Posted by Bobby on Sep 2, 2012 | 0 comments
By Jacqui Turner
Hi fellow Whovians!
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as the newest member of the Doctor Whocast. My name is Jacqui and although I have lived in New York for the last 11 years, I was actually born and raised in Hastings, England, so I like to think I have a unique perspective among my fellow pundits on the Whocast in that I actually grew up watching the original Doctor Who.
Having been born in 1978 I remember watching reruns of Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Peter Davison, but my earliest memory (perhaps unfortunately) was Sylvester McCoy playing my favorite time tourist. I still have distinct memories of being scared that giant robotic vacuums were going to come and eat me up, this show used to terrify me as a kid! I think, in fact this might be why this is one of the most enduring, beloved shows of all time. Doctor Who has always had a way of hitting that perfect note between being spooky and scary, kooky and somber yet never needing to resort to bad language, blood and gore, or inappropriate jokes aimed at keeping the adults involved in a ‘kids’ show.
Speaking as the mum of an eight year old boy, it is the perfect ‘family’ entertainment, engaging and thought provoking, yet funny and exciting too. It is able to shamelessly entertain adults and kids alike, appealing to fans in the 50 countries in which it is currently shown, and in some cases has been shown since the 1960′s. This proves that the Doctor really does travel through time and space!
I will admit, as a cynic, I was slightly dubious when in 2005 a new reboot of the franchise appeared on the BBC (or for those of us in the US, through certain ‘unorthodox’ viewing channels). I was however buoyed by the casting choice of the always captivating Christopher Ecclestone. Having enjoyed watching him in Shallow Grave and Let Him Have It, I knew he was an actor who had a certain unpredictable energy to him that would make him an interesting, but possibly boom-or-bust choice for the Doctor. Another risk, that I feel really paid off, was introducing was former teen idol Billie Piper as the Doctor’s new companion, Rose Tyler. I was very pleasantly surprised that the reboot was everything I could have hoped for, and has proven over the last seven seasons to be even more. I was disappointed but unsurprised when Ecclestone chose to move on after just one season, but into his place stepped the charming and delectable Mr David Tennant. For me this is my favorite period of Doctor Who, the chemistry with Rose, and the whole story arc they go through together was exhilarating and heart breaking. I can’t say I was a big fan of Martha, however the writing remained strong, and I did like the introduction of english comedienne Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.
Having said that, I have grown to love more and more Matt Smith as the Doctor, and the assortment of companions that is Amy, Rory, River Song and occasionally the befuddled Craig Owens, father of baby Stormageddon Dark Lord of All. The recent season was enjoyable and very emotionally charged, with standout episodes for me being The Doctor’s Wife and The Wedding of River Song. I very much look forward to this new season, and being on this podcast will really make it so much more fun, and hopefully we can do the same for all the fans of the show out there who tune in and listen to our opinions the next day.
Thank you for having me, and allons-y!
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