# I'm being pulled into Doctor Who...og help me! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486 "2011-01-13T18:14:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/21 "2011-01-14T00:40:42Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > The statement “I’m enough of a geek to have been into shows like Firefly and The X-Files, but watching Doctor Who had always struck me as being a whole other level of geek-ness” …sure. To a geek in the United States. A US geek is very much much more likely to have encountered Firefly or the X-files as both were broadcast on Network TV in the US. The closest that Who has come has been a TV movie on the Fox Network and a Very Special Episode of Craig Ferguson. It should have been obvious from the OP that they were based in the US (reference to Netflix) and that the statement they made should have been read in that context. So yeah, Doctor Who is popular in the UK and some other parts of the world: but as Ferguson says: not many people in the US have heard of Doctor Who. And that would include Geeks. To **Misnomer** , welcome to our world! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/22 "2011-01-14T00:43:44Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > To be fair, he was trying to explain the Doctor to an audience who had never seen the Doctor: > …and > > Very true. I get annoyed at how the Sonic Screwdriver has become so sufficiently advanced a piece of technology that it has become indistinguishable from [a] magic [wand]. > > As they say, [you never forget your first Doctor](http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/popculture/988c/). Mine was Tom Baker, and that bit from _School Reunion_ left me a blubbery mess. Link to the t-shirt added. Mine was also Tom Baker. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/23 "2011-01-14T00:51:44Z")
As a kid I watched the Tom Baker Eps in the 70s. They were actually on a local station back then every Sunday morning for 2 hours. (Ch. 9 WWOR in NYC area) I enjoyed them though not as much as Star Trek but I enjoyed them. I never saw the other Doctors until later and did not like them as much. Then the new series came out and I had the pleasure of watching all of these with my kids. They love the new shows. They love them enough that my son fired up an old Doctor Who (Tom Baker) with Romana from Netflix streaming tonight. He appears transfix and my daughter was drawn in to watch it too. I have to say while Baker was my Doctor if you would, Tennant’s shows were the best so far. The _Doctor Dances_, _The Weeping Angels_ and several others were just great shows and not just great Sci-Fi. The Sarah Jane series is pretty good too considering the age group it is aimed at, but I found Torchwood terrible the first season and gave up on it. Also Firefly is as obscure a show as Doctor who was in the 70s. The Internet just makes it easier for fans to talk to each other. Doctor Who actually was featured prominently at US Sci-Fi conventions in the 70s and 80s AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/24 "2011-01-14T00:52:09Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > We’ve finished the reboot and are looking for a source for the Baker years. Any ideas? Check your local library, then expand your research to your inter-library loan system, if your library is hooked into it. If you want to own them, [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) has them. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/25 "2011-01-14T00:56:19Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I have to say while Baker was my Doctor if you would, Tennant’s shows were the best so far. The _Doctor Dances_, _The Weeping Angels_ and several others were just great shows and not just great Sci-Fi. Nitpick: _The Doctor Dances_, which was indeed an outstanding episode, was an Eccleston show. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/26 "2011-01-14T01:15:45Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Nitpick: _The Doctor Dances_, which was indeed an outstanding episode, was an Eccleston show. Dang, I got the name wrong then. The two parter in WWII that introduces Capt. Jack. The scary gas mask shows with “are you my mommy?” is the one I meant. Incredibly good show. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/27 "2011-01-14T01:19:27Z")
> [@Scuba\_Ben](#): > > I suggest watching _The Three Doctors_ followed by _The Five Doctors_. Both great stories for long time fans to watch. Not so good as an introduction for new people. Five Doctors in particular, contains many appearances by old familiar faces. Great memories for those who grew up watching them. New watchers will be left saying “Who’s that? What’s going on?” Don’t watch either of those stories until you’ve seen at least two other stories, preferably more, from each Doctor’s reign. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/28 "2011-01-14T01:38:44Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I had a friend in college whose mom knitted him a Tom Baker-style scarf. That would be me. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/29 "2011-01-14T01:49:47Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Is it only a matter of time before I decide to watch every single episode of _Doctor Who_ that was ever made? :eek: 😉 > [@amanset](#): > > And then you find that this isn’t actually possible due to some crazy decisions made in the 60s and early 70s and get really depressed. What this means is that a few decades ago it was difficult and expensive to archive old TV shows. Doctor Who is one that wasn’t preserved, and many old episodes were lost. Don’t despair, though. The soundtrack of every episode survives, due to fans recording it on tape. And there were many photographs taken on set during rehearsals. And there were many [telesnaps](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tele-snaps)made, where a photographer recorded what was onscreen during a broadcast episode. This has enabled people to make reconstructions of lost episodes, consisting of the original sound plus a load of stills. It’s not as good as the original episode, but it allows you to watch the story and get a good impression of what it was like. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/30 "2011-01-14T02:00:57Z")
Oh, by the way … [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor01.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor01.jpg) [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor02.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor02.jpg) [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor03.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor03.jpg) [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor04.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor04.jpg) [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor05.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor05.jpg) [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor06.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor06.jpg) [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor07.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor07.jpg) [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor08.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor08.jpg) [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor09.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor09.jpg) [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor10.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor10.jpg) [![](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor11.jpg) ](https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc144/PeterMorris/Doctor%20Who/Doctor11.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/31 "2011-01-14T02:24:38Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Dang, I got the name wrong then. The two parter in WWII that introduces Capt. Jack. The scary gas mask shows with “are you my mommy?” is the one I meant. Incredibly good show. Yes. That is the one. Featuring Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor. 😃 > **[The Doctor Dances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doctor_Dances)** > > "The Doctor Dances" is the tenth episode of the first series of the revival of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 May 2005. It is the second of a two-part story, following the broadcast of "The Empty Child" on 21 May. > The episode is set in London in 1941. In the episode, the Ninth Doctor, his companion Rose Tyler, con man Captain Jack Harkness, and homeless woman Nancy investigate a spaceship which crashed the same time as p... ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/32 "2011-01-14T02:26:13Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Yes. That is the one. Featuring Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor. 😃 > > [The Doctor Dances - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doctor_Dances) Well isn’t the brain a funny thing. I would’ve sworn that was Tennant. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/33 "2011-01-14T02:27:37Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Nobody is arguing with you. > > Just imagine that the OP said “watching Doctor Who _where I happen to be_ had always struck me as being a whole other level of geek-ness.” But he didn’t. Why would I imagine he said something he didn’t? I merely pointed out the “where I happen to be” part. I’m not sure why people see that as thinking people are “arguing with me”. Well, people _do_ appear to be arguing with me - they seem to be arguing that nobody is arguing with me. I’m not arguing with you about that. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/34 "2011-01-14T02:31:30Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …sure. To a geek in the United States. A US geek is very much much more likely to have encountered Firefly or the X-files as both were broadcast on Network TV in the US. The closest that Who has come has been a TV movie on the Fox Network and a Very Special Episode of Craig Ferguson. It should have been obvious from the OP that they were based in the US (reference to Netflix) and that the statement they made should have been read in that context. So yeah, Doctor Who is popular in the UK and some other parts of the world: but as Ferguson says: not many people in the US have heard of Doctor Who. And that would include Geeks. Yes, I know! \*I \*pointed out the geographical oddity; no need to respond by pointing it out back to me! Not sure what Netflix is or why that would make something obvious. People seem to be trying to disagree with something, and I’m not entirely sure what. Yes, it may be unpopular where you are located; no it’s not unpopular in terms of how many people watch it. It’s more maintsream than, say, Firefly. Is this bothering anyone? Netflix, however, is a niche cult thing that not many people have heard of. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/35 "2011-01-14T03:16:31Z")
In apropros of nothing, I would like to note that _Doctor Who_ is so popular in San Antonio that a local DW fan group is able to fill **two** dinner theaters full of fans to their monthly showings of DW episodes. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/36 "2011-01-14T11:31:19Z")
A while back I decided to watch from the very, very beginning (being born in the mid 70s, PD was my first Doctor). I bought everything that was available (well, not all at once, I bought when I got to the serial) and then “located” everything else. So far I am still somewhere in the middle of the second Doctor (hey, there’s a lot of other TV out there) and I’ve avoided the telesnaps as I find them pretty much unwatchable. It’s quite a project. The BBC DVDs are all kinds of awesome with random stuff on there and a brilliant trivia track that treads the line between amusing (watch now as the camera jumps because Hartnell walked into it) and interestingly informative. I have lapsed of late. I really should get back to it. ---
**Author:** ![Galanthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Galanthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galanthus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/37 "2011-01-14T11:40:16Z")
Best Doctor Who wallpaper 😉 [http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs16/f/2008/045/c/b/cb8db85058c786bc.jpg](http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs16/f/2008/045/c/b/cb8db85058c786bc.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/38 "2011-01-14T13:23:59Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I have to say while Baker was my Doctor if you would, Tennant’s shows were the best so far. The _Doctor Dances_, _The Weeping Angels_ and several others were just great shows and not just great Sci-Fi. > [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Nitpick: _The Doctor Dances_, which was indeed an outstanding episode, was an Eccleston show. Another Nitpick: The “Weeping Angels” episode is titled _Blink_. Sally Sparrow was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/39 "2011-01-14T13:41:11Z")
> [@Scuba\_Ben](#): > > If you’re fortunate, that’s how this will play out. > > I’m sure someone will be along shortly to recommend must-see episodes from the original run. I suggest watching _The Three Doctors_ followed by _The Five Doctors_. > > And then a Dalek story or three. If you don’t, say it with me people YOU WILL BE EX TERM IN ATED! :sigh: Antisocial pepperpots, ho-hum. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486/40 "2011-01-14T13:53:45Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Another Nitpick: The “Weeping Angels” episode is titled _Blink_. > > Sally Sparrow was awesome. No nitpick there, I know I don’t know the episode names that well. But I figured any current fan would know the Ep I meant at least. Thanks for the correct name. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-pulled-into-doctor-who-og-help-me/567486.md?page=3)