Happy 45th Birthday Doctor Who!!!
The little BBC show-that-could is 45 years old today! Can you believe it? Of course that means that yesterday was also the 45th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, much more sobering event in world history.
But back to the Doctor! On the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who I could only longingly look back to the show's heydays in the 70's/80's, hoping beyond hope for the return of the Tardis. Now here we are at 45 and the show is back stronger than it has ever been. David Tennant announces he's leaving the role in a year from now, and the news makes it to the ticker on CNN! Yippee!!
Who's your favorite Doctor? And what are your favorite Doctor Who episodes?
Tennant is firmly ensconced as my second favorite Doctor now. Tom Baker's portrayal has had such an influence on my life that he'll always be my number one, but Tennant has again and again that he was born to play this role. I feel honored to have experienced his entire run of episodes "live and in real time".
My favorite episodes from the new series... Damn, there are so many! This year I was blown away by "The Fires of Pompeii", such a classic Doctor Who setup with amazing acting and a wonderful sense of forboding but, in the end, hope. It compares extremely favorably to the Tom Baker/Sarah Jane classic "The Pyramids of Mars", another of my all time favorites.
I have a soft spot for those episodes in which the Doctor loses more than he gains. So in the new series that would be the end of "Doomsday" (he saves the world from a Dalek/Cyberman war, but loses Rose in the process) and the remarkable "The Sound of Drums" (where an insane Master literally has the Doctor's number). In the old series I'd have to say the Davison stories "The Caves of Androzani" (regeneration!) and "Earthshock" (die Adric, die!) top that list.
But my overall favorites are... drumroll...
- Tom Baker: "The Pyramids of Mars"
- David Tennant: "Impossible Planet/Satan Pit"
- Christopher Eccleston: "Father's Day"