Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William.
He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
image was rumoured to have been
commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness
in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!
:: Today's soundtrack: Anti-Nowhere League "Streets of London" ::
I'm a Doctor Who fan from way back. Yep, I used to watch all the old reruns on Public Broadcasting throughout my youth. Like most, my favorite Doctor was portrayed by Tom Baker, not only because he had the longest run at it, but because he made it so much fun. There were also all those "companions" who came and went over the years, and I had my faves of them as well, mostly Teegan, Nissa and Adrick. They were a good crew.
Why do I bring this up, you might ask? Well, the BBC has resurrected the series after a decade long lull. Doctor Who is back, blue police box shaped TARDIS and all. It's a new actor in the Doctor role, naturally, and of course a fresh new companion traveling with him, Rose. I had missed the initial broadcast of the pilot episode, so I was filled with glee when it was rerun last Sunday on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Channel, to those who don't know. Yeah, in case you forgot, I live close enough to Canada to mooch off their television channels.).
I didn't watch the rerun alone, and at the end of it when Rose decides to join the Doctor aboard the TARDIS for exciting adventures in space and time, my friend posed the question: would you go? From the perspective of Rose in the first episode, having just met the Doctor, her life and the city she lived in were put in danger on numerous occasions, and the Doctor when he delivers his invite to tag along does not lie that it is in fact nearly always this dangerous. A strange man you don't know who has already put your life at risk, who turns out to in fact be an alien, with a freaky means of transport that is bigger on the inside than on the outside, invites you to go gallivanting about the universe at various points in time, constantly in mortal danger. Hm.
Well, also, while traveling with the Doctor, you don't have to worry about money, food, clothes, or accommodations. It's all taken care of. From that aspect it does sound appealing. But what about the obligations on the home front, you might ask? Well, it IS a TIME machine, you know. You could see the universe from the dawn of time and be gone for months and get back five minutes after you leave (provided the Doctor doesn't mess up the controls as he often does). The only thing you would really have to think about would be intentionally putting your own life in harm's way on nearly a daily basis. Granted, the causes you do it for are just about always very noble and worthwhile, saving civilizations on the brink of extinction and all that, but could you do it? If the Doctor says, "I need you to brave this room full of death ray wielding Daleks in order to flip a switch on the opposite end that I might create a giant magnet which would render the Daleks helpless and therefore save countless lives," would you throw yourself out there, no questions asked, or would you say "screw you Doctor!"
I think, provided the Doctor could guarantee that I would be
returned home within twenty-four hours of my departure, I could do it. Why not?
How often does the opportunity arise to go on a crazy-go-nuts adventure with no
expense? I think I could put my own personal safety on the line if the cause
were worth it, and the Doctor does it in return for his traveling companions all
the time as well. If I didn't have to worry about my family, friends, and home
obligations on account of being brought back before any significant time elapse
on the home front, you're darn tootin' I'd go for the adventure! It'd be just
like the Goonies!
William (time bandit)
