ALMOST all of Doctor Who has made its wonderful way to the iPlayer and suddenly a childhood dream has come true.
You can now watch all eras of the show any time, any place, anywhere.
Once upon a time, if you missed the episode, that was it – no second chances. Equity was not that kind of guy. Sure, some stories got repeated at Christmas or in the summer holidays, but these were the best of and few and far between.
In the days before video recorders, DVD players, online streaming or catch-up repeats on BBC Three, if you were out, or your Aunt Petunia popped round for tea, you missed the episode.
Season 21 was mostly broadcast on Thursdays and Fridays, and for me parts two and four clashed with Boys’ Brigade. A whole half of the season, including the conclusion to Caves of Androzani and Peter Davison’s era, completely missed because of drill, team games and badgework.
Thankfully, for my household, that was the last time it should have happened as Father Christmas left a video recorder under the tree and Attack of the Cybermen part one was watched several times before part two.
Sadly, in 1986, a ‘quick trip’ to MFI meant we were back in time for the cliffhanger to Terror of the Vervoids part one (aka, Trial of a Time Lord part nine). The timer on the video failed, and until the BBC video release in 1993, the only bit of that episode I saw was Bonnie Langford’s pitch perfect scream into the closing titles as the Vervoid salad erupted.
What had happened in the previous 24 minutes was seemingly lost in time.
The idea of watching previous Doctors was also – almost – for the birds.
Us fans had tantalising glimpses of the past thanks to the Radio Times Tenth Anniversary Special, and the subsequent 20th anniversary edition, along with The Making of Doctor Who, The Monster Book and its sequel, as well as the occasional anniversary feature on Blue Peter. Always the same script and clips, only the host changed – BBC efficiency at its best.
Each of these wondrous publications was stuffed with photos of old monsters and the short descriptions left us pining for more.
In 1983, we got something as BBC Video released its first Video Tasty – as opposed to video nasties – Revenge of the Cybermen. Finally, some classic Tom Baker available to watch whenever we wanted. Yes, it was edited together in an omnibus edition, but it was still old Doctor Who.
Slowly, the range extended until we had a video library, and then, in 1999, a DVD one too. Now it’s blu-ray, and anywhere we want.
This is what childhood me dreamed of – we truly are spoilt. A new golden age of Doctor Who and it’s at our fingertips.
Happy times and places indeed.