Fans excited for ‘Doctor Who’ anniversary

Whovians, grab your sonic screwdrivers and get ready to run, you clever fans, and save the day. The 50th Anniversary special of “Doctor Who” is showing on Saturday.

“Doctor Who” has been around since 1964 and has even made it into the “Guinness Book of World Records” as one of the longest running science-fiction shows. This beloved show is about the Doctor, a Time-Lord from the planet Gallifrey, who travels through time and space in a blue box called the T.A.R.D.I.S.

The Doctor also usually travels with a companion of some sort. These companions come and go. Some choose to leave, some die and other simply cannot travel with the Doctor any longer because of life-threatening reasons.

The series has been split into the older half with the first 75 episodes called “Classic Doctor Who,” and the modern version, simply called “Doctor Who.” The first Doctor, William Hartnell, wanted to quit after three years, so the writers decided to write in the idea of regeneration.

Regeneration meant that the Doctor could be reincarnated, which is why, up to date, there have been a total of 11 Doctors, with number 12 arriving in an episode on Christmas Day. Each Doctor has his own unique persona, but retains the memories of previous ones.

The show itself has a fan base of 80 million. It’s not just for the young, but for people of all ages.

But let us not forget about “Classic Doctor Who.”  This was the original form of the series before its reboot in 2005. The writing styles among the newer and the older series vary, as do the quality of the special effects. “Classic Doctor Who” is less popular among the newer fanbase, but is still just as fantastic.

Junior Hayden Adoff has been watching “Doctor Who” for four years now, and has watched the series in its entirety. He explained that it’s hard for him to choose  between the newer and the older series because they’re both good.

“How does one choose?” Adoff asked. “I feel like the writing is always good.  It’s just time-constraints that screw it up.”

On the other hand, some fans believe that “Classic Doctor Who” was just too slow or cheesy for their more modern tastes. It can be hard to get through at times, or may be too old for youngsters with its old “wibbly wobbly timey wimey” effects.

“The older version is very slow,” said senior Cameron Wong. “The new one is faster-paced.”

As far as the writing is concerned, adult audiences appreciate both versions of the show’s writing.

“You have great writers and great stories,” said Javier Cortez, 34.  “There have been a lot of hiatuses over the years. Each time they come back, they get better.”

The 50th Anniversary episode will be called “The Day Of The Doctor,” and will include three doctors. It has been announced that David Tenant and John Hurt will be acting alongside Matt Smith as Doctors.

“The Day Of The Doctor” episode, which airs at 11:50 a.m., will start where the last left off with the 11th Doctor trapped in his own time stream with his companion Clara Oswin Oswald.

It has been revealed that they will travel to Elizabethan England and the darkest day of his life, the Great Time War.  This is the very war that led him to become the last of the time-lords.  Monsters in this episode will feature the Daleks and Classic Who’s returning shape-shifting Zygons.

Most fans are likely to plop down on the couch, turn on BBC, and await the episode in a frantic frenzy with family and friends. But why do that when you can see it in theaters?

Yes, this 50th Anniversary special will be showing worldwide in theaters on Saturday and Monday at 7:30.

Now students can bond with fellow Whovians as they watch the episode on the big screen.

If students still haven’t had enough of all this Doctor Who hype, no fear, more is coming. In the Christmas special, Smith will regenerate into Peter Capaldi. A sad farewell to the beloved, quirky Smith, but a hello to a potentially great Doctor.

Capaldi has acted in movies such as “World War Z” and “The Thick Of It,” and he appeared in a season 4 episode of “Doctor Who.” Surprisingly, he will be taking on the role of the Twelfth with his native Scottish accent even though all the Doctors were supposed to be British.

There has been much controversy among Whovians as to whether Capaldi is right for the position. Some fans who were attracted to Smith believe Capaldi isn’t foxy enough to uphold the new role. Smith was the youngest actor to ever play the part of the Doctor, and some believe Capaldi is too old.

Junior Grigg Shaw believes that age shouldn’t matter.

“I’ve seen people online complaining about Peter Capaldi and how he’s not sexy or how he’s ‘too old for me’,” said Shaw. “I’m not really on the same boat as they are simply because as long as they play the part well, that’s the main part that got me into Doctor Who anyways.”

As long as Capaldi is a good actor, things will be fine. Plus,  all the previous Doctors before the new series had started had all been at least 40 years old. It wasn’t until the modern “Doctor Who” that the actors have been any younger.

It has been a fantastic 50 years. Doctors may leave and regenerate, but the memories and teachings they give us will always live on in our fandom.