He’s been around longer than Captain Kirk, has met more robots than Will Robinson and has a ship at least as cool as the Millennium Falcon.
Yet many Americans — even sci-fi fans — might still be asking: Doctor who?
To which he’d answer: Exactly.
“Doctor Who” is the longest-running science-fiction series in the world, and a phenomenon in the UK, where about 8 million people watch the show weekly, and his various toys — the TARDIS, the sonic screwdriver — are as iconic as lightsabers and X-Wings here.
That’s starting to change, though, thanks to BBC America, which enjoyed a channel ratings record of 1.2 million viewers during the show’s last season.
Now, for the first time in “Doctor Who’s” history, the new season premieres the same day here — Saturday, April 23 — as it does in the UK. That episode, “The Impossible Astronaut,” is also the first shot on location in the US — in Utah’s Monument Valley.
So, first things first. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that “Doctor Who” has been on since 1963 (albeit with an absence that lasted most of the 1990s). Though there are references to previous adventures and recurring villains, you can pick it up with the premiere knowing only a few basics:
The Doctor is an alien called a Time Lord, about 900 years old, similar in appearance to a human except he has two hearts. He’s the last of his race, as his people were destroyed in a long war with their greatest enemy, the Daleks (robots with suction cups and high-pitched voices that yell “exterminate!”). He has a real name, but never reveals it — and everyone asks, the first time they meet him, “Doctor who?”
When the original actor to play The Doctor, William Hartnell, became too ill to carry on, the writers came up with an inventive way to keep the show going — since he’s an alien, he can regenerate his appearance and personality (though retain his memories). Eleven actors have played The Doctor — the current one, Matt Smith, is, at 28, the youngest. In an interview with The Post, Smith describes the revolving door as “kind of like Hamlet, but on the telly. You give your version of The Doctor. In essence, the bits of the story, the narrative is the same, but we interpret it in different ways.”
Because The Doctor gets lonely, he enlists human companions, primarily attractive young women with whom he never gets involved. The current travelers are Scottish redhead Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) and her dorky but dedicated husband Rory (Arthur Darvill).
The Doctor and his friends wander history in a ship called a TARDIS (“time and relative dimensions in space”) which can land in any time and any place, though it always looks like blue British police box when it gets there. They thwart alien plots, usually by a feat of engineering or brilliant speech, since The Doctor doesn’t carry weapons. His one tool, the sonic screwdriver, is used primarily to open locks.
So: Chaste, nerdy, a pacifist …
“He’s everything James Bond isn’t,” Smith admits. “He doesn’t have a clue with women. He’s really clever, but socially quite inept. I mean, he’s been on his own for 900 years — apart from picking up really hot chicks and saving the world.”
“These two” — he gestures to Gillan and Darvill — “think he’s a complete plonker.”
As part of the BBC’s efforts to make Who as popular as Bond across the pond, Smith, Gillan and Darvill visited New York, making the press rounds and attending signings packed with fans (who, like Trekkies, have their own nickname: Whovians).
“They know more about the show than we do and are generally wearing at least one item of costume,” Smith says. That includes long scarves (which were favored by a previous Doctor, Tom Baker) or bowties and a fez (sometimes worn by Smith).
Smith hopes to expand the Whovian cult, and the new season just might do it. Under head writer Steven Moffat, “Doctor Who” has become darker and more sophisticated — with Mobius strip storytelling in the tradition of “Memento” or “Lost.”
A recurring character this season, for instance, is River Song (Alex Kingston), another time traveler who meets the Doctor out-of-order. In The Doctor’s timeline, he’s already seen her die, but hasn’t yet met her for the “first” time. She, meanwhile, knows things about his future that she won’t reveal.
“Doctor Who” also manages the right mix of scary monsters and wacky humor. The premiere includes nearly faceless aliens that will give you nightmares, as well as a comedic White House encounter with Richard Nixon that might explain that eight-minute gap in his Watergate tapes. Along with “Fringe,” it’s the best sci-fi on television, blending high concept with old Laurel and Hardy routines.
“We want to get it to as many Americans as possible, because we’re so proud of it,” Smith says.
So what’s his pitch?
“You’ll never get bored with a baffled genius turning up and saving the day with a toaster and a ball of string being chased by a giant robot that breathes fire and talks with the voice of a calculator,” he says with a smile. “On a show that’s not bound by space, logic, time or genre.”
* DOCTOR WHO Saturday, 9 p.m., BBC America
The many faces of Doctor Who
William Hartnell 1963-66
He traveled with his granddaughter, Susan. When failing health prompted Hartnell’s exit, the writers had the idea that the Doctor could “regenerate.” New body, new personality.
Patrick Troughton 1966-69
As compared to the serious, elderly first Doctor, Troughton brought more humor and silliness to the role. The show used a lot more aliens than historical adventures.
Jon Pertwee 1970-74
Budget constraints “banished” the Doctor to Earth, by his own people. Known for his technobabble (“reverse the polarity!”).
Tom Baker 1974-81
The longest serving doctor, and one perhaps most familiar to Americans, especially for Baker’s long, colorful scarf.
Peter Davison 1981-84
Stories got darker and grittier, though Davison’s wardrobe of a cricket player (and a stalk of celery on his lapel) was a little weird.
Colin Baker 1984-86
Baker made him egotistical and dismissive of lesser beings, which grated a bit on fans. One of the least popular Doctors.
Sylvester McCoy 1987-89
Perhaps the darkest Doctor, but also the biggest pacifist. He soberly tried to solve everything through negotiation. The show was cancelled at the end of 1989.
Paul McGann 1996
A one-shot TV movie tried to revive “Doctor Who,” and McCoy starred in a cameo to regenerate into McGann. But the series was never picked up.
Christopher Eccleston 2005
The first to star in the revived series, he’s also the only Doctor since the first that we didn’t see regenerate from his previous incarnation.
David Tennant 2005-2010
Tennant’s character was known for his humor, but also a dark temper for those who don’t show compassion. He fell in love with longtime companion Rose.
Matt Smith 2010-
At 26, the youngest actor to play the Doctor (who in the series is 907 years old). He wears a bowtie. Bowties are cool.