Doctor Who Rewind - Introduction

I recently wrote a lengthy piece about, among other things, the relationship between tv science fiction and real life. How the seemingly inconsequential events of a tv drama programme can have a profound and influential role in our lives by connecting with memories, emotion, and creativity in a deep and powerful way.

If you'd like to read my thoughts on that you'll find it here:
http://letters-from storyville.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/the-memory-of-blood.html

In response to it, and by way of a diversion, I've been inspired by my relationship with a science fiction programme that has spanned mine, and many others lives over the years, to explore my own perceptions, memories and expectations of it, by going back and re-watching.

Whether the other worldly theme tune echoed into your psyche when you were but a baby, or the iconic time machine fed your imagination as an adult, or the endless parade of hairy scary slimy bug eyed robot automatons filled you with fear as a child. It's hard to escape the timeless pull of the worlds longest running sci-fi show.

Doctor Who, in some form or another, seems to have always been there, like a Bob Dylan or a Neil Young. Not always making good television mind, but always delivering new worlds and landscapes to explore. I can't claim to have been a fanatical fan of the show over the years, I didn't know how many episodes were lost or what happened to K9, or how the Daleks managed to squash any civilisations when they couldn't even conquer getting up a curb. But, I have been a loyal viewer of the show since my indoctrination sometime in the early seventies.

I was born in 1969 when the show was already into its second doctor, Patrick Troughton. I have vague memories of number three, John Pertwee bumbling around in that ridiculous cape and frilly shirt, but the Doctor I remember most, sweating buckets on some tropical planet with his scarf wrapped around him, was Tom Baker. I think him, more than anyone else, cemented the magic of time travel into a young Treadwell. Of course others followed, some with endearing qualities, and others without. I watched them all, and although I wasn't devastated by the BBC's decision to pull the show in 1989, I did feel it's absence. Saturday nights were just not the same.

When it returned in 2005 after only a TV movie in 1996, I was like many others, holding my breath for greater things. Gone were the dogy monsters, long drawn out stories, and wobbly sets. Replaced with authentic aliens, shorter snappier stories and special effects that we'd all been waiting to see since the mid-seventies.

The new rebooted series has explored the Doctor in new ways, both emotionally in his relationships with his companions and mentally, by giving him some difficult decisions to make regarding humanity.

And now, time has caught up with the Doctor and us. As if you didn't know, but this year marks the 50th anniversary of the very first episode in 1963. A generation of viewers has grown up, and now watchers with their children. The baton is been passed on.

During the last half of the present series, with Matt Smith in the Doctors chair, I've enjoyed more than ever the mystery surrounding just who the Doctor is. And, that amazing cliff hanging climax with the final episode left me wanting more. I found that to help span the gap between now and November 23rd, I've had to go back to the start of the reboot and educate young Treadwell on all things Who. As, being all of 4, he really needs to get a move on and get up to speed.

But even that hasn't been enough to quench my thirst for more. I wished I could watch some new stories. But I've seen them all.

Or have I? Then it hit me.

I've never seen those early years from the classic series, With Hartnell and Troughton especially. It would be like watching new episodes, well old new episodes. And, even the later Pertwee and Baker episodes would be interesting to watch as I've now forgotten all the stories from back when I was but a boy. But how would such episodes measure up, in 2013?

Nearly all of the classic Who stories have now been released on DVD, except for the lost deleted episodes which have either been reconditioned by the BBBC or by fanatical fans, by using existing audio (recorded by viewers at the time of transmission) and archive material which still survives or animation sequences.

So, with no particular plan in place but to clear a load of shelf space, go back to the very beginning, watch the episodes in order at my own pace, to see how they and the Doctor stand up today, I'm beginning my odyssey.

I'm not the only one attempting this this year. Others are making their own personal journeys through the Who archives. One of my favourites is by Neil Perryman who has managed to persuade his wife to watch all the episodes with him. The result is very funny and can be read here: http://wifeinspace.com/

It's quite a daunting task to attempt every classic Doctor Who, after all there are 690 odd episodes and the first several years are all fuzzy black and white. But that's the challenge. It may take me a few years to get to the end, but rationed properly, I'm sure it will be perfectly do-able.

I'm going to be writing little observations and thoughts on the stories too, and I'll be posting those on Facebook and my blog at: http://letters-from-storyville.blogspot.co.uk/

So, rewind the tapes, I'm going back to 1963.