Growing up in a small country town where the ABC was *the* channel (though, of course we called it Channel Two), and being introduced to science fiction at a very young age, it was probably inevitable that Doctor Who would become a large part of my childhood. But, even as I grew up I never tired of reading and watching the adventures of the Doctor and his Companions and, as my world broadened, so did my access to the massive, almost organic, structure that is the Whoinverse. Whether it was the classic TV show, or the New Adventures, I devoured everything I could get my hands on. I still have a massive crate of Target novelisations, so even the BBC’s incredibly short sighted decision to delete many of the vintage episodes couldn’t hold me back as I travelled in Time and Space.

There is a whole other post in what exactly it was about the Doctor that captured my imagination, that made me beg my Mum to make costumes, that got me through my fairly unpleasant teenage years and that in many ways shaped the moral code I live by today. But even now, I still consider myself a massive Who fan, and I regularly return to the extensive library of books in my possession and lose myself in his adventures. Given all that, it is exceedingly odd that, until a few days ago, I had never watched any of the series reboot that kicked off in 2005.

I am not sure why this is. It certainly wasn’t from lack of interest. I think that when it first appeared I was planning on waiting until Season One was complete and then watching it all in one go. Then life did what life does and seemingly before I knew it there were multiple seasons out there, a whole new mythos and spinoff shows like Torchwood and all of a sudden it was a bit overwhelming and I was at a loss where to start. It became one of those things on the “to do” pile that never gets done.

As you may know, I am currently housebound recovering from surgery (nothing life threatening, just inconvenient) and having a lot of time on my hand, I decided now was a great chance to sit down and make a start on the New Who. It’s all sitting there, accusing me, all the new seasons and Torchwood, and I really didn’t have any excuse. I had been toying with the idea of blogging each episode as I went, recording my thoughts and impressions, but through a happy accident I can go one better (a lot better actually).

Over the next few weeks (months?) I will have the pleasure of not only seeing all of this Doctor Who for the first time, but I will get to discuss it in a series of conversational posts with two of Aussie spec fic’s most brilliant people, Tehani Croft Wessely and Tansy Ranyer Roberts. It is going to be an exciting journey and I hope you enjoy the ride.