This past Tuesday, over 400 fans flocked to The Bell House in Brooklyn for an advanced screening of the sixth series of Doctor Who, sponsored by BBC America and The Secret Formula. Guests were treated to four hours of themed drinks and food, performances, contests, and a lecture from New York Times best selling author Dr. Michio Kaku.
Oh and the first two unaired episodes of the upcoming season.
At this point it may help some if I give a quick background on the show, as someone is inevitably going doctor … who? (Overused jokes: 1 Leah: 0) Fans, feel free to skip the next bit, although if you’re as much a Whovian as I, you won’t mind a quick rundown of the basics for the sake of the poor souls who have yet to be indoctrinated as a child of time.
Doctor Who is about an alien Time Lord called the Doctor. 900-and-something years old, he travels through time and space with his companions in a ship that looks like an old British police box. It first aired in Britain in1963, and has run fairly consistently ever since. After ten long years of no new episodes, the show was given a facelift by television producer Russell T Davies and rebooted in 2005; it is once again the jewel in the BBCs crown. The show now holds the Guinness World Record for being the Longest Running Science-Fiction TV Series.
Doctor Who has become more and more popular in the US especially in the past three years, with new episodes airing on BBC America, and repeats airing occasionally on the Syfy Channel. Although billed as a family show, the program is more original, more intelligent, and more engrossing than 98% of the television that is geared toward adults.
But I gush.
The evening began around 7, with fans lining up outside the bar in order to procure a seat for the screening. (Coming from work, I was one of the standing-room-onlys.) Food provided by Brooklyn’s Chip Shop kept hungry fans from eating their fezzes (overused jokes: 2 Leah: 0) whilst waiting for the screening to begin.
The Secret Formula of New York were our emcees for the night. Dressed in costume they introduced contests, a comedienne and role-players to entertain the masses. Finally came the main event. A representative from BBC America ran onstage amidst deafening cheers to introduce the first episode, “The Impossible Astronaut.” (Part two “The Day of the Moon” was aired after a 45-minute break).
It is at this point that I pause to beg a favor: If you ever have an opportunity to go to a mass screening of a show that you are a fan of, do not miss it. Even if you have to go stag, it will be a standalone moment in your life. To watch something you love alongside hundreds of others who love it just as much is a scintillating experience. For the few hours I was in that bar, I became best friends with a trio standing near me. I laughed, cheered, gasped, and screamed “NO %@(#*&%@# WAY” with 400 like-minded people. The ability — and latent need — to create and participate as a group is part of what makes us human: The ability to do that as well as laugh at paradoxical jokes made by a world-renowned physicist is what makes us veritable nerds, but humans nonetheless.
BBC America asked us, quite rightly I might add, to not post any episode-related spoilers on the internet, and I will adhere to those rules. Honestly, as a fangirl, I hunt down any who break those rules with a phaser for pleasure. However here some spoiler-free notes to tide you over:
For those of you new to the series, don’t worry. While it can seem a little daunting, I met a few newbies who, while mildly confused, still enjoyed the show thoroughly.
And really, most of the series is streaming on Netflix — your excuse is null and void.
Doctor Who series six premieres Saturday April 23th at 9/8C on BBC America.
This article is dedicated to Elisabeth Sladen: We won’t forget you Sarah Jane Smith.
Leah Cornish is a Boston native currently living in NYC. A television production major who was raised as a Trekkie and never stood a chance against growing up to be a massive geek. You can find her on Twitter, where she speaks fandom non-sequitur way too often.
Clacked by Guest Clacker
on Apr 22, 2011 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
I was at the Monday screening in NYC a week and a half ago – and *everything* you said, including the mass reactions at the end of episodes 1 and 2, is spot on. Why is the third episode so far away?
My experiences at the earlier screening in the East Village are very similar to yours. Plus everybody attending got a free BBC America Doctor Who baseball cap which was AWESOME.
Oh man, now I wish I’d gone. The Bell House is just one neighborhood over.
Very nice guest post, Leah. As a fellow lady nerd, I’m sad to say the Doctor is one of the few lands of nerdom I have not yet explored. I need to rectify that, especially since I now have BBC America.
Gosh, now you’ve gone and made me all jealous! That sounds like a wonderful experience this old man would like to be a part of one day. Unfortunately, because of where I live the chances of that are very slim. I’d have to win some kind of a contest or have my own TARDIS.
Still, it’s nice to live it vicariously through you. Thanks for the wonderfully exuberant write-up!