On
this date in 1963, a science fiction TV show was born. Dr. Who aired
for the first time and by now has become the world's record
longest-running science fiction show. It also the most successful
science fiction series.
Whovians
(Dr. Who fans) can tell you what a TARDIS is, but in case you don't
know, I can tell you that it is a time machine. Well, it's not just
a time machine; it's a time-and-space machine. The acronym stands for
Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It looks like a battered blue
Police call box. And it still looks pretty much the same, now, 51
years later.
You
know what doesn't look the same? Dr. Who himself. Our Time Lord has
been played by eleven different actors. (I mean, come on, the show's
been on for decades and decades, although it was off the air from
1989 to 2005.) How does the show explain all these different-looking
Doctors?
Regeneration.
Whenever the
Doctor, who is a humanoid alien, has a major injury that would kill most creatures, he undergoes a life process in which he
takes on a different body and, to some extent, a different
personality.
Good
vs. Evil
There
are all these galactic bad guys, but Dr. Who and his human companions
fight back and work to rid the universe of evil! When it comes right
down to it, an awful lot of TV and movies and books deals with this
ultimate struggle.
But
Dr. Who does it with clever and imaginative plots along with
inexpensive but creative special effects. The show is big in British
culture but has also developed a cult television favorite elsewhere.
It is currently broadcast in 50 countries spread over six continents.
It's the kind of show that inspires some people to DVR a hundred
episodes to watch one after another. Although it's hard to catch up
with ALL of Dr. Who, these days: there have been 789 installments!!!
Take
a peek...
You
can find Dr. Who on TV or Netflix or (if you are in the U.S.) BBCAmerica, but you can also check out the short videos on the
BBC's You Tube channel.
Also
on this date:
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