MUST SEE TV: DR WHO

Tardis... Dalek... Time Lords... Cybermen... I bet none of those ring any bells? That's typical. Three quarters of the cyberpeople in this country, if they watch international television, are hooked on American series like House, Lost, CSI or god forbid... Desperate Housewives. When in fact there are also British created series that are much better than these American shows.

And one of them is Dr. Who. I've posted about this series about two years ago, I think (I can't find that post), when I first saw Season 1 of the series. This show is actually very popular in Great Britain and not just a cult favorite, I think it's more popular there than Lost. If my history is correct... give me a few moments. Let me look up wikipedia... it started in 1963 and was the longest running scifi show in the world. The first series ended in 1989. And what I'm watching these days are the episodes from it's relaunch in 2005.

So who is Dr. Who? Who is not actually the doctor's name... it's just The Doctor. He's the last of the Time Lords, a race of alien beings who travels among time and space to prevent disasters and at times change history. He's usually accompanied by a hot young lady in his adventures, and he travels using a blue police box called Tardis (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), which is larger on the inside than out. As for Cybermen and Dalek, they're the arch-nemeses of The Doctor. Dalek's are giant salt-shaker shaped robots built to exterminate all living creatures in the universe. While Cybermen are... hmm... think of Iron Man's original suit. As to what their purpose is... I forgot.

This is a very intelligent series, it's science fiction and it's funnier than most British comedies. I am not a fan of dry humor that the Brits usually have (if you've seen Shaun of the Dead, that's supposed to be a spoof of zombie films), but this show a lot of times kept me laughing. And most of the times at the edge of my seat, holding on to whatever pillow is near me.

There've been a lot of Doctors throughout the show's history, and they've smartly added a twist to explain the change in actors for the role. You see, Time Lords have the ability to change forms whenever the body is near death. Brilliant eh. So the story continues, even if the actor is no longer available. The current Doctor is David Tennant, and he's bloody brilliant!!! As for his lady friends, he tends to bring with him foxy women, with the exception of the latest season where he brought a slightly middle-aged lady (Catherine Tate). I think he opted for another lady after sort of getting too much involved with his last partner. Other leading ladies include Kylie Minogue (yeah THAT Kylie Minogue), Billie Piper (I think she was some pop star in the 90's) and Freema Agyeman (I don't know who she is).

I admit, this show may not be for everyone given that this is science fiction. But it is science fiction at it's best. Give this show a shot. If you're the type who likes Buffy or Angel, you'll enjoy the show. It's well-written. It's easy to follow even if it has a huge history. And it's really really good.

I know I'd sound like a nerd heavily promoting this show. I don't go to cosplays by the way. ANd no, I don't have a Star Trek costume stashed in my closet (I never liked the show). But if by loving this series gets me stereotyped into a geek, well that's fine. At least I have good taste.

Watch this show and you'll understand why I have all the love for the Doctor and all his antics.

Oh and by the way, the pictures are in order from first to last season. The first pic was for season 1 with Christopher Eccleston (The Rider in The Seeker, The Dark Is Rising) playing the title role.