Dr. Who Still Intrigues Science Fiction Buffs
- Publication: The Lombard Spectator
- Date: 1984-02-24
- Author: Trevor Jensen
- Page: sec. 1, p. 1
- Language: English
The Doctor is definitely In
Not Lucy Van Pelt, psychiatrist. but Dr Who. time traveller He is not a comic book figure. but a flesh and blood embodiment of British writers' imaginations seen at 11 p m. every Sunday on channel 11. The show has a massive cult following in the Chicago area, where more than 350,000 fans tune in weekly—the Doctor's biggest audience in the country.
Dr. Who (not his real name, which. according to an early episode, is impossible for humans to pronounce). produced in England by the BBC, is the longest-running science fiction series of all time, having recently celebrated its 20th year on the tube
The show has sparked no end of fan clubs and related organizations. one of which operates in Elmhurst under the acronym MWDWFC. the Midwest Doctor Who Fan Club. Started in the spring of 1981 by Elmhurst residents Dave Kopp. J.R. Pett and Donald Glass. the group serves not so much as a club but as a clearinghouse for the immense amounts of Dr Who literature. merchandise and convention information available to the science fiction consumer.
"We began with the intention of forming a fan club." said Glass, a 21-year-old college student and walking Dr Who encyclopedia, "but the effort involved with such an undertaking proved too much. We decided to devote ourselves to distributing what information we were able to get hold of to interested fans instead."
Glass belongs to one of the several large Dr Who clubs in the area, the Disciples of Rassilon. While these organizations are able to provide videotapes of favorite Who episodes and sponsor major Dr. Who conventions, MWDWFC contents itself with sending out newsletters and anything else to spread the good Doctor's fame. A typical MWDWFC newsletter includes not only the latest scoop on where to pick up Who paraphernalia, but also updates on television episodes and news about the various actors who have portrayed the Doctor.
Glass says the group began when he, Kopp and Pett went to the WTTW studios in Chicago to man phones during a pledge period wearing their Doctor Who T-shirts. "The first week, we were the only Who fans there." said Glass "But the next week, there were all kinds of Who fans around. Channel 11 has had to get used to dealing with the fact that they are airing a cult show, with all the inherent risks.
Indeed, WTTW has paid the price of Doctor Who's popularity. When negotiations with the show's distributor touched off rumors that the station would not renew its Sunday night extravaganza, Who fans picketed and jammed phone liner during pledge week, creating an animosity between the station and the fans which still exists WTTW has agreed to carry the show until 1991.
Glass says the show owes its immense popularity and long life to the infinite story possibilities of the Who character.
The Doctor is a Time Lord from the highly advanced planet of Gallifrey who can and does travel freely through time and space, though Earth is one of his favorite planets.
More than 700 years old, he possesses two hearts, a body temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit and almost unlimited longevity—which is a good thing considering the length of the show's run.
Like a farm boy tired of rural living, the Doctor leaves Gallifrey in search of adventure, roaming through space and time in his temperamental space craft. the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions In Space), which, because of a malfunction in its chameleon circuit during a trip to London, has permanently taken the form of an English police call box.
The earliest episodes were geared toward a children's audience, showing the Doctor encountering such historical figures as Marco Polo. Since then, however, the character has become increasingly developed. Some might say he is sophisticated—but not a Dr. Who fan. "There is a definite tongue-in-cheek quality to everything the Doctor does," says Glass. "Nothing's taken too seriously, which is why the show is popular with more than just hard-core science fiction fanatic."
Like his craft, the Doctor is not infallible, and his human absent-mindedness increases the suspense in many a tense situation. The series has been able to overcome the old soap opera dilemma of gracefully retiring the characters of departing actors by giving the Doctor the ability to regenerate himself into a new body. Five different actors have played the character in his 20 years of existence, each giving the role his own interpretation.
The best-known Doctor to American audiences is played by Tom Baker, a young, mop-topped actor who has popularized his incredibly long, multi-colored scarf among Who fans. There is even an official pattern for the scarf, specifying the colors used and the order in which they are placed.
Monster movie veteran Peter Cushing has made two movies as Dr. Who, but. according to Glass, the movies were quite different from the television episodes and not very. popular.
"The show is a classic battle between the forces -of good and evil," says Glass. "The doctor gets mixed up with all kinds of interplanetary scoundrels and vii*zis and somehow winds up on top despite himself. The local people from where the action takes place do not always understand the Doctor, so he has to work without their cooperation, making him a sort of Lone Ranger character."
Another aspect of the show which keeps it light and, at times, positively humorous, are what Glass calls "among the worst special effects ever seen in science fiction." The low BBC budget for the show necessitates this, yet it has probably increased the show's unique attraction.
Glass says the show attracts all kinds of people. WTTW statistics back this up, indicating there is no one demographic profile regularly tuning into the show. Science fiction is no longer only for the strange kid in class, though Glass points out, "Dr. Who fans are likely to do weird things. My license plate is XTRM, which stands for Exterminate, the favorite phrase of one of the Doctor's chief antagonists, the Daleks."
Considering the Doctor's powers and popularity, it will probably be quite a while before the Daleks are able to succeed. Even if the show does reach a conclusion, (which may bring on a scene as emotional as the last episode of M*A*S*H) the Doctor will live on in the novelizations of individual television episodes, not to mention the inevitability of syndication. The Doctor. it would appear, is here to stay. (For more information about MWDWFC, write Box 1023, Elmhurst, Ill., 60126)
'Dr. Who' Still Intrigues Fans...
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- APA 6th ed.: Jensen, Trevor (1984-02-24). Dr. Who Still Intrigues Science Fiction Buffs. The Lombard Spectator p. sec. 1, p. 1.
- MLA 7th ed.: Jensen, Trevor. "Dr. Who Still Intrigues Science Fiction Buffs." The Lombard Spectator [add city] 1984-02-24, sec. 1, p. 1. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Jensen, Trevor. "Dr. Who Still Intrigues Science Fiction Buffs." The Lombard Spectator, edition, sec., 1984-02-24
- Turabian: Jensen, Trevor. "Dr. Who Still Intrigues Science Fiction Buffs." The Lombard Spectator, 1984-02-24, section, sec. 1, p. 1 edition.
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- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Dr. Who Still Intrigues Science Fiction Buffs | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Dr._Who_Still_Intrigues_Science_Fiction_Buffs | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=13 December 2025}}</ref>
