Whoniversally As Doctor Who celebrates 60 years on screen, fan and expert on popular media ANDREW CROME explains how lessons can be learnt from the show’s storylines Interview by Andrew Stone
ZOE MCCONNELL/BAD WOLF/BBC STUDIOS
Andrew Crome
Catherine Tate and David Tennant are reunited 8 • WAR CRY • 25 November 2023
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ALEKS, cybermen, weeping angels and even rival TV channels have not been able to see off the Doctor, as the famous Time Lord celebrates 60 years on our screens this week. It was on Saturday 23 November 1963 that Doctor Who first materialised in front of the British public. Today (Saturday 25 November) on BBC1, David Tennant makes his return to the Tardis, where he’ll be joined by previous companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) in his journey through space and time – resurrecting a Doctorcompanion pairing not seen since 2010. Fans, known as Whovians, can’t wait. ‘They’re one of my favourite Doctor and companion partnerships,’ says one such fan, Andrew Crome. ‘I am looking forward to a big blast of nostalgia.’ Andrew has been a fan of Doctor Who since he was about eight years old. Although he wasn’t born when the show began, his enthusiasm for it prompted him to go back and watch the episodes in its first run from 1963 to 1989. Then he was ready for the reboot in 2005 when the programme reached a new audience. ‘I think the popularity of the show is that it can go anywhere in any time and be incredibly creative,’ he enthuses. ‘You