Malcolm Prince writes:

It’s been a lifelong friendship really.  The first 7” single I ever bought was Ron Grainer’s iconic theme tune.  I still have it, along with the picture sleeve showing the Doctor’s TARDIS in its glorious shade of blue.

I can pinpoint when my passion for the Time Lord began: March 1st, 1969, when a mass of white foam poured onto a moon base while the Doctor tried to defeat the deadly Ice Warriors.  I was watching with my brother on a small black-and-white telly at home in Solihull.  I was mesmerised and frightened in equal measure, and from that moment I was hooked.  I haven’t missed an episode since.  I was there when Jon Pertwee faced Roger Delgardo’s Master, and I was still there when Billie Piper appeared on screen as the supposedly latest regeneration of the Doctor.

For me, the appeal of Doctor Who has always been its storytelling, blended with a very healthy mix of nostalgia for a time when I would sit through Grandstand and Final Score with my dad, waiting for that theme music to be played.  My father loved science fiction and, while I had very little interest in televised sport, Who was something we could share together, often discussing how my hero might escape from the peril he and his companions had found themselves in this week.

Back in the 1970s, I wasn’t the only adolescent who collected as many paperback Target novelisations as my pocket money would allow.  The stories of the Doctor’s lost television adventures captivated me, along with their striking covers.  These books were things of wonder and delight, and I am still collecting them today.

And then there were annual trips to Blackpool’s famous Golden Mile where - for many years – fans like me paid pilgrimage to an exhibition devoted to the Doctor’s adventures, complete with threatening Daleks all proclaiming visitors would be ‘exterminated’.  I can’t tell you how much money I spent buying badges and postcards in the gift shop at the exit, but I still have them in my collection.  I also have copies of the original weekly magazine devoted to the show which began in 1979.  It’s still going strong to this day, although it’s now published monthly and costs considerably more than the 12p of the first issue, (I have edition number 1 complete with the free gift: an unused set of transfers).

I also took great pleasure in collecting picture cards which were included in boxes of Weetabix (other cereals are available), a very colourful book courtesy of Typhoo Tea, and the legendary Doctor Who annual.  My parents never failed to give me one on Christmas Day, often paired with another for Star Trek.  (Sadly, another gift - the board game War of The Daleks - had to be returned to the shop because it never worked.  I’m still looking for a replacement.)

In the 1980s, when the BBC began releasing old episodes on video, my collection expanded further.  It was an incredibly exciting time to be able to watch classic adventures “on demand”.  Until this point, my Doctor had been the third incarnation - Jon Pertwee - but VHS gave me the opportunity to discover William Hartnell and his successor Patrick Troughton.  And even though many of the early episodes were lost, wiped from the BBC’s archive, there was still plenty to enjoy.

Along with the TV adventures, I also started to assemble a few Who figurines - I’ve had to stop amassing those because space is limited - but I do have a few Daleks, a TARDIS and my very own sonic screwdriver!

I’m not alone in my passion for Doctor Who: I belong to a huge family of Whovians and I’ve been lucky to attend conventions all over the UK.  Fans are a passionate lot and, while I don’t always find myself in tune with their opinions about ‘New Who’, it’s good to know my interest is a shared one.  Conventions also gave fans the chance to meet the people who made the show.  Imagine my delight when the then producer of Doctor Who, John Nathan Turner, invited me to London to see the making of the Colin Baker story Revelation of the Daleks!  I was given a copy of the camera script - perhaps my most prized Who related possession to date.

My passion for the show eventually led me to work for the BBC.  Sadly, by the time I was ensconced at Aunty, Who was ‘resting’ having fallen foul of the affections of BBC boss Michael Grade.  I would later work with him at Radio 2 and - away from the microphone - I had the chance to tell him why his decision was wrong.  (I have since forgiven him, but only just.)

In 2004, I had the good fortune of attending a starry BBC function where I met the television executive Mal Young.  I knew he was involved in the corporation’s drama output - he had brought Holby to the screen - and so I told him he should bring back Doctor Who.  He smiled and told me to “watch this space”.  Pun intended.  A few months later, the BBC announced the series would at last return after its sixteen-year hiatus.  I began to make documentary after documentary about the show for Radio 2, and I got to meet and interview those involved - past, present and future - with a particular highlight being a special programme in which the then Doctor, David Tennant, interviewed his new companion Astrid, as played by Kylie Minogue no less.

My love for Doctor Who has led me to forge some very special friendships with fellow fans, and that’s a wonderful thing.  As the show approaches its latest reboot, I know I’m no longer its target audience, but my passion for the Time Lord, and his positive view of mankind, has never diminished.  As long as the Doctor’s adventures continue, I’ll be there.

Join Malcolm Prince for Malcolm's Musicals & Movies on Wednesday at 9pm on Boom Radio (repeated Saturday at 5pm on Boom Light)