5 Reasons To Become a Whovian

Guest contributor Woody McFarland on how to convert.

Today is the Twenty­ Third of November, a day Whovians around the world know to be the anniversary of our favorite show, Doctor Who. We celebrate in different ways. Some of us will cosplay, some will set aside some time to watch An Unearthly Child, and some will log onto Doctor Who TV and read whatever festive articles have been posted!

But all our non­-Whovian friends look on at us with confusion, and in some cases, disdain. “Why are you so obsessed with that stupid show?” they ask. Well, I’m going to aim to answer that question in this article, and hopefully, I’ll convince any non­-Whovians that should chance to read. Of course, a non­fan isn’t going to be following a Doctor Who fan site. That’s where you, the reader, come in. You know that one person you’ve been trying to “upgrade” for years? Share this article with them! Let’s make a few new Whovians.

So, without further ado, I’ll lay out a few of the many reasons why I love this show, and why you should give it a try.

5. The Endless Library of Content

I hate that feeling when I get into a new TV program, binge­watch the entire series, and then find myself with nothing to do but wait for the next season. But with twenty­six seasons of Classic Who, nine series of New Who, two (soon to be three) spin­offs, hundreds of Big Finish audios, and plenty of novels and short stories, chances are you’ll n ever run out of Doctor Who content to watch, listen to, or read. You could fill a whole TARDIS with all the content out there! Okay, not really, but, moving on…

4. The Acting

One thing that consistently amazes me with this show is the incredible performances given by both the lead and guest stars. For the purpose of this article, however, I’ll focus on the lead actors.

Each one of the actors cast in the role of Doctor or Companion has truly done an incredible job at portraying their role. These actors have a way of drawing in your emotions, making you truly care about their characters, and actually concerned about their safety. They are, in fact, so good at making their characters believable, I often find myself forgetting that these are actors, not the characters they portray. In the Doctors specifically, each different actor really makes the role their own, adding in their own quirks, ways of speaking, or… eyebrows.

3. The Storytelling

My top priority when rating a story is very simple: it must surprise me. One thing I can say with the utmost certainty is that Doctor Who rarely fails to meet this criterion. Every time I think it couldn’t get more extraordinary, it surprises me. No matter how much I speculate (which is a lot) , I rarely guess the true conclusion, and then only partly. There are plenty of timey­-wimey twists in this show to keep you guessing.

Doctor Who is very bold in its storytelling. Especially in recent seasons, the writers have been unafraid to tackle difficult topics of real-­world significance. The show also has the unique ability to dabble in a variety of interesting topics, as I’ll explain in a moment. The great thing is, the writers actually make use of this ability, often drawing subtle parallels between the story and the real world that allow us to understand what the Doctor might think of the dilemmas we face today. Doctor Who is also quite bold in its portrayal of villains. It brings a very interesting perspective to the role, often times giving the ‘monster’ a very understandable motive, giving them a very human emotion.

The show also excels at producing an entirely believable cast of characters for the audience to relate to. Combined with the immense talent of the actors, the scripts come to life, and instantly engage you mentally, and especially emotionally. Even being a very non-­emotional sort, I often find myself crying over an episode.

2. Its Limitless Nature

What I believe to be one of the greatest things about this show is how truly limitless it is. The show literally has all of time and space at its fingertips. You want a contemporary story set in Alaska? Totally possible. A historical episode in 16th century France? You got it. Want to visit an alien planet? No problem!

Time and space travel gives the show endless possibilities. While primarily a sci­-fi drama, Doctor Who is free to dabble in different genres, occasionally becoming a comedy, horror, romance, social commentary, even a western. There is truly no other show that can claim as well as this one to have “something for everyone”. Having such a wide range of settings, topics, and characters is, I believe, the primary reason the show is still producing interesting, original storylines half a century after its conception.

1. The Doctor

Honestly, there is no other way to close out this list than to acknowledge the show’s absolutely fantastic titular character. There is truly nothing greater about this show than this madman in a box. It is my belief that there has never been, and may never again be, a fictional character so deeply complicated, clever, profound, wise, kind, and unselfish as the Doctor.

The Doctor is an amazing role model who, having endured two thousand years of war, bloodshed, and heartbreak, wants nothing more than to help people. There’s a lot to be learnt from the Time Lord, as he’s almost always modelling good morals and teaching valuable life lessons to the children in the audience, and to the adults as well. Honestly, many of the Doctor’s strongest messages, such as pacifism, are meant more for the adult audience, and at times almost seem to speak directly to world leaders. The Doctor is such an honest, believable character, and has such amazing arguments, that he has actually influenced my own opinion on some subjects.

Of course, one of the most famous of the Doctor’s attributes is his ability to regenerate. Every couple of seasons, his face and personality change. While at first the idea may seem a bit off­-putting, each Doctor brings a new, fresh perspective of the character, while still remaining true to the core values of his character. Each time the Doctor regenerates, we see more of the two­-thousand­-year­-old man that he is and watch as his story unfolds, as the events of one incarnation shape and form the personality of the next. The Doctor’s many faces add a very interesting depth to his character.

Although the Doctor changes, some things always stay the same. The Doctor is an eternal optimist, and to a self­-described pessimist like myself, it’s often very refreshing to see him take such a positive attitude. He also constantly inspires us by reminding us that everyone is important, that anyone can make a difference in the world. It doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you’re a man, woman, or child. You matter. You can change the world. And you should be a Whovian.

Conclusion

So, Whovians, turn on your phones! News websites and Twitter (#BecomeAWhovian)! Spread the word and share this article! Let’s make the 52nd anniversary a special day for a new generation of Whovians.

And to those who may have been sent here by your obsessive Whovian friends, I hope you’ve enjoyed my list, and that you’ve decided to give Doctor Who a try! Trust me, you won’t regret it.