Okay, I'm a massive geek. I'll cop to this.

However...

Did anyone else try calling the Dr's phone number, so prominently displayed on those screens?
Did everyone else get an annoying message saying the number isn't connected?
Did the BBC miss an excellent opportunity on this?

I've watched all episodes, (virtually since it started in 1963, when i was 8yrs old) and I didn't try ringing the numbers, didn't think to.

I did however get the first series, box set for my birthday recently, so I'm time travelling myself with all the memories it's jogging :)

I beleive several thousand people tried to ring that number when the episode was first broadcast in the UK... but given the recent phoneline scandals I don't think they could have considered taking advatantage of the opportunity.

That said... I wouldn't have thought it would be too much trouble for them to make it a standard rate call and put some sort of recorded message on the end.

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That statement is either so deep it would take a lifetime to fully comprehend every particle of its meaning, or it is a load of absolute tosh. Which is it, I wonder?
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

I've seen em all too... And desperately look forward to the day when I can get every episode ever on dvd. Of course, I didn't get to watch them from the start (damned stupid birth date- missed all the good stuff).

A lot of the shows from the early years are lost so you may never see them at all. A shame for you avid Whovians!

DonŽt despair about the lost shows - many are available as sound only versions and thereŽs also the Lost in Time DVD with the ptiful remians of lost stories.
Seeing how many of the early series are now available, youŽll need to win the lottery if you want to buy them!

When programs were first recorded, they were very much a 'here and now' concept - you watched a broadcast once, then moved on, the experience never to be repeated. (I know the early soaps were recorded live, and quite often only survived for as long as that particular broadcast was being shown - don't know if Dr Who was, though) The cash-strapped Beeb, to save money and space, would often re-use film over and over, eventually chucking it away, which is why there are so many missing episodes of classic cult programs. When the occasional 'gem' does surface, it's usually because someone lovingly rescued it from the skip, or else it got overlooked in the vaults.

I found all this out when I was trying to track down episodes of a distant childhood memory - Emergency Ward 10 (Shut up, I was attempting to write an article on the development of hospital soaps, okay? Holby City, eat your heart out!)

Apparently, the Doctor's phone number was found using a random number generating program - these make sure the number given isn't in use already. Shame.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2008 11:55AM by Jazz_Sue.

It was partly a holdover from the Old Time Radio days. Even now there are massive holes in the Radio Archives both here and in the USA. Even copyright from the early days of TV gets murky if you look hard enough.

I dont know exactly how random it is... Look at the last four digits, and look at the keypad on your phone...

This forum got me into Old Time Radio off archive.org. I need more ears now....

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Crikey, Martin, have you stumbled over Richard Diamond yet? We have trained counselors ready. I mentioned archive.org here ages ago. I hope I haven't caused an horrific disturbance!

Egon.

Well, let me see...

So far I have gotten the Orson Welle's stuff, lots of Clue, X Minus One and Dimension X.

Sampled and will get more of The Saint. Probably also more of Johnny Dollar.

Anything else I should look into?

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Well, 'Richard Diamond Private Detective' is really good until the cast changes occur. Some people like Jack Benny a lot. It really depends on your tastes. Dragnet is good - if serious - in small doses.

Egon.

Sorry, did you say Dragnet is *good*???

That seems to see what he is saying....

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

This seemed to be suitably Whovian at Wordsplosion - a temporal shift, across the street.

You don't think 'Dragnet' is good? Have you at least listened to one?

I'll admit I didn't get through the whole thing before nagging dad to let me go play nintendo instead.

Okey dokey. Who wants pie? I have marzipan and pineapple or beef and rhubarb.

I need to wait until my quota recovers before getting more radio shows. :(

On the other hand, I have a good few weeks of continuous audio. :)

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland