Tuesday, November 23, 2010

I bet Amy Pond says that all the time.


"Doctor Who has been played by eleven people - kind of like Cher."
Craig Ferguson, The Late Late Show
Today we celebrate the 47th anniversary of Doctor Who, science fiction fandom's answer to Coronation Street - at least in terms of longevity* if not marital infidelity and pints of lager.  Admittedly, we don't celebrate it hugely, I think that Doctor Who's 50th anniversary in 2013 will garner much more attention, but a birthday's a birthday and deserves some recognition.

For a program whose early attempts at propmaking seemed to rely heavily on cardboard and tape, the long term success of Doctor Who is a testament to the strength of the basic concept of the series, and to the excellent work done with that concept by literally generations of writers, and the various actors who have manned the controls of the TARDIS over the years.

As far as I could tell, the November 16th appearance by current TARDIS pilot Matt Smith on Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show had no connection with the anniversary, or at least no mention was made of it.  However, given Ferguson's cheerful indifference to any sort of organized interview structure, it's difficult to say for certain.

Astonishingly, Smith seems to dress for real life very much like his TV alter ego, and the dancing horse and harmonica playing were certainly unexpected.  But in my opinion, the high point (for want of a better description) of the show was when Ferguson asked Smith if being the Doctor had led to greater success with the opposite sex. Fellow guest and apparent Whovian Chris Hardwick chipped in with the unexpected falsetto comment:

"Oooh, you're the Doctor - hey, I'm bigger on the inside..."
- Sid

P.S. The Simpsons-themed Doctors are from Springfield Punx, a web site which showcases the work of fellow Canadian Dean Fraser.

* In the interests of accuracy, I have to admit that Coronation Street will commence its 50th year of broadcast on December 9th, giving it a clear lead in the age competition, and it didn't have a six-year hiatus, either.

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2 comments:

  1. Lord CardiganJune 3, 2011 at 5:26 AM

    Pints of lager? Pints of bitter, surely, old chap.

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  2. Sid PlestedJune 19, 2011 at 9:06 AM

    I have to confess at this point that I don't watch Coronation Street - as previously, if I was all that interested in everyday life, I wouldn't be a science fiction fan. However, the first time I went to England, I did spend the whole two weeks asking barmen for pints of bitter, purely because I felt it was the correct approach to take on a British holiday.
    - Sid

    (Sorry, not the WHOLE two weeks - I visited St. Paul's and the Tower of London and Stonehenge and so forth, I didn't do the entire two weeks in pubs.)

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