I am a better writer for obsessively pulling apart Doctor Who. I am a better critic and media analyst because of the breadth of genre and style available for me within the show; oftentimes the writing around the show has had a more profound effect on me than the show itself. Reading The Eruditorum for the first time (and then getting hold of a real copy of About Time and devouring it in a few thunderous hours) pointed me towards what I wanted to do with my life, and when life gets loud, I can always revert back to a comfy place where I know I can engage my skills, but also escape to another world.
My first real Classic watches were in the Twitch marathon, often late at night or early in the morning, coming down from drugs in my early 20s when I was very angry, very sad, and very lost. The fuzzy cinecamera worlds of Five, Six, and Seven were an uncanny yet constant comfort. Even in my fogged up world of isolation, those compilations of each era became a refrain that was able to ground me. I can’t say, ten years later, that I’m a hundred percent better, but I am better than I was, and The Doctor has helped to carry me there.
Aha me too! Some people make Chinese BF audio sub but not really much so I just have to listen them on my own. After a while, understanding the plot became natural
Ooooh, this I can absolutely relate to (on two fronts). Triggering the imagination to write stories and, for me, a love of words that came from a number of the Target novelisations not “talking down” to me as a child, but actually broadening my vocabulary. Hulke was particularly good at that!
Beautifully articulated. Some lovely points here. Yes, the diversity of genres does mean we develop a much wider skillset and genre familiarity. This is a hugely constructive and beneficial thing.
I always found a character who could regenerate to be fascinating. The Dr gives hope and I always liked superheroes, scifi, and adventure And though the Dr is not considered a super hero, Moffat put it quite brilliantly when he said the Dr is a character with 2 hearts, he uses a screwdriver to fix things, etc… and I found myself thinking… there is quite a bit we could all learn about ourselves and the world around us by watching Dr Who.
I only know my partners and some of my closest friends (in fact my only friends for a while, between losing the conservative religious community I grew up in and discovering local community with other trans people) because we met from participating in Doctor Who fan projects. It’s also people who I’ve met in those worlds who are the reason I’ve gotten to play and run D&D which has been another major source of joy and fun lately. I’ve also been able to share Doctor Who with my immediate family, especially my siblings, which has been very fun. Collecting and reading the Wilderness Years novels has also been one of my favorite things ever, and I’m not even halfway through the reading of them yet—and already looking forward to rereading many of those I’ve read already.
It is an excellent quote. The whole concept of heroes reflecting who we want to be is quite existentialist and uplifting. Perhaps heroes are who we aspire to allow ourselves to be? After all, a big part of the message of Doctor Who is that it is the choices we make that define us.
The Doctor inspired me to aspire towards knowledge, understanding and a love of science. It truly is aspirational (and rare) to have heroes like that.
Those novels and then, more latterly, the Big Finish audios were a lifeline, a beacon of hope at a time I genuinlely thought Who was gone from our screens. So glad I was wrong and yet… those novels and early audios will always be special. I’m so glad they exist!
Great to read things like this. I wasn’t expecting so many people to report positive impacts in terms of relationships etc. I guess, for me, my love of Who has been something I’ve kept to myself (excluding family) since my childhood friends moved on from Who (back in the 80s).
I think there was such stigma associated with Who fandom on the 80s, I still find it a difficult thing to talk about with people other than family (outside of online communities like this). On the one hand, I feel I’ve missed out, but then I don’t enjoy my DW any less. I just keep it to myself.
