I’m a bit of a geek

There is another 50th anniversary going on right now, something fun for a change. It is the longest running science fiction television show on both sides of the Atlantic today, “Doctor Who.” Fans of the British science fiction series call themselves “Whovians,” much like Star Trek fans call themselves “Trekkies” or “Trekkers.” I admit with no shame whatsoever that I am a Whovian, a Trekker and a bit of a geek.

“Doctor Who” has been on since it first aired on the BBC Nov. 23, 1963, and in that time has amassed a fan base spanning the globe — more than just a cult following to be sure. It is currently airing on BBC America, and this week fans have been going nuts. So has my family. I have been driving them nuts watching every episode during a weekend marathon. And there is a new TV movie to boot.

Who is the Doctor — pardon the pun — you ask? Well, here is where it gets to be fun. The good Doctor is not from around here, not even from this planet. He is a 906-year-old time lord from the planet Gallifrey who has two hearts and is, to be honest, a bit of a mad genius. Mad as in the Mad Hatter and genius, well he is an alien with ages of experience under his belt.

The Doctor travels through space and time in the Time and Relative Dimensions In Space, or TARDIS, which is disguised to look like a dull blue British police call box. It did have a “chameleon circuit” that allowed it to blend into its surroundings, but it got stuck a long time ago. There is also another quirk to this living machine; it is much larger inside than outside, which freaks out anyone coming on board for the first time.

The Doctor has another thing unique ability as a Time Lord. When injured to the point of death, he can regenerate. The change is total. As each Doctor passes on, another rises up from the regeneration process who looks and acts completely different. So far there have been 11 incarnations of the good Doctor from Gallifrey. This was written into the show when the first actor to portray him, William Hartnel, became very ill and couldn’t carry on. That is the secret to the whole thing.

The Doctor usually travels with one or two companions who get to share in the adventures. He rarely travels alone in the cosmos. The TARDIS will materialize with an electronic, asthmatic wheezing that ends in ker-klunk on some distant world or time period on earth. The door of the blue police box whips open and the Doctor plus a companion or two step out. He carries no weapons, just a sonic screwdriver, which is far more than its name implies. Using his wits and the few tools he has, the Doctor and friends adventure through time and space.

Not bad for a children’s show shot in black-and-white videotape on a low budget for things like special effects. The original shows ran for just 30 minutes movie serial style. One episode would consist of a half dozen 30-minute segments. From 1963 to 1989, it ran pretty much that way.

Somewhere, color videotape was used instead of the black-and-white along with film for most of that time. The special effects were still done on a very low budget. But the writing and acting were very good. As the Doctors and companions changed, the episodes became more and more complex and sophisticated. The audience grew up too and demanded more.

The writing tends to draw you in as the travelers face various enemies, like a race of murderous robots with a humanoid brain called Daleks. The Daleks are Doctor’s greatest enemy and look like rolling ash cans with a turret on top and a single eye mounted on a swiveling stalk. They go around screeching “exterminate!” in shrill electronic voices.

Whovians will also recall foes such as “The Master,” a rogue time lord who was the Doctor’s nemesis for many of his incarnations. Or, the Weeping Angels, living statues that only move when one blinks or looks away from them. One touch will send you back in time so they can feed off your time energy. They give me the screaming willies and they are the most creepy of the villains and monsters in the series.

In 2005, the show received a major shot in the arm with a larger budget, more dramatic stories and computer-generated imaging for special effects. The results were astounding and thrilling. The fan base grew to include adults from all over the globe, many raised on the earlier versions of “Doctor Who.”

I got hooked starting out with the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, who had the role from 1974 to 1981. He had a thing for long overcoats, 8-foot long scarves, floppy hats and jellybeans.

He and his robot companion K-9 suckered me into the world of “Doctor Who,” which aired on PBS in the states back then.

The current 11th Doctor played by Matt Smith is a little more manic with a penchant for bow ties and suspenders. Sales of both in England and abroad have soared because of his character’s fondness for them.

But don’t take my word for it. By the wonder of cable, satellite TV and the Internet, you can watch the current show or even the earliest BBC episodes.

Maybe you’ll get hooked, too. It is great ride along in the TARDIS and adventure with the Doctor and friends as they foil the Daleks’ next foul plot, or solve the mystery of how dinosaurs got on a spaceship the size of Canada heading for Earth.

Don’t forget your sonic screwdriver.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.