take Manhattan. The Doctor is – was – afraid that Barbara and Ian will – would – tell the authorities what they have seen, so he activates – activated – the TARDIS and takes – took – them all to the Stone Age.
I’ve never seen any of William Hartnell’s episodes – uh, well, actually, now I have – and I’m really looking forward to seeing The Aztecs – uh, I mean, I was looking forward to it.
It was really good.
Wasn’t it?
TUESDAY MORNING: Emily S. Whitten
TUESDAY AFTERNOON: Michael Davis
Your column got caught in wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff but it was fun.
I was less than captivated by the Special. They didn’t show how the Companions left, they didn’t mention the music (the theme was quite stunning at the time), and they didn’t mention one of the most crucial aspects of the First Doctor — how he regenerated into the Second Doctor (maybe next week). That single fact alone has helped account for the Doctor’s longevity more than any other factor. And THE AZTECS dragged for me around the middle. Not uninteresting but, I agree, I would have chosen either AN UNEARTHLY CHILD or the first Daleks adventure. Still, I’ll be tuning into the other specials as well.
Also caught a rerun of BLINK this morning. Forgot how good that was for so little Doctor actually in it.
Fun column as always, Mindy.
Yes, John, I was VERY disappointed in the Special. In fact, I thought it sucked.
I thought THE AZTECS was actually pretty good, and I really liked Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright; in fact, I thought Wright was rather stiff in what I’ve seen of AN UNEARTHLY CHILD, and this gave me a better appreciation of the actress and the character. As for William Hartnell, I thought he was great!
Given the status of no money and SFX in 1963, I thought the music and the opening credits were very good.
I do have a question…was Susan really Harnell’s granddaughter or simply a “companion?” And what happened to her? When did TPTB decide that the Doctor was the last survivor of his planet? So then how cold Susan be his granddaughter?
And, yes, the column did get caught up in the the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff, so it didn’t really work, but that’s what writing is all about, right? Trying, and sometimes failing.
“Was Susan really Harnell’s granddaughter or simply a ‘companion?'”
She was his granddaughter. (He was over 900 years old at the time, so it’s not unlikely he produced children in his youth [around 300-400 years old].)
“And what happened to her?”
She was left behind at the end of “Dalek Invasion of Earth” after falling in love with a freedom fighter against the Daleks, who had conquered Earth in 2150 AD.
“When did TPTB decide that the Doctor was the last survivor of his planet?”
When the series was revived in 2005, it was revealed that the Doctor’s homeworld, Gallefrey, was destroyed during the Time War, which happened between the end of the original series (1989) and the revival in 2005 (at least as we perceive time).
Gallefrey existed until it’s destruction in the Time War, The Doctor visited it several times during the series’ run, and various Time Lords (including the Doctor’s nemesis, The Master) would pop up on Earth and other planets.
“So then how could Susan be his granddaughter?”
See the first answer.
I’m waiting for the special in March featuring my favorite, the 3rd Doctor (Jon Pertwee), who was the closest the series ever got to a genius/man of action (but with lots of eccentricities) who could out-think AND out-fight his opponents, not just out-talk them!
Plus he wore Inverness capes (and an occasional slouch hat)!