Post by Mark T. Locker.

All of nerd-dom has been all a-twitter about the 50th—FIFTIETH!!—anniversary of that darling of Cardiff, or should I say of the planet Gallifrey, Doctor Who. Since 1963, this unique science-fiction show has been taking viewers around time and space in the telltale blue police box the quirky disguise for the spaceship/time machine the TARDIS. In 2005, BBC relaunched the show after a 16-year hiatus. One of the handy features of the Doctor, the last of the Timelords, is that he is eternal and also he takes on a new form—and with it a new personality—regularly! So it manages to stay fresh by replacing the main character every couple years while at the same time keeping the main character. We have just been introduced to the 12th Doctor. People have been geeking out about it for months.

The reason this show is front and center in my mind is that my son discovered it, quite by accident. I dropped a couple dollars on Lego man-sized figurines at the local comic shop. He was instantly taken with the two evil robots I unwrapped: a Dalek and a Cyberman. Eventually, they became his. He has since read through several Doctor Who books and learned more than I know about the show. Last week, during his winter break, he finally got to watch the first episode of the relaunch. About 2/3 of the show is simply too scary for him but he absolutely loves it. And no nightmares yet!

It has retained a bit of the hokiness of its early days, it’s a little bit silly and a little bit awesome. Fun to watch in the evenings.