# Don't get Dr. Who at all **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2014, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121 "2014-09-21T23:58:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/21 "2014-09-22T08:15:14Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > I’ve had at least a nodding acquaintance with “Dr. Who” throughout the fifty-odd years since its inception; and have always had trouble seeing what all the fuss was about. I tend to be hard to please with entertainment and fiction generally, and essentially don’t “do” TV series – this, a case in point. Was always put off, for a start, by the title: Doctor Who, as a name for a hero, struck me as extremely lame. > [@Penfeather](#): > > It’s not his name; he’s always referred to as The Doctor, never as Doctor Who, unless **Moffatt** is being cute. I’m so not well up on “Who-ery”, that I had to Google the bolded name (irritating nitpick: it’s Stephen _Moffat_, with one t). I still think “Dr. Who” is a lame title… ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/22 "2014-09-22T08:51:09Z")
While I do find myself allowing the show to grow on me, I can’t get into the notion of calling a Doctor Who fan a “Whovian.” To me, a “Whovian” is a Dr Seuss fan. I’m also on board with holding in contempt anyone who calls Terry Pratchett “Pterry.” _Pyramids_ isn’t even in the top 10 of his best work. I also give a thumbs down to people who call Marvin from Hitchhiker’s Guide the “Paranoid Android.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/23 "2014-09-22T08:55:30Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > you have watch all the episodes in order. I tried that. The problem is that on Netflix the earliest available episode appears to be occurring in the middle of a story. It seems to be about some woman who puts on an Aztec mask and becomes an Aztec goddess. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/24 "2014-09-22T09:06:10Z")
I hear ya! Hated the show when I was a kid; still hate it now. And yet… I love the fandom, love their enthusiasm for memes and crafts and whatnot. Really want to be a part of that community, populated as it is with some of the people I love best in the world… But I can’t watch the bloody show. It’s toe curling. Matt Smith is very watchable - there’s just something compelling about him - but the rest of the show just carries on being awful around him. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/25 "2014-09-22T09:14:38Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I hear ya! Hated the show when I was a kid; still hate it now. And yet… I love the fandom, love their enthusiasm for memes and crafts and whatnot. Really want to be a part of that community, populated as it is with some of the people I love best in the world… But I can’t watch the bloody show. It’s toe curling. Matt Smith is very watchable - there’s just something compelling about him - but the rest of the show just carries on being awful around him. Matt Smith is gone; he’s been newly replaced by the much older, more low-key and at times curmudgeonly Peter Capaldi. Who doesn’t hug. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/26 "2014-09-22T10:09:45Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I watched my first reboot Dr. Who today, “The Girl in the Fireplace”…it was pretty good. And the Sci-Fi was solid…well, the base concept. That was the first one I watched, too. I thought that whole season had a decent tonal range. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/27 "2014-09-22T10:36:49Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I watched my first reboot Dr. Who today, “The Girl in the Fireplace”…it was pretty good. And the Sci-Fi was solid…well, the base concept. You picked a pretty good one. Looking at the show just from the 2005 reboot - which we call “NuWho " - there have been some 100-odd episodes, with two different showrunners (what we Americans call 'executive producers”) and I-don’t-know how many writers. As you can imagine, the quality varies. Some episodes, frankly, suck balls; “Daleks In Manhattan”, for example. And some are fantastic: “The Family Of Blood” has one of the best-written and best-acted scenes I’ve ever seen on television. “Midnight” and “The Girl Who Waited” are two others that feature tight writing, good acting, and clever concepts. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/28 "2014-09-22T11:42:42Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I tried that. The problem is that on Netflix the earliest available episode appears to be occurring in the middle of a story. It seems to be about some woman who puts on an Aztec mask and becomes an Aztec goddess. Quite a few of the very early episodes from the original run are lost to antiquity. Just like in early U.S. TV classic shows were taped over and lost forever. There is really no need to go that far back. All you need is a very basic understanding of the back story (Time Lord, travels through space and time) and just start with the reboot. I only watched (and mostly forgot) the Tom Baker episodes in my youth and then a few others here and there. It didn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/29 "2014-09-22T11:47:38Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > (what we Americans call 'executive producers") Actually we Americans call them showrunners too. There can be many executive producers but there is usually only one showrunner. For instance in The Walking Dead Frank Darabont was the creator, executive producer and show runner. He was replaced. First by Glenn Mazzara then Scott Gimple. But the entire time there were other executive producers such as the creator of the graphic novel. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/30 "2014-09-22T11:48:21Z")
What’s Dr. Who’s doctorate in? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/31 "2014-09-22T11:54:06Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > What’s Dr. Who’s doctorate in? He did his thesis on “First”. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/32 "2014-09-22T11:58:39Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > He did his thesis on “First”. Wait… “Who’s on First”?.. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/33 "2014-09-22T11:58:44Z")
I’ve watched it all since the first episode in 1963 (yes, I’m that old 😉 ) and agree with previous posters: > [@Infovore](#): > > … You might not like it anyway (not everybody does, and that’s fine) but it’s probably easier to get into it if you start with one of the more “accessible” episodes. > > I suggest either “Blink” (which is one of the best Who episodes ever) or “Rose” (the first episode of the Who reboot, with Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor). “Blink” is truly amazing. It packs time-travel, suspense, romance and pathos into one classic episode. If you decide you do like it and you have watched many episodes, then you’ll be ready to experience ‘The Day of the Doctor’. This was the 50th anniversary episode and was full of great moments. > [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > I saw recent episodes don’t recall which ones. At least the sidekick is cute. There have been many good-looking companions, but Jenna Coleman is stunning. > [@Loach](#): > > There is really no need to go that far back. All you need is a very basic understanding of the back story (Time Lord, travels through space and time) and just start with the reboot. I only watched (and mostly forgot) the Tom Baker episodes in my youth and then a few others here and there. It didn’t matter. The early episodes were made on a limited budget with no CGI. I enjoyed them (hiding behind a couch because they were so ‘scary’ :eek: ), but as Loach says, just start with the reboot. ---
**Author:** ![bogtrotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/76d3ee/32.png) [@bogtrotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bogtrotter)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/34 "2014-09-22T12:07:06Z")
It’s utter genk. Even the props look cheap, robots that look like they’ve been built out of random bits of [industrial machinery](http://www.gmsuppliesltd.co.uk/general-canopy-package-gt2110) left lying around. Conclusion: it’s rubbish. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/35 "2014-09-22T12:34:40Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > It’s not his name; he’s always referred to as The Doctor, never as Doctor Who, unless Moffatt is being cute. Depends what you mean by “referred to,” I suppose. From the very beginning, up through the end of Tom Baker’s time (which is to say, for 18 years), he was always listed in the closing credits as “Doctor Who.” That’s also true of the Christopher Eccleston season. I don’t know if people are familiar with the blog [Adventures with the Wife in Space](http://wifeinspace.com/). It’s a dedicated fan, watching every extent episode of the classic series with his wife, who isn’t a fan at all. One of the funniest moments is when she notices that the end credits identify him as “Doctor Who.” She’s like, “I can’t believe we wasted all that time arguing about whether or not his name is Doctor Who. All we had to do was look at the credits, and see that of course it is!” 🙂 At one time it wasn’t uncommon for many people, even fans, to refer to the character as “Doctor Who” in casual conversation. It’s only relatively recently that fandom has gotten persnickety about this. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/36 "2014-09-22T13:04:58Z")
Of course his name is Doctor Who. There’s no other reason to call the show that. ---
**Author:** ![skylyn12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@skylyn12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skylyn12)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/37 "2014-09-22T14:02:16Z")
There is nothing to get, it is an awful show by any standard. I always assume people are pretending to like it for nerd cred. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/38 "2014-09-22T14:02:39Z")
The credits may well list him as “Doctor Who”, but in the show, he never refers to himself as anything but “the Doctor”. If anyone asks him, “Doctor who?”, expecting a name of some sort, his reply is, “just ‘the Doctor’.” ETA: [Quote=skylyn12] There is nothing to get, it is an awful show by any standard. I always assume people are pretending to like it for nerd cred. [/Quote] And you’d be wrong. My first doctor was Jon Pertwee. I loved the show then, and I was hardly looking for “nerd cred” at the age of 6. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/39 "2014-09-22T14:15:25Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Maybe I have bad luck but every time I watch an episode it seems bad. It almost seems like it’s cheesy on purpose. And you’d be right. Adults are not the target audience, though there’s a fair amount of stuff that will fly past kids there. ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121/40 "2014-09-22T14:22:51Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > What’s Dr. Who’s doctorate in? I have a memory of a classic Who story where the doctor was asked, “You call yourself ‘The Doctor’ just what is it that you are a doctor of?” To which he replied, “Everything.” I think it was during Peter Davidson’s run. Anyone else remember? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-get-dr-who-at-all/699121.md?page=3)