The Trip Of A Lifetime

The Trip Of A Lifetime

I still can't believe it was over 15 years ago, but it's no use denying it.

We moved in together at Gillingham (the one in Dorset) in late August 2003 and very soon after this, the news broke that 'Doctor Who' would be coming back in 2005.

The intervening year-and-a-half was an exciting time, as we combed the internet for as much information as we could find about what lay in store. I remember when some location photos were put online from the night filming for 'The Unquiet Dead' and our first glimpse of the new-look Dalek was really rather thrilling.

But as the date of Saturday 26th March 2005 loomed every closer. there were the inevitable worries about the long-term future of the show. Sure we had a year of excitement to look forward to, but would the show be still on the air in 2006?

Thoughts of the 50th anniversary weren't even on my radar, I just wanted it to be enough of a success that this trip of a lifetime that was being promised would carry on beyond that first series.

So it mattered a lot what other people thought. And people beyond the fan community, which meant all those folks we'd see in Waitrose (we went there as they had a bigger car park than the other options available) buying their persimmons on a Sunday.

Lisa was working in Sherborne that Saturday (Jon Pertwee went to school in Sherborne, at least for a while!) and the BBC schedule not only had 'Doctor Who' on at 7pm, but the short documentary 'A New Dimension' slotted in at 5.25pm, before 'Strictly Dance Fever', presented by one Graham Norton, who would infamously make an unwitting contribution to the broadcast of 'Rose'.

I think I might have popped out and picked up a huge pile of papers for all the previews, but I can't actually remember. As I was home alone, most of the day seemed to crawl along with me in a slightly nervous state, just hoping that everything was going to be all right.

Eventually, and probably far too early, I drove into Sherborne to pick Lisa up. Thankfully, she got off work pretty much on time and we headed back home via such exotic places as Milborne Port (which is nowhere near the sea) and Henstridge (which didn't have much poultry in evidence).

I think it was about this point that we noticed people on the streets and worried that they weren't already in front of their televisions, ready to welcome to new Doctor. We briefly wondered whether we should wind down the car window and bellow 'Doctor Who's on soon!' to random pedestrians, but didn't follow through with this notion as it seemed potentially dangerous and definitely strange.

We had a bottle of cheap bubbly which we popped open just before the title sequence started and, of course, enjoyed the episode very much indeed.

Come Sunday, in Waitrose we added to our collection of newspapers, by buying everything under (and including) 'The Sun', just to reassure ourselves that everyone else loved it too.

And, pretty much, they did!

Hurrah! (To quote RTD)

So at least this wasn't going to be a short trip!

What's that you say? Chris isn't coming back next year?

Oh, we'll worry about that on Monday...

(Written by Andrew Trowbridge)