Doctor Who is 50 years old this week. Not the Doctor himself; he’s as ancient or young as the producers of the time decide, but the series. When it came out I was 7. And really excited about its arrival. Mainly because ‘back then’ there were only 2 tv stations and they only transmitted from about 3 in the afternoon til 11 at night and 98% of what they showed was of abolutely no interest to a 7 year old kid.
Strictly come Rationing; There’s no such thing as a celebrity yet, but get me out of here anyway; Top of the Assassinations. Kennedy won that year.

Anyway; big fuss made about this ‘new sci-fi’ series, time travel, exotic locations (Hull), futuristic monsters, and all in a blue phone box. Wow. Stuff didn’t get any more exciting than that in 1963.
The show started, the original Doc, the phone box and a light being turned on and off rapidly were ‘special effects’ which were stunning. Instead of CGI (because the ‘C’ hadn’t yet been invented) they had men in dustbins with collendars on their heads. Really amazing.

I’d love to say I remember that first episode. But I can’t. It was as memorable as Preston North End drawing 0-0 with Burnley. It was as fantastic as the weather forecast. As gripping as a wet bar of soap.
Even to the 7 year old me it was just shit and disappointment.

Yet it became a cult. And part of that cult was to keep its ‘original values’, if not, never, the original Doctor. Those values being never to spend more than the tea and biscuit budget on the costumes, sets and effects.

People still rave about the show, obviously, and its still crap, but that’s life. Or that’s ‘sad bastards’ whichever way you choose to look at it.

One tv show that was much better, if a little later, was Citizen Smith. In 1977. Fantastic comedy about a group of ‘urban guerillas’ living in Tooting. The Tooting Popular Front, as they were, a little bit of communism in South London. Funny situation, inspired comedy, Comrade.

Then we learn last week that two women were kept as ‘slaves’ for 30 years in South London. But not just by a wierd and abusive couple, but by the leaders of the: ‘Workers Institute of Marxist-Leninist-Mao Tse Tung Thought’. In. Brixton. I’d love to be able to claim that I made that up but sadly, its real. A Marxist ‘collective’ (in that they collected slaves, it would appear) right there in SW2. Whoever would’a thought? Life imitating art.

Not like Doctor Who, which was more art imitating kitchin equipent and household utensils.

Live long and prosper (oops, mixing me sci-fis)

Happy tuesday

A xxxx