You know, this is one thing I can completely and totally blame my mother for. Thank you, Mom.
When I was born she was a Doctor Who fan, not in a fandom way like you see today on tumblr. It was a routine kind of thing. As a kid a lot of the typical kids shows.... well, I had a recurring nightmare based on a Sesame Street skit, that might merit a post all on it's own. I still remember it vividly, though I must have been younger than 4 when it happened the first and most terrifying time.
But Doctor Who was imprinted in quiet and relaxing snuggled tv watching from the time I was born. It feels like it at least. When I was of the age of "having to go to bed" I could still hear the sound of the Tardis, the credits, the lull of the voices on the tv creeping into my sleeping mind. Around 8, I started hunting it out on PBS to watch by myself. It was great, this was the best and ultimate excuse to stay up past bedtime on a weekend... "But Doctor Who doesn't come on until 10!". I had found a loophole to bedtimes in a way. Mom never did discourage me staying up to watch it. Most of the time I would fall asleep just before the end so there are a lot of episodes of Tom Baker years that are kinda sorta stored up in the old noggin, bits and pieces that filled in on reruns. Because they played it all the time. BBC would give us these seasons and PBS ran two shows a week, one new and one rerun, this was kid Who heaven.
I grew up with Tom baker as *my* Doctor, he still is and always will be. He is the first Doctor I remember and I cried unabashedly when the end came. I had that small little girl fantasy that someday... someday when I was "mature" or just older I would hear the sound of the Tardis outside, race down steps to burst outside and see him leaning against the Tardis with a bag of jelly babies going. "I think you're ready now, shall we? lease remember not to wander off though... dreadful. Jelly baby?"
And off we go.
I am still waiting for that sound and TB to be ready to go.
Part of me always will be.
When Peter Davidson took over, I was so irritated, all I could think in my head was "Tristan! Shouldn't you be on a farm with your arm up somethings wazoo??" He was All Creatures Great and Small and *not* the right kind of doctor! How could a farm vet take TB's place? He eventually won me over, except for the silliness of the bit of celery on his lapel...
But I grew accustomed to him, he grew into the role, the farm faded and he did *become* the Doctor and it was grand.
I grew older though and when Davidson left... I was all fire and rebellion and the new guy, Colin Baker, just did nothing for me. I stomped away from my childhood series like I tried to stomp away from childhood in general. I was too old and too cool with other things to do. Better things!
Not really, but hey, I was 11 at that point, I knew so much better right?
By the time CB left I was still checking in, hopeful for the Doctor, wanting to be able to watch and enjoy still. I just never could get into that guy though. Sylvester McCoy... now I liked him, he was great, lacking in the companion sense (Never really did like Ace, kept hoping she would become alien food) but I was seriously hitting the teen years and not at home enough to make a habit out of watching. I couldn't convince *most* of the group I was around that it was cool. Except my first real boyfriend, he was a Doctor nut too, had all the comics and in what must have been a rampaging moment of teen hormones gave me the entire set. Yep, teen love, ain't it grand? But it was one person and we had other things to go and do usually...
Then came meeting the kids dad, marriage, the first born, life in general. By the time I was really thinking about "Hey, I want to watch the Doctor", well it ended the same month my oldest was born. It was gone. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye really. Amanda must have been around 6-7 months old and curled into me one night when I tried to find it with no avail. Pre internet too so I had to try and hunt it down and never found it again.
Fast forward to 2006, I hadn't thought of the Doctor in years, I never read the books or followed the radio version. Something I still want to catch up on at some point when I have hours and days of free time. Retirement maybe, heh.
Someone mentioned it and I was off again. How had I missed this? THIS of all things?? I searched, found and dove headfirst back into it without a moment's hesitation. I have gotten the kids hooked though they pick and choose when to like it, they can take it or leave it but at least they do not roll their eyes too much when I boot everyone away for this 45 mins 13 times a year. I have introduced it to friends who now go back and search out the older ones to see what they have missed. I have found a touch point to new friends who are Whovians in every walk of life I can imagine. This... is the good stuff. Each week I have my time with the Doctor.
I still listen for that sound though...
If I ever hear it I will run and hope beyond hope that a curly headed Doctor with an impossible scarf and a crumpled brown bag will be waiting.
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