A few of us around the Bordas & Bordas office have been waiting all summer for the return of one of our favorite guilty pleasures - Doctor Who. For those unfamiliar, Doctor Who is a British science-fiction TV show that first aired in 1963. It follows the adventures of an alien who goes only by "the Doctor" and who travels through time and space in his TARDIS - a spaceship that looks like a blue police box. The Doctor can "regenerate" when he is in mortal danger, and doing so changes his appearance and personality.
Doctor Who returned to TV on August 23, giving the office "Whovians" a chance to see how Peter Capaldi, the latest actor chosen for the role, decided to portray the character. I checked in with Jay Stoneking and Stephani Campbell, the other Bordas & Bordas Who fans, to see what they thought of the newest Doctor.
Jay pointed out that "Everybody has their favorites, but I like seeing how each actor gets to emphasize a different aspect of the Doctor's character." All three of us agreed that we enjoyed the introduction to the 12th Doctor and are looking forward to seeing how Capaldi further develops the role. We are especially interested to see an older actor's (Capaldi is 56, versus Matt Smith, who was only 26 when he was cast to play the 11th Doctor) take on the role, particularly since the character of the Doctor is supposed to be 2,000 years old. Stephani said, "I already prefer him to Matt Smith and look forward to seeing how Capaldi plays the role in future episodes."
But perhaps the best part of Doctor Who isn't just getting excited about watching the newest episode or seeing a brand new actor playing the Doctor, it's knowing that generations of fans have been getting excited about these things for over 50 years. Jay told me, "I think the thing that's amazing about Doctor Who is that it reaches across generations. My girls grew up watching the old Doctor Who show with me and now we both enjoy the new show." My family's experience is similar to what Jay describes with his daughters. My mom grew up watching Tom Baker as the 4th Doctor, and now my sister and I both love the show as well. There's something really fascinating about the idea of a character who continues to evolve over such a long period of time, and who remains interesting and fun to so many different people.
Are there any Whovians in our Bordas & Bordas extended family? If so, what did you think of the newest Doctor and his "attack eyebrows?"
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