Memories of a Doctor Who fan

I am SOO jealous of my daughter. She gets BBC America and I don't, which is still okay 'cause she gets to see the 50th anniversary special of DW. She's in her teens now and DW is one thing we can always talk about.
I cam to DW rather late in the game, just as Colin Baker was finishing his run as the Doctor. In those days you had to wait a year for the program to wind its way across the pond to our local PBS station. Colin Baker was my first Doctor, and I came in at the fourth episode of the Trial of a Time Lord. I had no idea--I was totally clueless. Had no idea it was NOT the norm for a story to go on for 14 episodes. By the time the 10th episode rolled around I was thinking come on, wind it up already! Then they rolled out the next Doctor, Sylvester McCoy. The first time I saw hij I thought he was a troll! Well, he kind of grew on you, but it took a whole season for them to sort him out.
Back in the day it seemed the only DW I saw before that was always the last episode of Tom Baker's first outing in 'Robot', a prime example of the crap special F/X the BBC had in the 1970's. My favorite Doctor was and remains Jon Pertwee; he seemed like a kind grandfatherly wise old man who didn't suffer fools--or the military-lightly. He just had that right mix of intelligence, wit and action that made for a scientific hero. Plus he had to make do with what he had to work with during a long exile on Earth.
We've corrupted another generation, by the way. My son Nathan grew up watching DW reruns with me every Saturday night. One of his first words was "Exterminate!", which is kind of a long word for a toddler. We'd play at faking the Dalek voice doing the "Exterminate!" shriek, and it always got a giggle out of him. Which I hope doesn't embarrass him in front of his girlfriend, telling the world like this. My daughter Kelsey got in on the ground floor when the series returned in 2005; her 'first' Doctor is David Tennant, and like I said, it's something we can always talk about. .

Interview Extract: Jamai Dlamii (Fictional)

BLOG--You've consistently refused being termed a 'mutant', 'psychic', 'medium' et al. May I ask why?
JAMAI--Because they're just labels. They're another way of saying 'you're a freak, you don't belong.'
B--I take it you're not fond of labels.
J--I despise them. It's just another way of dividing people, of keeping them down. Listen, my husband's uncle once told me that words have a profound effect on our social relations. When I was young I was stupid enough to let myself be blinkered by these insults.
B--I'd never call you stupid.
J--Appreciated. I'll give you an example of what I mean from your own day and age. The great Miles Davis was invited to participate in a charity record--"Sun City", and the umbrella title for the group was Artists United Against Apartheid. The project was spearheaded by Steven Van Zandt. Miles' part was to be edited into a jazz track, but at some point in his performance, Miles started muttering, "you can't go in there, you're the wrong color."
B--"The Struggle Continues," that was the track.
J--Good. There's hope for you yet. Well, Miles' rap was entirely spontaneous, but so truthful, that they built that whole track around it.
B--I guess what you're saying is today, right now, you're comfortable with who you are?
J--Why shouldn't I be? I tried to fit in, to be like 'everybody else'. But the truth is, people or bosses or your leaders will never be satisfied no matter how much you try to fit in. Why should I change to satisfy them? Why make myself uncomfortable with myself? I'm a person and I'm different. So what? I don't have to prove anything to anyone but myself. And neither do you. If who you are isn't good enough form "them", whoever "they" are, they can get stuffed!
(shared laughter)

this writer's book BUTTERFLY AND SERPENT is still available at www.amazon.com as a paperback or Kindle. Check it out.