So said Peter Davison in "The Five Doctors".
I am writing this piece after returning from a trip to my native Yorkshire, to see my beloved Leeds Utd play Celtic in a testimonial game for Gary Kelly. As I had two days in God's own country, I took advantage of the time to visit relatives, and reminisce. As I proudly announced that some of my work was being published, albeit on the internet at the moment, it got me to thinking about why Doctor Who has meant so much to me over the years. What follows is a very personal journey through the "Why I am a Doctor Who fan" story.
Mine may be a very particular story, but hopefully, it will touch nerves with others out there. I was born in 1968, the illegitimate son of a civil servant and a divorcee. My maternal grandmother was very Victorian in her outlook on life, and as such, it was deemed the done thing for my mother to stay at home and look after her in her dotage. Whenever it looked as though my mother was going to settle down, Grandma stepped in and threatened to disown her. So it was that when I came on the scene, and my father wanted to settle down with me and mother (and an older brother from my mum's previous marriage), Grandma said that we would never be allowed to darken her door again. So Mum never left, Dad settled down with someone else, and was not allowed to see me.
Now, at the time I was born, doctors discovered a tumour in my mother, and recommended surgery. Unwilling to leave my Grandma alone with me and my 9 year old sibling, the said operation was refused by my mum. As a result, by 1972, she had died, and I was thrown into a custody battle. Times being what they were, a grandma was deemed more suitable than a father to bring up a child. So I was brought up, as the youngest child in a family consisting of grandma, and 2 grandchildren. Needless to say, this was not the world's happiest environment. I am fully convinced that the reason I have not captained an England team in the World Cup is due to the fact that I lacked a father figure to kick a ball around with (that, and a lack of any footballing ability whatsoever - though it never stops Phil Neville being picked!).
But where does "Who" come into this cathartic piece, I hear you ask. Well that was my father figure. To date, I have had 9 fathers. Chronologically, as they affected my life, they are Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, my natural father, Sylvester McCoy, William Hartnell, Pat Troughton, and Paul McGann.You see, the misery of my childhood was escaped, for 25 minutes every Saturday evening. From 5.25pm, I was with the Doctor, and nothing could go wrong. Until that fateful time we visited Metebelis III, and Jon Pertwee collapsed in UNIT HQ.
I was 6 at the time, and openly wept as the radiation from the Great Queen's cave destroyed his cells. For those precious minutes on a Saturday evening, I was transported away from my world, and off to dangerous locations, surrounded by evil monsters such as Daleks, Silurians, Sea Devils, and Axons. But it was okay, as my pseudo-dad, The Doctor, and my big sister (first of all Jo, and then Sarah) would make it alright in the end.In 1979, it was decided by the powers that be that my Grandma was too old to care for me (in truth, this had been the case when she got custody, but watcha gonna do?). I was taken into foster care, and yet my real family still existed in a blue box that was bigger inside. In tribute to the Gearys, Meyricks, Dobsons, and Briggs's that took care of me over the next few years, my false belief in the Doctor being my male parent waned. However, the Doctor's future was somehow tied in with my own....
In 1980, I was adopted. At last I was going to have a family of my own, with a dad, a mum and two lovely sisters. They had a plan of emigrating to New Zealand. Unfortunately, as the Master battled with the Doctor on the gantry of the Pharos project in 1981, this happy future also fell to Earth with a bump. Due to the difficulties we had had, it was decided that the adoption would fall through, rather than let me start being unhappy halfway around the world. I became disillusioned with everything and everyone around me (including the Doctor...for shame!) and when I moved on to the next foster family, I left the Doctor behind as well...
In 1983, however, my interest was briefly piqued again. I discovered Drama, and became involved in a string of school productions. After I passed the audition for the part of Paddy the Chief Engineer in the musical Star Trek spoof DAZZLE, I also discovered that the good Doctor was having a reunion with his previous selves. I watched "THE FIVE FACES OF DOCTOR WHO" season with interest, but was denied watching the UK premiere of "THE FIVE DOCTORS" by an embarrassing case of diarrhoea, which kicked in just after Billy Hartnell's "I shall come back" speech. Unfortunately, I didn't come back from my ablutions until a good 60 minutes in....it would be 1990 before I saw THE FIVE DOCTORS in full.
I missed the entire Colin Baker era, as I concentrated on a new concept. Teachers had discovered I had some intelligence, and they, along with my foster parents, managed to drag me out of academic mediocrity. As I strived to achieve my "O" and "A" levels, I had something other than the Doctor to occupy me. I had also discovered two other new things in the world - pop music, and GIRLS! It was not until I met the girl who would become my wife that I revisited Dr Who. The subject got mentioned in a conversation one night. She had seen the entire first McCoy season, and had been convinced it was rather good. I agreed to watch the 25th season, and was delighted by REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS. So much was I excited by this story, by the time Season 26 came around, we were married, and our first child was on the way. Martin was born just as Survival aired.
The series died. And, as time went by, so I realised that the only thing that my wife and I had in common was "Who". We split in 1994, and I had my son at weekends. There is a theory that babies are particularly susceptible to those sounds that they pick up whilst in the womb, and this was borne out by Martin, who would only go to sleep to the haunting refrain of Ron Grainer's "Dr Who" theme. The last time I saw Martin, was in 1994, and my new partner and I took him to the 21st Anniversary of Longleat's Dr Who exhibition. I still have, to this day, the photo of father and son peering out of the doors of the mock-TARDIS entrance. Other abiding memories include Martin (a very strident 5 year old) getting into a pretend fight with Peter Davison, when at a signing session Martin told Peter "You're not Doctor Who!". The former vet was naturally upset by this and much hilarity ensued. Other fond memories include the two of us sitting in Bessie, meeting JNT, and a Cyberman that impersonated various Doctors. Happy Days......
In 1996, Dr Who's fate was once more inexorably tied up with my own. On the May bank holiday, Dr Who - The Movie aired in the UK. A day later, I achieved a long-standing ambition. I arrived to work at the BBC in London.Now, at the age of 33, I write articles on Doctor Who, and have penned a couple of pieces of short fiction. To me, Doctor Who is more than just a TV show, or a book franchise, or a series of exciting adventures in space and time. Its an old friend. And unlike so many old friends over the years, it is one I have never lost contact with.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every person that over the years has contributed to the show that has been my (almost) constant companion. This especially goes out to the late Jon Pertwee, the late JNT, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylv & Sophie, David Banks, and Nic Courtney, whom I was privileged to meet.
Sentimental old sop, aren't I. This article was written in 2002, and I admit I no longer see the Doctor in quite the same fatherly way. After all, Chris Ecclestone's only a few years older than me, and David Tennant is a few years younger. However, the new series has brought with it, yet again, new adventures for me. I am about to embark on a small scale acting career. It would be a dream come true if I could one day appear behind a prosthetic mask, and utter the immortal line "Resistance is useless, Dok-tor".
Monday, June 12, 2006
Spiral Mutterings 10: The Curate's Egg - A Tribute to John Nathan Turner
For those of you who don't know, John Nathan-Turner, the longest serving Doctor Who producer, died on May 1st, 2002 following a brief illness. He was 54.
Villified by some quarters of fandom, worshipped by others, it is undeniable that JNT played a part in Doctor Who's success for nearly 35 years.
Back in 1969, JNT was floor manager on the Space Pirates. This was his first Who credit. He added to it in the Ambassadors of Death, and Colony in Space. Now, contrary to popular belief, the BBC have always rewarded talent and flair. Thus it was that JNT rapidly rose through the ranks during the 1970s, until he became a Production Unit Manager on Dr Who in 1979. The following year, he took over from Graham Williams as Producer.
This is where the Curate's Egg reference comes in. If you are unfamiliar with this reference, the story goes that a young curate was served an egg during a meal that was past its best. Eager not to cause offence, when asked if his egg was off, he replied "Madam, not at all. Parts of it were excellent."
Which sums up JNT's tenure as producer of Doctor Who nicely. On the plus side, he toned down the often over-the-top humour, fought against the constant accusations of violence, and ushered in three very different Doctors. Despite wanting to move on to pastures new, when the BBC insisted year in, year out that he remain on the show, he gave it 100%. On the down side, some of his decisions made Dr Who more like a piece of light entertainment, than a drama series.
He rode the wave of the anti-JNT movement within fandom with a reasonable amount of decorum. And rightly so. Given the recent arguments about certain people being "right" to produce a new series, JNT was that man. He knew the show, probably better than he would have chosen. Every new direction was taken in the belief that it would improve the show's standing. Ironically, as Doctor Who was starting to improve dramatically, with Season 26, the BBC pulled the carpet from under him, axing the show.
Even then, he wasn't deterred, throwing himself whole-heartedly into a variety of Who-related projects both within and outside the BBC. His involvement saw the long-awaited release of the Shada footage, several Dr Who exhibitions, talks with American networks, and the Years series of videotapes. The truth of the matter is that whether you liked or loathed his producership, JNT gave a lot of time and effort to a format others around him thought long-dead. Having been privileged enough to have met him on several occasions, I found him to be personable, and open to the ideas of fans. He LIKED hearing criticism, when delivered in the correct manner. He answered the criticism, giving reasons for certain decisions.
It is rare within the media to find people so open to the people they produce entertainment for. So, on behalf of Doctor Who fans, I'd like to take this opportunity to say Rest In Peace to a man who gave everything he could to the show we all love.
JNT will be sorely missed.
This article was written shortly after the tragic death of JNT. In the wake of Russell T Davies' spectacular new version of Doctor Who, it is easy to forget that without JNT pioneering the post-Survival initiatives of the New Adventures, the BBC Video and Audio lines, and numerous other ventures, there wouldn't have been such a receptive audience. Dr Who's continued existence and success still owes a massive debt to John.
Villified by some quarters of fandom, worshipped by others, it is undeniable that JNT played a part in Doctor Who's success for nearly 35 years.
Back in 1969, JNT was floor manager on the Space Pirates. This was his first Who credit. He added to it in the Ambassadors of Death, and Colony in Space. Now, contrary to popular belief, the BBC have always rewarded talent and flair. Thus it was that JNT rapidly rose through the ranks during the 1970s, until he became a Production Unit Manager on Dr Who in 1979. The following year, he took over from Graham Williams as Producer.
This is where the Curate's Egg reference comes in. If you are unfamiliar with this reference, the story goes that a young curate was served an egg during a meal that was past its best. Eager not to cause offence, when asked if his egg was off, he replied "Madam, not at all. Parts of it were excellent."
Which sums up JNT's tenure as producer of Doctor Who nicely. On the plus side, he toned down the often over-the-top humour, fought against the constant accusations of violence, and ushered in three very different Doctors. Despite wanting to move on to pastures new, when the BBC insisted year in, year out that he remain on the show, he gave it 100%. On the down side, some of his decisions made Dr Who more like a piece of light entertainment, than a drama series.
He rode the wave of the anti-JNT movement within fandom with a reasonable amount of decorum. And rightly so. Given the recent arguments about certain people being "right" to produce a new series, JNT was that man. He knew the show, probably better than he would have chosen. Every new direction was taken in the belief that it would improve the show's standing. Ironically, as Doctor Who was starting to improve dramatically, with Season 26, the BBC pulled the carpet from under him, axing the show.
Even then, he wasn't deterred, throwing himself whole-heartedly into a variety of Who-related projects both within and outside the BBC. His involvement saw the long-awaited release of the Shada footage, several Dr Who exhibitions, talks with American networks, and the Years series of videotapes. The truth of the matter is that whether you liked or loathed his producership, JNT gave a lot of time and effort to a format others around him thought long-dead. Having been privileged enough to have met him on several occasions, I found him to be personable, and open to the ideas of fans. He LIKED hearing criticism, when delivered in the correct manner. He answered the criticism, giving reasons for certain decisions.
It is rare within the media to find people so open to the people they produce entertainment for. So, on behalf of Doctor Who fans, I'd like to take this opportunity to say Rest In Peace to a man who gave everything he could to the show we all love.
JNT will be sorely missed.
This article was written shortly after the tragic death of JNT. In the wake of Russell T Davies' spectacular new version of Doctor Who, it is easy to forget that without JNT pioneering the post-Survival initiatives of the New Adventures, the BBC Video and Audio lines, and numerous other ventures, there wouldn't have been such a receptive audience. Dr Who's continued existence and success still owes a massive debt to John.
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