A truly remarkable BBC science fiction show called “Doctor Who” has cultivated millions of fans over the last 50 years. The main character, or “The Doctor”, is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey whose spaceship is a Police Box called TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space). The “bigger on the inside” box takes him and his companion through time and space in order to save the universe.
The show first aired on Nov. 23, 1963, and ever since then eleven (now twelve) Doctors have emerged. The Doctor regenerates into a new person each time his body dies, and each time the Doctor changes, his demeanor and companions change along with him. After all, the Doctor is just a “madman with a box”.
Because viewing ratings started to fall dramatically, Jonathan Powell, former head and controller of BBC, suspended all productions in 1989. After 16-year absence, it was “timey-wimey” to revive the series, and that’s exactly what Steven Moffat and Russell T. Davies did. However, Davies departed from the production, along with David Tennant, in 2009.
Moffat, a Scottish television writer and producer, has worked with the last three Doctors and has created many new fan-favorite characters. For the 50th Anniversary special, he brought together Matt Smith, David Tennant, threw in John Hurt with a little bit of Billie Piper and Jenna Coleman to break the Guinness World Record for the “Largest Simulcast of a TV Drama after the show was shown in 94 countries across six continents.”
The transition between the eighth and ninth Doctor was finally explained by John Hurt’s rendition of the War Doctor, technically bumping Christopher Eccleston to becoming the tenth Doctor and so on.
With quite a few companions, River Song, and the famous omnisexual Captain Jack Harkness missing from the special, some fans were a bit disappointed. But the disappointment did not last too long, however, because Moffat knew how to make the anniversary very special.
The surprise appearance of Tom Baker, Paul McGann, and the rest of the Doctors (with the help of CGI) was the icing on the cake.
In addition to the live broadcast, the special was released in theatres on Nov. 25, 2013.
Just as Eleven can’t walk away from a fez, Whovians just simply couldn’t resist experiencing “The Day of the Doctor” in theaters. The special, shown in theaters for only one day, ranked number two in the box office, following closely behind Hunger Games: Catching Fire. “Fantastic!”
After a few years as the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith’s time as the Doctor has come to an end. It is going to be very difficult saying goodbye to Smith, but Doctor Who fans have gone through this 11 times already. Moffat truly knows how to make an audience fall in love with a character before ripping all hopes of happiness into shreds. So grab onto your “sonic screwdrivers” because the Christmas Special is just around the corner and it’s time to meet Twelve… err Thirteen?
