Now it has been 60 years since Dr. Who first aired on television. It is the longest running science fiction program on television with its first broadcast on November 23, 1963 (only one day after the Kennedy assassination).  The original series ran from 1963 to 1989 and the new series was broadcast from 2005 until the present. I am not sure how many people here saw Dr. Who in their childhood.  I don't think it was broadcast here in my area of the U. S. until the 1980's. It would have been great if the William Hartnell episodes had been shown here when I was a child. But I had to wait until decades later to see any classic Dr. Who. 

Here are some of the best Dr. Who moments in a three hour video:

https://www.youtube.com/live/pWQ8IP5YH9U?si=u_LCntNI_n9UTCFI

I listened to The City of Death soundtrack today. I have always liked the television episodes of Dr. Who when they are made into audiobooks.  The audio format works just as well and the linking narration is very enjoyable listening.  There are a number of stories that have been released on DVD that are also available as audiobooks.   The stories are just as interesting as the lost episodes and the audio dramas that were created separately.  I would recommend all of them very highly.

I just finished watching the Doctor Who William Hartnell Season Two set. It is a Blu-ray set so the picture is a little clearer than the DVD releases, and there are more bonus features.. It was so nice to view the episodes from 1964 and 1965 again after seeing them previously on the DVD’s. I love early Dr. Who and the first time I saw many of the episodes was when they came to DVD. My local stations did not even show Dr. Who until it came to public television in the 1980’s and they were not the beginning episodes (at least that was how I remember it).  So I am a latecomer to the series even though I wish I had seen the show as a child.  I guess it is better late than never, and now I appreciate the show more than when it was first shown here.  🙂

William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton on Dr. Who, recently passed away. He was one of the first companions of William Hartnell, who was the first Doctor on the series back in 1963.

I miss the original classic Dr. Who and the early companions on the series.

R. I. P.  Mr. Russell.   

https://m.facebook.com/groups/characteroptionsdrwho/permalink/3727522910829564/?

*dusts off thread*

Some friends recently subscribed to Britbox, the BBC streaming service. It offers 26 seasons of Classic Doctor Who, and I've been watching it with them.

We're about halfway through season 2. (I'd originally seen the very first episode, but very little until Tom Baker appeared as the Fourth Doctor). The stories are pretty entertaining, on the whole, though we occasionally groan at some of the things the characters do (like go off on their own on an unfamiliar planet - "how dangerous can it be?" - even after facing danger on the last planet they were on, or the Doctor lying to Ian and Barbara about an apparent malfunction on the TARDIS simply because he wants to explore the Dalek city).

@stargazer 

I think Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker were the best Doctors on Dr. Who.  I have been rewatching my old DVD’s of the classic Dr. Who that I purchased over ten years ago. They still work fine, and I love their bonus features.  Some of the DVD’s have gone out of print, but most of them are still available.  I bought only three seasons of Dr. Who on Blu-ray, and I haven’t noticed much difference in the picture from the DVD’s.  They also have many bonus features about the stories, which is advantage of the physical media. 🙂

We are now near the end of Season 8, and I like Jon Pertwee as well. The show feels different than either New Who or the earlier seasons of Classic, not necessarily because of the change in Doctors, but because they are generally confined to earth now, rather than traveling through time and space. Also, the Master seems to be in each story arc this season rather than mixing up who our heroes are facing each time.

@stargazer

I think Roger Delgado was the best Master although Anthony Ainley was quite good.  I know there were others that played the character, but I have forgotten them because the first two really were able to perform the role right. 

I love Jon Pertwee’s Doctor. Perhaps he is my second favorite, although only Tom Baker was able to be the best.

I still have the DVD’s which have only one story plus bonus features. I bought only three sets on Blu-ray, but most of the stories I own are on DVD because it would be too expensive to buy them over again.

Classic Dr. Who actually looks better to me than the new series. I like its antique quality and the simplicity of the time in which it was made.

I have been listening to The Genesis Chamber, a three hour audiobook of Dr. Who. Tom Baker’s voice is incredible for audio, which is the reason why he made so many excellent audiobooks. I bought many of them and still enjoy them just as much as the television episodes of the fourth Doctor, which were made during the 1970’s.  I would encourage any Dr. Who fans to give the audio stories a try.