A few days ago I was contacted by some Doctor Who fans, a couple who are not only devoted Whovians but a couple who wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for the Doctor. After reading my piece ‘The Doctor and I‘, they decided they wanted to share their story about the impact the series has had on them from the point of view of a couple and as fans of Science-Fiction.
I received their piece and my first reaction was “It’s long…very long!” but when I began reading it I quickly realised why it was so long, these are two people who’ve come together through a shared experience, a shared passion and a shared adventure, they couldn’t waste a single word or forget the tiniest of detail but I’ve had to split the article in two and from here their story is split into two ‘The Doctor and Her’ and ‘The Doctor and Him’.
First up, Naomi recounts how she first met the Doctor before discussing her favourite series and giving her two cents on the story so far…
- Naomi and Ryan
The Doctor and Her
As I sat at my artist’s alley table, I scanned the room for anyone who wasn’t dressed as an obscure anime character I didn’t recognize. My eyes fell upon a handsome chap dressed as the Eleventh Doctor. At the time, ‘Doctor Who’ was a foreign concept to me. I mean, I knew the Doctor. Everyone knew the Doctor, his TARDIS, and even the Daleks, but to me, this chap was just another customer I hoped to talk into buying my art.
‘Oh! You’re Doctor Who!’ I exclaimed. (He was polite enough not to correct me on this*). I pretended I knew my stuff, took a photo of his costume, and after buying a couple of prints off me, he was on his merry way. Little did I know that a few months later, he’d be my boyfriend.
I’ve always known Doctor Who existed, knew that David Tennant was in it, and could tell a Dalek from the TARDIS, but that was it. Friends spent months trying to coax me into watching it, but, because I’m moody and difficult, I refused every time. Finally, after being hounded from every direction, I flicked onto it one day. Just like I expected, I was not impressed. What were these obese, green things that looked like they cost a tenner to make? Within moments, I switched the channel. I later learned that these are the ‘Slitheen’, so, for anyone who’s familiar with the show; you can’t blame me for my rash judgement.
Finally, after months, one person got me to sit down and properly watch it. It was ‘Eleven’. Only now, he’d lost the tweed and the bowtie, and they’d been replaced with a swirly patterned tie and a long, brown coat. Almost like a backwards regeneration! But he looked cute, so naturally, I tried to suck up! After confessing to never watching the show, we planned a night in during which he would ‘guide me’ through ‘Doctor Who’. As we sat on my couch, ‘Rose’ began to play. From the first moment, I was captivated. The humour of Nine, the curiosity of Rose, and of course, the giant plastic monster in the middle of London! We stayed up the entire night watching the series, and had the first one done by morning. I was hooked.
It’s a good while on now, and at this point, I consider myself to be a devoted fan to the show. As the female fan base for ‘Doctor Who’ goes, they tend to be either shippers, fan girls, or on a rare occasion, actually in love with the show. It’s sad to say, but so many ‘fans’ disgrace the Doctor Who canon. Now, I understand that people are going to create their own stories and adventures, but to completely change a character just so you can make them have a giddy little kiss is ridiculous.
Let’s take the Doctor and the Master, a hugely shipped couple. Yes, of course I can see where the notion comes from. Old rivals, last two Time Lords, yada yada yada.. But take either character and look at them, really look at them. Would either of them EVER show sexual interest in each other, let alone anyone else…? No. It’s not their character.
Canon exists for a reason. It’s like a fixed point in time, as the Doc would say. It can’t be altered. If you’ve looked into the classic era Doctors also, we seem him as a totally asexual being. Eight was the first to show romantic interest, and proved to the audience that perhaps, the Doctor wasn’t totally alien. He needed to appeal to a more modern audience, and for that, he needed to be more ‘romantic’ and ‘sexy’. But of course, it’s always interpreted the wrong way.
- No! Bad Doctor! Bad!
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
Now, I’m not saying I don’t ship. I do. BUT, I ship canon. I fully endorse Ten/Rose, Eleven/Idris or Eleven/River, and I’m not saying I’m not a fan girl, because I fancy the pants off Captain Jack Harkness! But people get carried away in it, and forget the beautifully crafted masterpiece that’s there before them. The intricate work that’s been done by both Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat is something to marvel at, and by all means, respect.
Since this side of the article is from the ‘female perspective’, I’m going to take a look at the companions.
In 2005, we saw the cute little Billie Piper appear on our screens. An odd choice for a companion part, yet she worked brilliantly! She was funny and smart, and was utterly devoted to the Doctor, and the thing is, from the very start, Nine adored her. Piper and Eccleston made a fantastic team. The Doctor was just out of the Time War, he had nobody, and suddenly, this inquisitive little blonde with a sense of adventure pops up out of nowhere. Rose needed Nine as much as he needed her. They were co-dependant.
As we saw Nine regenerate, the relationship changed quite quickly. The dependency was gone, but the new dynamic was hilarious! They were one of the wittiest duos on TV! Sure, the Doctor didn’t ‘need’ Rose as much as he used to, and some argue that the relationship was becoming stale, but I beg to differ. It was funny, light hearted and fresh. Rose stuck by the Doctor for all of his last life, and it shows in Ten’s personality. He’s more confident and bold, and in my opinion, it’s all thanks to Rose. To see him lose her in ‘Doomsday’ was incredibly hard to watch. When he tried to utter those three crucial words to her at Bad Wolf Bay, my heart was breaking. ‘And I suppose, if it’s my last chance to say it, Rose Tyler…’ Never has the Doctor even attempted to speak those words to any companion.
Series three saw the arrival of Martha Jones. From the moment I saw her, I was full of distaste towards her. She was a fan girl. She tried to play the same part as Rose, but was more tacky and clingy. We knew the Doctor had no feelings for her, and it was amusing to watch him shove away her flirting. As a character, Martha had little development. She started as a fan girl, and for the whole series, stayed a fan girl.
Two words; Donna Noble:
Need I say more? The woman was brilliant. When I was told that Donna was making a return, my stomach sunk. The whiney, ignorant bride from the Christmas special…? Great. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Donna was the companion that every female had been waiting for. She was strong, independent, and for once, didn’t lust for the Doctor. They were like a married couple, without the love! They argued, she challenged him, and he was put in his place more than once by her. Her morals often conflicted with his, which is visible in Pompeii where she insists they change history, just to save a family. She’s an inspirational person, and I think almost on the same level as Sarah-Jane Smith!
After the flood of tears that was ‘The End of Time’, we saw a new Doctor; an aloof madman with a bowtie.
So now we tackle Eleven’s companions, the Ponds. Amy and Rory was a pair I found very hard to take to. Well, Amy more so. There was something that put me off her, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. By the end of series 5, I still wasn’t sold. It actually wasn’t until ‘A Good Man Goes to War’ that I began to appreciate Amy. Perhaps it was the rage and passion she had while trying to protect Melody, but I found myself finally becoming impressed with her. As I watched back over series 5 and 6 with my new found love for her, I was baffled that I hadn’t found it sooner! As for Rory, there was nothing I disliked about him. Strong and devoted, but utterly hopeless, he was one of the sweetest characters the show has ever seen.
It’s going to be very hard to part with them this autumn, but no doubt whatever Moffat has planned for them will be utterly fantastic and I will be able to share this new journey with Ryan.
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
