Happy 50th Anniversary Doctor Who!

The day has arrived and festivities abound! Will hopefully share some of my day with you soon!

I’ll Have a Who Christmas

Santa Matt

Just 5 days until the BIG day, the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who!

When I started my countdown, I mentioned that I would be putting many of my passions aside this month as anticipation built and I inundated myself with Doctor Who. None were as hard as my love of Christmas.

Basically as soon as the Halloween decorations come down on November 1, the Holiday music is on pretty much non-stop in our household, and the Christmas decor is never too far behind.

However, I have been so distracted by the 50th anniversary, that the Yuletide season has taken a backseat this year.

A Christmas Carol

Since the Christmas Invasion aired on Christmas Day in 2005, the holiday and our favorite Time Lord have always gone hand in hand. I think it was a wonderful move on the part of producers to devote a 60 or so minute special each year as a gift to fans. And while some have felt more Chritmassy than others, I look forward to the day of presents, sharing, family and joy, with just a little more anticipation.

this year will perhaps be bitter sweet, because this will be the first time that a regeneration will happen during the Christmas special, but I await it with as much excitement as any.

But, it is never far from my heart at anytime, so I thought I’d take this time to reflect and share some Doctor Who Christmas mash-ups that I quite enjoy. Doctor Who has crept into other media within fandom and here are a few I have come across in my travels through the vortex.

 

The last picture is a brilliant photo of a tree dressed like a Dalek. Here is another of a TARDIS tree:

Incidentally, if anyone is looking for a Christmas gift for this year, I’d LOVE some of these:

This one is one of my particular favorites, I even bought a shirt with the image on it:

All the Whos down in Whoville…

And I leave you with a message that the Doctor left fans with in the episode, The Feast of Steven –  “Oh and incidentally, a happy Christmas to all of you at home.”

The Doctor breaks the 4th wall to wish viewers a Merry Christmas

Celebration!

Celebrations are still ongoing with only 8 days left until Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary.

And the party came down on the local level, for me at least. Tonight the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library held a celebration to mark the occasion.

Chairs had to be added to accommodate the overflow crowd.

Interestingly enough, the room that was reserved was set up to use half of its space, but as Whovians trickled in tonight, it became increasingly obvious that more was needed. So library staff opened the entire auditorium and brought in more chairs to accommodate the overflow crowd.

Early in the evening, craft projects were set up. Some of them included making Ood bookmarks, coloring pages, and a lesson on writing in Gallifreyan, which included writing messages in the ancient language on a large white board.

One of the best costumes of the event was this homemade Dalek

Guests were given a sticker to place on one of twelve pictures, marking their favorite Doctor, which hung on a wall.

Then those in attendance, some in full costume, sat down and watched a movie parodying the Doctor’s adventures, that included parts produced and submitted by patrons in the weeks before.

It was an incredible experience, and being able to be involved on a local level, made it ll the more special. It was nice to see fans gathered in a location, that until recently showed no true fan base. It is nice to know that there are more Whovians in the area than anyone imagined, and it makes me proud to be among them.

If celebrations are planned near you, please let me know in the comments below.

The Fourth Doctor

Sarah Jane Smith

Doctor Who materials on display

Crafts included an Ood bookmark

VortexShaun (Shaun Collins) representing Traveling the Vortex

More items on display on loan from Ben Brian C. Buckles

 

 

Wow… Just Wow!

Today is a great day to be a Doctor Who fan. With only nine days left until the 50th anniversary of the show, the BBC got celebrations underway early by releasing a special treat. Fans in the U.K. received and North American fans awoke to this:

Surprise! The 50th starts NOW! The Night Of The Doctor on iPlayer in less than an hour. Speak to no one till you’ve see it! RUN!

— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) November 14, 2013

 

Shortly after that we got this:

I was elated to finally see The Eighth Doctor, back on my TV. What an incredible move by Steven Moffat to bridge the classic series and the new series together, and give some closure to Paul McGann’s era. This was exactly what was needed for me to accept the John Hurt Doctor as part of the continuity. And it nicely sets up what we can expect in The Day of the Doctor, without it feeling too bloated and overrun.

Eighth Doctor, Paul McGann receives a perfect sendoff in The Night of the Doctor

As I type this late at night, I am just now coming down from the fan “high” that I have been on all day. I feel like I’ve been grinning from ear to ear for much of it. I can only hope that Moffat and the BBC have much more in store from us.

I’m sure I will pick apart all of the goodness of this ‘minisode’ in this week’s review on Traveling the Vortex, but I wanted to share my joy with you on this day.

Oh, and by the way, this is Paul McGann’s birthday. What wonderful gift Moffat has given him and allowed us to share in the occasion by offering it to us as well.

For that, to Moffat, I say, thank you.

A Big Help With Big Finish

Nearly there now, with just 10 days left until The Day of the Doctor, and the 50th anniversary celebrations.

One of the best things to come out of Doctor Who over the last several years is Big Finish’s audio productions.  The studio hit the ground running by bringing back, four of the previous

The Sirens of Time was the first story in Big Finish’s Doctor Who main range.

Doctors for some really great audio stories in a format (albeit in sound) that mimics the style of the television series in the 80’s. Each Doctor has been given new life and the ability to expand their respective era’s and give fans more enjoyment of the different incarnations of the character.

The main line of the series, and all of spin-off ranges, such as The Companion Chronicles, The Eighth Doctor Adventures, The Lost Stories, etc., have grown so vast, that for a relatively new or casual listener, such as myself, narrowing down the scope of the productions can be quite daunting.

A handy guide to the series, is a wonderful book, put together and written by Richard Dinnick, called the Big Finish Companion: Volume One.

The Big Finish Companion: Volume 1 by Richard Dinnick

The book is tightly written reference guide to the first 75 stories and some of the earlier spin-off materials. Each entry is structured in a way that gives an intriguing taste of the story, and also some interesting background and behind-the-scene information. It’s good for fans who want to find information on certain audios, such as actors, actresses, and production crew, as well as a guide to which stories feature what Doctors and companions.

It has been a helpful guide for myself and my co-hosts on Traveling the Vortex, as we bounce around the Doctor Who universe, reviewing stories from the audio range. It gives us some foreknowledge when it comes to pairing up material to review for the show, such as what characters might be similar or have return appearances since the television series.

An introduction to the book is lovingly written by Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker and in the main body, Dinnick really paints a picture of the stories, and includes some wonderful insight into each recording project.

I think this book could be a useful guide for anyone looking to broaden their scope of the Doctor Who universe, and an entry point into the wonderful world of the stories comprised within the Big Finish ranges.

Shaun brought my copy back from the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles two years ago, and even had it signed by Dinnick himself, which makes mine al the more special to me.

There has since been a second volume released, written by Kenny Smith, which I’m sure is equally useful. I hope to soon pick it up as well.

Trailing Impressions

With the release of the Day of the Doctor trailers over the weekend, I thought I’d give my impression on what we can expect from the special less than two weeks away.

First, I think we will finally get some answers about the Time War, and what part that the Doctor played in ending it. The trailer gives the impression that all three Doctors are somehow involved in the result, but I have to wonder if this is a fixed point, meaning they all always had a hand in it together, or there is a timeline intervention that causes time to be rewritten. I’m one of those fans who wants the mystery of the Time War revealed. It’s about time we find out what actually went down, if only how the battles came to a close.

It was also interesting to see what appears to be “Bad Wolf” Rose. I wonder if somehow, a time-folding-back-on-itself element will be employed to explain her inclusion with the mystery or “secret” Doctor.

Of course it has been suggested to me that a trailer is meant to excite and entice and therefore will probably have little to do with the Time War and another crisis is created by those events to be resolved. This thinking makes me suspect that the reason that we see very little of the Zygons and Joanna Page as Queen Elizabeth I, is because the overall plot of the story surrounds more of those elements, and are left a secret to delay the surprises in store.

I am VERY excited to see more of the chemistry between the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. They come across very well in this paring from what I have seen. I suspect there will also be some conflict between them, especially when it comes to the “other” Doctor played by John Hurt.

Overall, I am excited for this latest adventure, and it looks like it will be a thrilling ride. And, I know that there are many fans lamenting the absence of past or “Classic” Doctors in this special, but I’m not letting that bother me. I made my peace months ago with the prospect that none would be included or only referenced. Who knows, maybe we are in for a BIG surprise.

#SaveTheDay