Thursday, February 05, 2015

The 800 Day Project - Day 370 - The Moment...

It's the 4th of January 2015.

I have stuck with The 800 Day Project (every episode of Doctor Who, one a day) for the last 369 days, and now we have reached a key moment.

What is it about this day that makes it so special I hear no one ask?

Well, today we are going back in time to 23rd March 1974. I am almost seven years old. and on television is Episode 1 of The Monster of Peladon. Today is the day that I started watching Doctor Who.

I have vague memories of other Season 11 stories. A hint of The Time Warrior. A flash of Invasion Of The Dinosaurs. Maybe a soupçon of Death To The Daleks. It's difficult to be sure really - we all know the memory cheats and I've seen a LOT of Doctor Who in the years since.

However I am totally sure about one thing. Monster Of Peladon was the first time I watched every episode of a Doctor Who story - and what a story to start with !

I know that nowadays 'Monster' is somewhat of an unloved child. It's the one doing a commentary on the miner's strike. The one with the 'Badger Heads'. The one that's not as good as Curse of Peladon. The one that's just a bit too long.

But back in 1974, to a six year old becoming obsessed with all things SF and fantasy, it had everything I could possible want. Ice Warriors! One eyed green aliens with six arms! A giant furry creature with tusks!

Plus of course at the centre of it all, The Doctor (plus Sarah Jane). Although Tom Baker is *my* Doctor (and we'll get to that at some point), I've always had a soft spot for dear old Jon, because he was my first Doctor. Here towards the end of his time he displays a great mix of dignity, warmth and authority. He's the kindly old uncle that gives you 50p when you go to visit yet won't hesitate to shout at you if you tread on his prize begonias.

Looking back across Pertwee's run as part of this huge re-watch it's easy to see where the accusations of brusqueness, arrogance and even sexism come from. He's often not a likeable character. But at age six (almost seven) I didn't notice any of that. I didn't notice any of the endless running up and down the same bit of corridor set or the threadbare plot or the how similar it is to Curse of Peladon - after all I hadn't seen that one. This was just a great show with scary monsters and a hero in peril - and I loved it.

This isn't the moment I became a Doctor Who *fan* - that's still to come. But it is the moment I started to watch the show every week. From now on I never missed a single episode until October 1977.

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