Doctor Who and family: A father is always a girl’s first doctor
Doctor Who/BBC
Last night, something happened that showed me how big Doctor Who is, even in America.
To tell this story, you need a bit of a background. Yes, this is a personal story, but what’s a good website without a little human interest, right? Especially given why this is on a Doctor Who site.
My father is the spitting image of David Tennant. There have been ways that David Tennant acts that mirror my father perfectly. It’s brought us closer together, even though my father refuses to watch Doctor Who. (It’s a fight I’ve been in since 2012…no closer than I was when I started.)
As most of you know, I wrote an article about how Peter Capaldi is my favorite Doctor. I got a text from my father saying that it was “blasphemy” that I chose a Doctor besides David Tennant, simply because of the bond we’ve created because of his looks.
And that’s when I realized that Doctor Who has definitely made it. And I saw the way that it works. It’s a phenomenon. You don’t have to watch the show to have opinions on it (my father’s opinion on David Tennant), and you will meet more people carrying a TARDIS lunchbox (I used it for medical supplies).
Yes that’s me and my Dad. Circa 1996//Facebook
Somehow, without a reboot, or a crappy American Version of it, Doctor Who has become mainstream in American Culture. It will always be bigger and better than Britain. We don’t have stores dedicated to the show…unfortunately. Or Doctor Who Experiences. But the fans range from young to older to eldest.
And I learned, that in a way, (look at the Classic Era, not the new Era), a father is always a girl’s first Doctor. Whether he looks like David Tennant or not. They know everything, they teach them about the universe, and they take them on adventures. They leave, eventually, but only when it’s time, and the girl (or boy!) is truly ready.
We know this, especially because the first companion was, of course, a granddaughter.
Some have seen the show, some have only heard about it from their daughter. The show is amazing in that it makes zero sense, when you think about it. It’s a show about an alien who fights other aliens and changes completely every few years. How did a show like this take off? Was it the lessons hidden in the earlier episodes? Pure luck? Hartnell’s amazing acting?
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