As a child, my mother used to wait eagerly for the next installment of Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space. As a child, I, in turn, did the same thing, and now, nearly fifty years later, my children do the same thing. Thanks in part to it's nature, Doctor Who has always been able to change adapt to the current fashions, allowing us decades of high quality family friendly drama set in the most amazing settings to be found.
Doctor Who, or "just The Doctor" is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, he is a traveler in his T.A.R.D.I.S. (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space). Time Lords are capable of regenerating, allowing the BBC to renew the character and, or the actor portraying the Doctor as and when needed. So far the Doctor is over 900 years old and shows no sign of slowing. He is always accompanied by a Companion, sometimes male and sometimes female. Some of these Companions choose not to continue traveling, some die, others are left behind against their will or accidentally. Many are from Earth, but many are not.
The T.A.R.D.I.S. is a living ship which is capable of traveling through both time and space. It is larger on the inside than on the outside. The Doctor's has the appearance of an old Police Box from the UK. Sadly, it is destined to retain this look, as it's camouflage circuits are broken. The Doctor is quite happy with this state of affairs.
The Time Lord and his Companion somehow seem to land where someone is in trouble or needing help. It is up to them to find the solution before some inevitable catastrophe occurs. Sometimes it is the Earth or Universe that needs saving, or it is a civil war or invasion. You can count on the aliens always being innovative, even back before the CGI which we have all become so used to today. Some look just like us, some are other Time Lords, some are completely unrecognisable. In what has become known as the Classic Doctor Who episodes there was a constant need for innovation, as the technology was simply not available. As a result, some of aliens are be represented by as little as some humanoid cutouts in cellophane attached to a fishing line being wobbled occasionally. Naturally, the new Doctor Who is much more polished than that with world class make up and costume teams as well as CGI at their disposal.
Once upon a time, each story would last weeks. You would have to keep tuning in to see the next installment of the story week after week, or day after day. This slowly got shorter and shorter until when it was returned to an eager viewing audience earlier this decade each story was told in a fast paced single forty five minute episode. Except for two stories per season, which are told in two episodes. Showing the ability of the whole team involved with Doctor Who at every turn to adapt and change as their audience requires it.
Very little restricts Doctor Who story lines as they are able to travel to anytime, anywhere. Having an aged, temperamental time machine gives added scope for plots and twists. There have been stories set near and far in our own history and future, others have been set on far flung planets, and those that are not so far flung. There have been multiple universes and dimensions and there seems to be no lack of new and fresh story lines to keep yet more generations engrossed and enthralled by Doctor Who.
Although a family show it can be both quite scary and thought provoking for children. Ultimately, topics such as death, war, genocide, hatred and other similarly hard subjects. If you are a parent, you may be doubting it's "family friendly" claims. The truth is that these subjects are dealt with in a sensitive and appropriate way. No-one labels anything and the Doctor and his Companion almost always act ethically. Take the example of genocide. Typically, one race (the baddies) are trying to kill another race (not the baddies), Doctor Who and his Companion (the goodies) act as saviours for those who are not the baddies. The Doctor and his traveling friend always show appropriate responses and strive for a peaceful resolution as the preferred answer. Sometimes, this is not always possible, forcing the Doctor to fight for the lives of his Companion and himself, as well as those around him. Despite being a saviour, he doesn't carry a weapon. Each regeneration carries a sonic screwdriver, and sometimes a food item such as Jelly Babies, or a banana. Occasionally, the sonic screwdriver is employed to make a defensive weapon out of materials which are lying around, but mostly it is used to gain access, fix or read things. As a parent, I am never worried about the content of Doctor Who episodes as I know that even if it may be a little confronting, it is promoting an ethical perspective and provoking though in my young children about the "Other" . It also makes them comfortable with lateral thinking, as the Doctor can rarely take a front on approach to any problem he tackles.
Despite the fact that the old and the new are very different show in many ways, the are things that carries across all of the Doctors such as the ethos of the Doctor's behaviour and the freedom imparted to the writers by virtue of regeneration and the T.A.R.D.I.S. If you are a stranger to science fiction, Doctor Who is an excellent starter. From the William Hartnell episodes which are now largely lost, to the flashy new series with Matt Smith, it is a well written, engaging show for adults and a fun, action packed and thought provoking show for children. I highly recommend Doctor Who to anyone, as there will be one of the eleven doctors and his various Companions who engages your interest. Just for information's sake, the Doctors are, in order: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. Their Companions are too numerous to list, but there again you will find yourself forming a swift favourite. Doctor Who is a fantastic science fiction, family, action, drama and even comedy show which is well worth watching.