Attention, Whovian university students: if you happen to attend Aquinas College in Stockport, U.K., you're in for the best class ever - a course all about Doctor Who.
The class, taught by Michael Herbert, doesn't cover just all the Doctors, but also delves into details about the Doctor's many companions, as well as involves discussion about the production of the series.
That's right, for 11 weeks, you can learn all you ever wanted to know about Doctor Who and receive college credit for it. Of course, 11 weeks is a short time to cover 50 years of the TV series, so it's likely that you still won't get any lessons on the Doctor Who Big Finish audio adventures (of which there are hundreds) or any of the books, comic books and other media.
The class delves deep into the role of companion in the Doctor's life, particularly the female companions (which the Doctor always seems to prefer) and how their gender roles have changed throughout the course of Doctor Who.
"So the role of women is quite interesting, the way that has evolved over the years," says Herbert. "Now the Doctor's companions are very feisty and articulate whereas in the past they sometimes had a supportive role... and that reflects the changes in society."
The class is a labor of love for Herbert, who has been a fan of the series since he was eight years old. It's also a lot different from other classes he teaches, which usually cover trade and the history of the working class in the Manchester area. Herbert hopes to instill a love for the series to those who are relatively new to it.
"For those people who have, in particular, come to the show in the past 10 years, the idea is to tell them that there's a huge history behind the program and look at the various eras of the Doctors before Peter Capaldi," says Herbert.
The first episode of Doctor Who aired on the BBC in 1963. Titled "An Unearthly Child," the BBC had not expected the show to become a hit, but it aired weekly after that until 1989, when the BBC canceled the series. There was an Americanized version of the Doctor in a movie in 1996, but it wasn't until 2005 that the series came back to television with Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor.
Now, 10 years later, fans all over the world celebrate Doctor Who, watching the show in record numbers, as well as attending fan conventions worldwide. This year, the series celebrates that 10th anniversary for what's considered the "new" series, when Doctor Who returned to airwaves and became bigger and more popular than ever.
The new season of Doctor Who, with 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi returns this fall.
[Photo Credit: BBC]
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