Earthlings welcome menacing Time Lord
- Publication: The Independent
- Date: 1988-11-16
- Author: Anne Spackman
- Page:
- Language: English
AFTER SLAYING the Daleks and the Cybermen, Doctor Who is finally triumphing over the Earthlings who have been hounding him for the last eight television series.
The Earthlings — sometimes known as "Fans" or "Viewers" —have been logging the doctor's every move since he began his journey through time 25 years ago. Now middle-aged, they are welcoming a return to the mood of mystery and menace which characterised those early days.
At Doctor Who's 25th birthday party in London yesterday his companions from the planet Beeb were brimming with confidence about his continuing vigour and seeming immortality. "He is a hero. He fights evil. I don't see why he can't go on for another 25 years," according to John Nathan-Jones, the producer.
The good doctor is now appearing in his seventh guise as an actor named Sylvester McCoy. He is keen to rediscover the tougher, more dangerous sides to his character, which more recent doctors have tended to conceal.
This is welcome news in the Earthlings HQ. Deep in the bowels of the Forbidden Planet science fiction bookshop in central London, between shelves of model K-9s and the Doctor Who Cookbook, the true believers hark back to the days of William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker as the golden era of the Time Lords.
"It has been a turbulent period," Richard Holliss, a sci-fi expert and consultant to Forbidden Planet, said. "There has been too much slap-stick and humour over the past few years. This new doctor reminds me of a young William Hartnell, who was more menacing and sinister. He is proving particularly popular."
But though the Doctor Who cult continues, the Earthlings in Forbidden Planet believe tomorrow's children may follow a different master. John Glenday, who works in the shop's Film and TV department, said a Blake's Seven cult was developing. "It's quite underground at the moment, but I think it will come through," he said.
Spelling correction: John Nathan-Turner
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- APA 6th ed.: Spackman, Anne (1988-11-16). Earthlings welcome menacing Time Lord. The Independent .
- MLA 7th ed.: Spackman, Anne. "Earthlings welcome menacing Time Lord." The Independent [add city] 1988-11-16. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Spackman, Anne. "Earthlings welcome menacing Time Lord." The Independent, edition, sec., 1988-11-16
- Turabian: Spackman, Anne. "Earthlings welcome menacing Time Lord." The Independent, 1988-11-16, section, edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Earthlings welcome menacing Time Lord | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Earthlings_welcome_menacing_Time_Lord | work=The Independent | pages= | date=1988-11-16 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=26 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Earthlings welcome menacing Time Lord | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Earthlings_welcome_menacing_Time_Lord | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=26 March 2025}}</ref>
