On March 26, 2005, audiences were introduced to a new Doctor for the 21st century. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The episode “Rose” introduced us to the eponymous Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) being chased by Autons through London, and Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor. This kicked off eight seasons (so far) and five actors inhabiting the roles of the Ninth through Twelfth Doctors. . .and a War Doctor.
More importantly, it’s led to a renaissance of Who fandom. Whovians are now a major force in the broader geek community, generating a passion unrivalled by all but the most ardent Trekkies and Star Wars fans.
And what would an anniversary be without some presents? We got you some free stuff. . . and a new feature and podcast.
Do you love Who? Win $150 shopping spree from Superhero Stuff!
From my colleague Adam McDonald:
The good folks over at SuperHeroStuff.com are always adding a bunch of cool stuff to the site, and they want to give all of you a chance to take some home for free! The winner of this contest will receive a $150 gift card while nine runners-up will each get a “Doctor Who” shirt. To enter, just click on this link and follow the directions.
Whovians will definitely want to spend some time checking out all the really amazing stuff they have for fans. Whether you’re looking for shirts, beanies, a certain scarf, Weeping Angel Masks, a sonic screwdriver or just some Tardis-related stuff, you’re bound to find what you’re looking for over there, so click here for all things Who!
So, a confession on my part.
I have never watched Doctor Who. Until now.
On today’s tenth anniversary, I will celebrate tonight by firing up this first season on my Netflix, and then watching Doctor Who for the first time. And lucky you, I’ll be chronicling my descent in Who fandom. And every week you’ll be able to join me with. . .
This podcast is an exclusive to BigShinyRobot, and special thanks to all my fellow robots for helping me get it off the ground. You can subscribe to it through iTunes or your favorite podcasting app here.
So, we’ve already got three episodes in the can and I wanted to make sure I was comfortable with this all before diving in to actually watch. But, in the immortal words of The Doors, “The time to hesitate is through.”
Follow me on Twitter @WhoVirgin as I live-tweet my binge-watching (more things that are new since 2005! Special!) and hopefully one of these weeks we’ll get some of my fellow robots on the show to guide me through.
Every Sunday we host a Google Hangouts to record the episode. If you’d like an invite, send me an email or tweet or contact me through the website. Or just keep an eye on our Google + page, which will have all the info there.
Thanks and happy Who-nniversary.