The Doctor, the Dandy, the Clown

"So you're my replacements — a dandy and a clown!" - the (First) Doctor.

This is an observation made by the First Doctor of the two subsequent regenerations in The Three Doctors special. The two characters fit the description perfectly. Just yesterday, I ran across an interesting poster that mapped the progression of Doctors as an alternation of "[Judging] Doctor - Dandy - Clown." Here is a link to the poster:

http://cheezburger.com/7698628352

Already in the comments, people are discussing the ordering and labeling of the various doctors. So let's go throught it, shall we?

1st Set: First, Second, Third
---- No problems here, it's the set that originated the line.

2nd Set: Fourth (Doctor), Fifth (Dandy), Sixth (Clown)
---- Almost everybody here is mislabeled. The statement is delivered in an almost condescending manner, albeit with the knowledge that he's talking about future aspects of himself. Too grumpy, by far, for the friendly Fourth Doctor. However, Six might just say that himself. On the topic of Five as Dandy: it too is a misfit. From what I've seen in documentaries and read elsewhere, Five's costume was intended to counter the overly-dressed nature of Four (scarf, jacket, ascot, hat, etc...) and possibly of Three. If one ignores the garish nature of Six's costume, he might well pass as the Dandy.

So, a better organization might be: Fifth (Doctor), Sixth (Garish Dandy), Fourth (Clown)

3rd Set: Seventh (Doctor), Eighth (Dandy), Ninth (Clown)
---- This comparison is not as off as the previous one. Without a doubt, Eight is a well-dressed Doctor. However, from his run on the show, Seven comes out as more of a clown, definitely, than Nine. Yes, Nine gets better during his series, thanks to Rose: nevertheless, he never becomes a "clown." like Two or Four.

Restructuring as follows: Ninth (Doctor), Eighth (Dandy), Seventh (Clown)

4th, Final, Set: Tenth (Doctor), Eleventh (Dandy), Twelfth??? (Clown???)
---- This set is the most difficult to judge, at this point. First, neither Ten or Eleven could immediately be described as a Dandy, strictly speaking. Ten dresses well, but wears sneakers with the suit, something Three would have never done. Eleven has a nice wardrobe, particularly the wedding outfit. However, both he and Ten have just as much cause to be called Clowns. Bringing in the mysterious Hurt Doctor would only confuse matters by forcing an either/or choice between Ten and Eleven for Clown and Dandy, and leave for Twelve out of a set.

Better organization: Tenth (Doctor), Twelfth (Dandy???), Eleventh (Clown)

So, the poster is accurate one one regard: there are a number of Dandies and Clowns in the Doctor's life. However, they are not all schematized in the same order. Later Doctors qualify for both Dandy and Clown, and the judging Doctor is not always grouchy like the First.

Simply put, the Doctor grew out of the simple Doctor-Dandy-Clown schema: his characters cannot be simply described as "Dandy" or "Clown" anymore.

Introductions and Beginnings

Hello internet!

Where to begin? I suppose I should begin at the VERY beginning.

So, once I didn't know much about this cultural phenomenon called Doctor Who. Eventually, I obtained access to Netflix. I had seen various episodes of it, but that was before they organized them all under "Classic Doctor Who." Eventually, there was a lull in the semester and I began a marathon of all the classic Who, leading naturally into the movie (what I could see of it on YouTube) and finally the so-called "NuWho" or New Who, however you call it.

I liked the original series. However, I had grown up with "cheesy sci-fi," already being a fan of Star Wars and Star Trek (Yes, both. And now, all three!). I considered the new show also excellent.

This all leads to the present day. Cosplaying as the Doctor is easier, as it doesn't seem as ridiculous as putting on the Klingon forehead-ridge make-up, or styling one's hair as Princess Leia's weird bun-things. In fact, I quickly acquired an Eleventh Doctor costume over a short amount of visits to Goodwill and various other thrift stores. I later made one/two passable Tenth Doctor outfits. Dressing as Eleven became an option after I finally learned how to tie a bow tie. (I will admit, it wasn't easy. It was definitely more frustrating than some of the most difficult video game boss fights.) And it was super fun in general.

Not long after the 50th Anniversary was described as being more like a movie, I knew what I should do: cosplay ALL the Doctors in the week or so before the airing of the episode. No problem, yeah? Well, it's actually proved more difficult than I thought. (And not JUST because of Six.) But more on that later.

This blog will seek to describe the struggles, triumphs, and losses (hopefully not many) in my journey to (1) play the Doctors in those eleven days, (2) find/create companion cosplayers, and (3) plan a Who-themed party for the 23rd of November. I found several good blogs about cosplaying as the Doctor, specifically one/a few here on Blogger. So why not me? No, I probably won't be ordering custom suits or fabrics, or anything super-accurate but super-expensive. Nevertheless, it will hopefully be a fun experience.

Stay tuned for updates. Brave heart, dear readers!