Why does Doctor Who continue to miss opportunities to draw fans into the old series?

So this will sounds a little petty and pointless to some of you that haven't really seen any of the old run of Doctor Who. I want you to know that I'm mostly happy with what is happening with the show, but like any long-time fan, I have some issues with what is happening, and I want to gripe about it a little bit.

I was super excited to find out that Doctor Who was starting again. I'd seen most of the old Doctors at some point growing up thanks in part to PBS carrying the show on a 7-year delay. I can say all sort of things about the original run, but lots of that can be found under other posts that I've already made here. I'm especially glad that they didn't choose to reboot the show like so many other shows have done. (Battlestar Galactica is an example of where this was a good idea. Doctor Who would have been a bad idea.)

The writers have paid tribute to the original Doctors from time to time, but that usually takes the form of the blurry series of images of the Doctor up to his current form like we see at the end of Eleventh Hour. What about some other homages to the Doctors of the past.

Before I get into examples of missed opportunities, I suppose I should make sure to point out one very valid spot where the writers looked back to the old show. When we get a copy of the Doctor in The Rebel Flesh storyline, we get to see this copy try to adjust to being replicated as a Time Lord rather than a human. We get to see this new copy of the Doctor go through the struggles of figuring out who the Doctor is including some references to older Doctors. ("Reverse the flow" coming from #3 and "Do you want a jelly baby?" coming from #4.)

So this begs the question, why didn't Matt Smith do any of these things when he started as the Doctor? The same question can be used for David Tennant. Christopher Eccleston has an excuse since he didn't actually regenerate on screen. Instead of reminding viewers of the past Doctors, we just get recurring jokes about new teeth.

What about in "The Doctor's Wife?" Sexy sends Amy and Rory to an older copy of the TARDIS control room. Which control room do they end up in? The previous Doctor's control room. Why not do a little searching and go back a little further? I was hoping it might even be the original control room. Sure it's not very exciting, but it might have made viewers take an interest in where that control room originated and go back to see it in action.

What about the very recent episode where the the Doctor is poisoned by Melody Pond and he struggles into the TARDIS and activates the Voice Interface and he gets to see a series of options for people to have for interaction. Sure it is nice to see images of Rose, Martha and Donna, but why not use someone from the older series? It could even be Sarah Jane Smith. That would be worth something, especially with the recent death of poor Miss Sladen. However, wouldn't it have been fun to see some of the other companions ad perhaps spark a little interest in those characters and those Doctors?

Well, that's probably why I don't write for Doctor Who, but it won't stop complaining about it. Leave some comments below.

So you want to start watching the Third Doctor episodes of Doctor Who

So you've decided to check out the third Doctor, have you? That is an excellent choice. Jon Pertwee is great in the role of the Doctor and his portrayal is very unique from the other actors. This Doctor does not run away as is the typical first move of the modern Doctors. (and I don't disapprove of the running) Instead this Doctor will either try to talk his way out of a situation or else grapple with his enemies hand-to-hand. He uses Venusian Kung Fu and drives a roadster that is souped up with Time Lord technology.  Here's some great places to start if you want to experience this Doctor.

The Spearhead from Space

As they sing in "The Sound of Music," let's start at the very beginning. The Spearhead from Space is the first time we see Jon Pertwee as the Doctor. He has just landed on Earth with his new face that has been forced on him by the Time Lords and he's a little confused about everything. (This is the first time that a new Doctor experiences difficulty after a regeneration.)

While the Doctor is incapacitated, UNIT is investigating a strange group of meteorites that have landed on the same point. We meet Liz, the new companion who happens to be an expert on such matter. This is not only the first episode with Jon Pertwee, it is also the first appearance of the Autons. Who are the Autons? Well, think back to the shop dummies in the first episode of the new series that come alive and kill people. Those are the Autons that are brought to life by the Nestene Consciousness.


The Time Warrior
If you've watched the new series, then you already know Sarah Jane Smith. This is her first episode on the show. You get to see Pertwee's Doctor show off his playful side as the two meet. You may not remember Tennant's Doctor going by the name John Smith, but it is a common occurrence for the Doctor. He is using the name John Smith and Sarah Jane is pretending to be her aunt, who is a scientist, so she can get the scoop on UNIT. The two end up traveling to the past to stop a Sontaran from interfering with the Medieval society of England's history.







The Time Monster
Since you can't see the first appearance of the Master at this time, your second-best option is to see this great story with him in it. The Master has cannibalized his own TARDIS to create the TOMTIT device under the guise of a government scientist. His goal is to use the device to go back in time and gain control of a crystal that will let him control a creature that exists in the realm between times and spaces.
*note* The Master first appears during the time of the third Doctor and is one of the main protagonists during Pertwee's time as the Doctor. In fact, the main reason that Pertwee left the show was the death of Roger DelGado. (the original actor to play the Master.)

The Top 12 Doctors in Doctor Who (Part IV)

Before we get through Doctors rated 6, 5, and 4, let's have a quick review of 7-12.

Number 12-Paul McGann (Doctor #8)

Number 11-Rowan Atkinson (Charity Special)

Number 10-Colin Baker (Doctor #6)

Number 9-Sylvester McCoy (Doctor #7)

Number 8-Peter Davison (Doctor #5)

Number 7-Matt Smith (Doctor #11)

Number 6

Christopher Eccleston was the man to pick up the gauntlet and bring the Doctor back to television. He was the ninth person to fill the role.

This list just gets harder and harder because when I start writing about each Doctor I wonder why I didn't put that Doctor higher on the list. Christopher Eccleston has to be the hardest placement. I was excited about the possibilities when I heard that Doctor Who was coming back to television, but after the Doctor Who movie, (see #12) I was very worried about what was going to happen.

Fortunately the first episode put my fears to rest. Eccleston brought a passion to the Doctor that made me want to watch more. This Doctor was critical, angry, and filled with pain, but he is also compassionate, forgiving, and filled with wonder. He invites Rose to travel with him just like the BBC is trying to invite the viewers to enjoy the ride.

Things to look for with the ninth Doctor include recurring concern about the impact of his decisions, the word "fantastic," and long-winded names such as "Raxacoricofallapatorian" the home planet of the Slitheen and an enemy referred to as "The Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe."

Unfortunately, Eccleston left after only one season, but his his time feels complete, and there was enough time to prepare so it doesn't seem forced. I think it's fair to say that Eccleston's Doctor was fantastic.  

Number 5

Jon Pertwee brought a sense of daring and action to the Doctor during his tenure that has not been matched. He was more likely to go on the offensive rather than the running that is a tactic used by other Doctors.

When Jon Pertwee took over as the third Doctor, there were many mysteries yet to be revealed. Time Lords had only just been named and revealed at the end of the previous series, regeneration was still an undefined excuse to change actors, and no one knew what to expect from this new Doctor. What they got was an action hero. This Doctor wore puffy shirts and capes. He drove a roadster that he tricked out with Time Lord technology. He is the only Doctor to literally fight his enemies, often with Venusian Kung-fu.

The Doctor was exiled by his people for the first part of Pertwee's tenure so there were lots of adventures involving UNIT, a group he had already worked with in his second incarnation, with the occasional special assignments from the Time Lords thrown in for variety. The Doctor did eventually get his exile lifted and got to show off his extraordinary skills as a diplomat as well.

Pertwee left Doctor Who when the primary production team was also leaving, but he continued to support the show until his death. This included participation in as many fan functions as he could manage.

Number 4

Patrick Troughton played the second Doctor. His Doctor established much of the Doctor's mythology.

There had to be a lot of confusion when Patrick Troughton took over the role of the Doctor. It's not like today where there was months of debate and wondering about who the new Doctor would be. At this time, it wasn't even a thought the audience would have considered. The Doctor was an old man then in the middle of an adventure he was injured and collapsed. The screen image of his face went completely white for a moment and when the image returned it was a different person. Not only did the Doctor look different, he was a completely different person.

Troughton's Doctor was often referred to as a clown. He played the fool to distract his enemies, but he always seemed to have a plan.  (There is one exception to this that I'll talk about shortly.) In stressful moments, he would often either take out his recorder and play it or desperately search for it. This Doctor was most likely to manipulate others to save the day.

When Troughton decided to leave the role of the Doctor, the production team decided to go all out for his finale. They put together the longest serial ever done for the show, a ten-part story that jumped all over time and introduced something that had never been addressed-the Time Lords. The Doctor and his companions land in the middle of a World War I battlefield. They get to safety only to face a kangaroo-court court marshal. While trying to escape, they suddenly find themselves under attack by Roman soldiers. Next they cross over into the American Civil War. It turns out that they are actually in the middle of an experiment run by an alien race. There's plenty more to tell, but let me just talk about the main details that emerge. The Doctor is a renegade Time Lord who has broken their rule of non-interference. The Time Lords have some pretty amazing powers including barricading a planet from the rest of reality, and forcing the Doctor to become another person.

Anyway, that's 6-4. Be on the look out for the top three Doctors coming soon. Leave a comment if you have some feedback on the list.