I’ve never watched Doctor Who. Granted, I don’t watch TV, so my lack of Doctor Who viewing doesn’t say much. But when you’re a geek and lots of your geeky friends and acquaintances do watch the show, you can’t help but absorb some of the knowledge about the show. Even though I’ve never watched a single episode, I know that Doctor Who is a time lord who travels through time. He has a Tardis (which stands for something and which helps him travel through time), a sonic screwdriver (which is a very handy thing to have), and an assistant (usually female and attractive). He regenerates into another form roughly every season, hence the term “nth doctor” for the nth season. I also know that David Tennant was the tenth Doctor and is hot. Rawr. Matt Smith is the eleventh Doctor, and there ends my knowledge of Doctor Who.
Oh yes, and there are Daleks, although I haven’t completely figured out what those are. Almost forgot about those.
That’s my knowledge of Doctor Who, assembled from friends, acquaintances, and the Internet. This is probably all the average nonviewer knows about the show, so at least I can take comfort in that knowledge. Luckily there’s a handy chart out there that serves as Doctor Who 102. If the knowledge I have is Doctor Who 101, then this chart serves as the intermediate course. Right? I probably won’t be watching the show anytime soon, but at least I can attempt to follow along in conversation, even if I don’t get all the references.