I only recently discovered how huge Doctor Who is in the US. Huuuuuge! And yet most Americans only know Matt Smith as the Doctor.
For my part, I didn’t get into Doctor Who until the series was revived with one Christopher Eccleston. He was so unbelievably good. He and Rose (his companion) had tremendous chemistry. After only one season, he bowed out. Who could possibly tread in his footsteps?
His successor was David Tennant. From episode 1, he blew me away. And he and Rose had even more chemistry. He worked equally well with Martha and Donna. And let’s not forget Captain Jack. Well, perhaps not equally well, but it was a pretty fun ride anyway.
I’m just so sad that many Americans and Doctor Who fans never got to see David Tennant’s performance.
Finally, we come to Matt Smith. Yeah, he’s pretty good, too. He won me over, even if the early Amelia Pond didn’t. She was too much the “it’s dark and there’s a killer around, so let me go into the basement by myself” type. She had to work hard to gain my respect. Clara is much more my cup of tea.
Anyway, I’m not used to seeing Americans go nuts about something as low tech and British as Doctor Who. In the UK, people smile warmly when the show is mentioned. It’s a national institution. We don’t go all fangirl (or fanboy). But then, Brits aren’t exactly known for their exuberance.
What’s particularly weird is that it hasn’t been remade for US television. UK shows usually get Americanized, from “Life on Mars” to “Being Human.” You get new actors, a new budget, while keeping pretty much a similar script. Don’t you feel cheated when that happens? Don’t you want to watch the original, the thing that caused the show to be picked up for the US market in the first place?
I suspect the appeal of Doctor Who is that is hasn’t been remade. Someone at the BBC thought Americans were clever enough to understand the accent, to get the slightly zany humor, and the fun factor in Doctor Who. No need to patronize.
What a novel attitude. Long may it continue.