The Royal Mail marks 50 years of Dr. Who

January 2, 2013 9:58 PM

Dr. Who gets a commemorative stamp

Meanwhile New Zealand post offers the Hobbit stamps (coins seen previously). Past science fiction stamps include Australia's Star Wars series and a US Post Star Trek series, as well as a 2004 UK stamp commemorating Tolkein's works.
But no one tops Jules Verne. Everyone has a stamp about him! (warning funky old slide show site)!

posted by chapps (72 comments total)

I'm sorry, when something gets a commemorative stamp it immediately becomes Not Cool Anymore.

Although I was pretty much feeling that way anyway after they dragged the Matt Smith/Amy/Rory thing out for FAR TOO LONG.
posted by dunkadunc at 10:05 PM on January 2 [3 favorites]

When was Doctor Who cool?
posted by Lemurrhea at 10:15 PM on January 2

Doctors 4, 9, 10 and early 11 were all cool.
posted by dunkadunc at 10:21 PM on January 2 [3 favorites]

Who is this "Dr. Who" of which you speak? The only Doctor I know of Who might use that moniker eschews abbreviations all along the way.
posted by hippybear at 10:32 PM on January 2 [7 favorites]

Anyone who walks around in a Dr Hooves t-shirt and a $5 Fez is not worried about cool.
posted by Brocktoon at 10:35 PM on January 2 [4 favorites]

It's amazing that they got a shot of Hartnell looking a) not grumpy and b) alert.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 10:36 PM on January 2

Those Tolkein stamps are a thing of beauty. *covets*
posted by lesbiassparrow at 10:37 PM on January 2 [1 favorite]

Late 11 is not cool?
posted by bicyclefish at 10:38 PM on January 2 [1 favorite]

I do stamps now. Stamps are cool.
posted by bicyclefish at 10:39 PM on January 2 [7 favorites]

Several other doctors who got commemorative stamps.
posted by The White Hat at 10:46 PM on January 2 [2 favorites]

As someone who's recently seen all the surviving Hartnell episodes lesbiassparrow, I don't know what you're talking about. He's one of my favorite Doctors now.

And who sez Dr. Hooves ain't cool?
posted by JHarris at 10:54 PM on January 2 [2 favorites]

/rubs credit card on screen

WHY WON'T IT TAKE MY MONEY
posted by obiwanwasabi at 10:58 PM on January 2 [9 favorites]

As someone who's recently seen all the surviving Hartnell episodes lesbiassparrow, I don't know what you're talking about.

Clearly we view those episodes in opposite ways. Whenever I see an episode I'm worried the poor man will pass out from the exertion of standing up and the BBC will keep filming because by god they've got the film in the camera and they're going to use it no matter what. (It is, after all, their strategy when he's forgotten his lines.)
posted by lesbiassparrow at 11:00 PM on January 2 [1 favorite]

Ohh goody will it be a huge let down as well?
posted by mattoxic at 11:03 PM on January 2 [1 favorite]

This is a weird strange coincidence.

My 11 year old son was taken to his first coin & stamp collecting fair in November. He was instantly besotted with the whole idea, and we joined him up to the local club which meets once a month.

He went to the first meeting and instantly bonded with an older woman (I guess she's maybe 22) over their shared love of Dr Who. He excitedly asked if she knew of any Dr Who stamps and she sadly admitted that she didn't think there were any.

Then, for his big Christmas present, I took him to the Sydney Opera House to see the Dr Who Symphonic Spectacular, which he declared was the best day of his life.

And now I get to show him Dr Who stamps. He's going to bounce off the walls with excitement.

Thanks, chapps.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 11:34 PM on January 2 [11 favorites]

Be sure to use the right time code when sending mail with a Doctor stamp or it would end up anywhen.
posted by The Whelk at 11:36 PM on January 2 [3 favorites]

Did you know that Dr. Who premiered one day after the John F. Kennedy assassination?

It's a true fact. I'm not necessarily trying to draw a connection here, but Kennedy was also on stamps. So it looks like a pretty deep conspiracy.
posted by twoleftfeet at 11:55 PM on January 2 [3 favorites]

When was Doctor Who cool?

Until ~5.39106 × 10⁻⁴⁴ seconds before you heard about it.
posted by George_Spiggott at 11:56 PM on January 2

He excitedly asked if she knew of any Dr Who stamps and she sadly admitted that she didn't think there were any.

There was a Dalek stamp earlier. And a commemorative sheet of them.
posted by Nomyte at 12:00 AM on January 3 [1 favorite]

Awesome! Thanks, Nomyte. You'll probably hear him shriek with delight from there...
posted by malibustacey9999 at 12:14 AM on January 3

Those of us who travel through time and collect stamps have a special fondness for the Futuristic Mail Delivery Series of stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 1989. I acquired my first copy of the Air-suspended Hover Car in 1920 from a time-traveling philatelist who had no idea what he was about to have, many years later.
posted by twoleftfeet at 12:15 AM on January 3 [2 favorites]

Awesome! Thanks, Nomyte. You'll probably hear him shriek with delight from there...

I love the sound of shrieking children in the morning.
posted by Nomyte at 12:21 AM on January 3

Is it really cool not to know what Dr. Who is?
posted by telstar at 12:21 AM on January 3

These Dr. Who stamps are a wonder for express mail delivery. Just knock knock and Who's there.
posted by twoleftfeet at 12:27 AM on January 3 [3 favorites]

Awesome! Thanks, Nomyte. You'll probably hear him shriek with delight from there...

I love the sound of shrieking children in the morning.

posted by Nomyte

Here's the bad news. It's currently evening here in Australia, he's spending the night at his grandparents' house, he'll be home tomorrow morning our time, today evening your time. I'll show him then.

Drink your evening beverage quickly or it'll be like the flyby scene in Top Gun.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 12:37 AM on January 3

Need blue envelopes.
posted by Segundus at 12:46 AM on January 3 [5 favorites]

Drink your evening beverage quickly or it'll be like the flyby scene in Top Gun.

God you had to mention that now I've got to say it....

Negative, Ghostrider, the pattern is full.
posted by eriko at 1:10 AM on January 3 [1 favorite]

Like THAT makes a difference, eriko. (I think we're showing our age.)
posted by malibustacey9999 at 1:34 AM on January 3

Most of My Heroes Still Don’t Appear on No Stamp.
posted by three blind mice at 1:37 AM on January 3

Did you know that Dr. Who premiered one day after the John F. Kennedy assassination?

And the new Companion is Clara Oswin Oswald!
posted by crossoverman at 2:58 AM on January 3 [4 favorites]

Who is this "Dr. Who" of which you speak?

I think they must be referring to this Dr. Who:

"Dr Who was an eccentric human scientist, living in a cottage in England with his granddaughters Susan and Barbara. He also had a niece named Louise."

I can't understand why they'd issue a stamp to commemorate him though, even if he was portrayed by Peter Cushing.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 3:08 AM on January 3 [2 favorites]

Oh, this is neat. I'm just getting into the series, and I can see why people love it enough to commemorate even the seasons only the diehards love.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 3:53 AM on January 3

Doctor 4 is and always will be my favorite.
posted by francesca too at 4:12 AM on January 3

The Sixth Doctor looks like he smells a fart.

The First Doctor looks guilty.
posted by orme at 4:26 AM on January 3

Dumb ex-pat question: can I buy these to use as normal stamps here in the UK? Cuz like, in the US, when we get fancy stamps, we just buy them in a normal stamp book and use them like any other stamp. I'm looking at all these stamps here, the Doctor Whos and the Roald Dahl ones and all that -- are they meant *only* for collecting, or can they just be normal stamps? I am confused.
posted by olinerd at 4:28 AM on January 3

Cushing has been summoned.
And now, I will not rest until the Shalka Doctor has his stamp.
And the Fatal Death Doctors.

I will create a web petition immediately!
posted by Mezentian at 4:45 AM on January 3 [1 favorite]

dunkadunc: "I'm sorry, when something gets a commemorative stamp it immediately becomes Not Cool Anymore.

Although I was pretty much feeling that way anyway after they dragged the Matt Smith/Amy/Rory thing out for FAR TOO LONG."

dunkadunc: "Doctors 4, 9, 10 and early 11 were all cool."

dunkadunc, 11 has potential to become cool again since the show FINALLY dumped Amy and Rory. His chemistry with Clara was positively crackling. It would be nice to see a little romance again outside of the tired Amy and Rory dynamic.

I'm curious about the functionality of the stamps, too. I think they would make a great gift.
posted by sundaydriver at 4:45 AM on January 3 [1 favorite]

I commend the committee for not succumbing to whatever temptation/pressure there may have been to colorize the portraits of Doctors 1 and 2. I'm fairly certain that there was probably some voice from marketing all upset that the two b&w images didn't match the others.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:02 AM on January 3

It's a true fact.

I've heard that facts are often true, except in the Whoinverse where Whoinverse facts can be changed at will to suit the horrible plot of the current episode.
posted by juiceCake at 5:03 AM on January 3

Who is this "Dr. Who" of which you speak? The only Doctor I know of Who might use that moniker eschews abbreviations all along the way.

You know, I've heard this sort of thing before, but I happened to pick up my More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide the other night and read the preface by Douglas Adams, wherein he talks briefly about his time with the show "Dr. Who". If Douglas Adams, who wrote and did script editing for the show, thinks it's ok to abbreviate it, then it's ok for everyone.
posted by adamdschneider at 5:43 AM on January 3 [1 favorite]

Cushing has been summoned.

He's already here. See that empty corner? That's where he lurks, right on the edge of canonicity. Pity the poor fool wearing a Doctor Whooves t-shirt and $5 fez who wanders too close.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:48 AM on January 3

If I understand Pokemon:
SUMMON ROBERTA TOVEY!

I kinda love the Cushing films. They were some of the first VHS tapes I ever rented.
posted by Mezentian at 6:04 AM on January 3

It would be nice to see a little romance again outside of the tired Amy and Rory dynamic.

Um, hello, he's married to River?
posted by Windigo at 6:09 AM on January 3

Windigo, it's not a science-fiction show if the sexual tension is resolved.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 6:27 AM on January 3 [1 favorite]

adamdschneider: "If Douglas Adams, who wrote and did script editing for the show, thinks it's ok to abbreviate it"

He used to think that. He's dead now, at a tragically young age. Just saying.
posted by radwolf76 at 6:31 AM on January 3 [1 favorite]

Windigo, it's not a science-fiction show if the sexual tension is resolved.
posted by Rustic Etruscan

That's true.

TEN AND THE MASTER 4EVEH
posted by Windigo at 6:38 AM on January 3

Although I was pretty much feeling that way anyway after they dragged the Matt Smith/Amy/Rory thing out for FAR TOO LONG."

OR NOT LONG ENOUGH.
posted by Atreides at 6:39 AM on January 3 [1 favorite]

I sometimes view stamp collectors as art collectors, but with very small budgets.
posted by Atreides at 6:40 AM on January 3 [2 favorites]

I'm sorry, when something gets a commemorative stamp it immediately becomes Not Cool Anymore.

It wasn't very cool during the last pre-revival years with Sylvester McCoy. I should have been the right age to get into it then (I was seven in 1989) but it didn't seem well watched, particularly for a mainstream teatime drama, certainly not as much as it is now. As my friend who worked in the Dr Who press office between McCoy and Eccleston says, to like Dr Who pre-revival marked you out in most company as a big ol' nerd, one step higher than a Trekkie but one step lower than Prisoner fans. I think it's quite cute how Dr Who has become really cool for kids to like now, and that it's a big cult hit in the US - was it really shown pre-2005 revival, or is it the internet/fandom/torrenting that's facilitated that?

Oh, yes, you can use these as regular stamps. When I was posting some stuff to the US over the summer, I specifically asked for Olympic stamps so I could stick them on the parcel. (They were only sold in groups of six, so I have two Chris Hoys and two Mo Farahs in my desk drawer still.) However, these are not nearly as cool as the lenticular stamps which I keep kicking myself for missing.
posted by mippy at 7:01 AM on January 3

Sorry, usually special stamps can just be bought singly over the counter (Olympic stamps were an exception) - you have to ask for them at the Post Office when you buy a stamp and they'll be happy to oblige if they have them to hand.
posted by mippy at 7:04 AM on January 3

As someone who actively seeked out strange scifi stuff as a teenager in the 90s all I knew about Dr. who was that it was referenced on the Simpsons a lot via a guy with a scarf and it had been on the air for a long long time and got shown on PBS sometimes. I think I thought it was a space tinged soap era ala Corononatn Street or something, I never sought it out and outside the Internet no one seemed to have heard of it.

Post 05 reboot, it's suddenly everywhere and like my younger brother wants to watch City zof Death with me.
posted by The Whelk at 7:23 AM on January 3

One step higher than a trekkie? Pshaw. Pshaw, I say. Maybe in the Uk. Of course, at that time in the US, probably almost nobody would have even known what you were talking about...
posted by adamdschneider at 7:26 AM on January 3

twoleftfeet: Did you know that Dr. Who premiered one day after the John F. Kennedy assassination?

CLICK FOR CHRISTMAS EPISODE SPOILERS:
*Ahem*
posted by Rock Steady at 8:06 AM on January 3

Whoooeee. I wonder where I can unload these inverted Jennys and load up on Whovians!!!
posted by Twang at 8:14 AM on January 3

Um, hello, he's married to River?

Her conciousness is in a computer somewhere, but her body is gone. I believe that makes him a widower. Although I'm not sure how that works when the death is pre-marriage.
posted by Gary at 10:56 AM on January 3

You just made my head hurt, Gary. THANKS.
posted by Atreides at 11:22 AM on January 3

Please note: contrary to popular opinion, the adhesive for the Sixth Doctor's stamp is on the reverse, so there's no need to spit on (or moisten) the front side.
posted by stannate at 11:39 AM on January 3 [3 favorites]

Anyone who likes Clara better than Amy and Rory is a bad person with a dead soul.
posted by dame at 1:12 PM on January 3 [1 favorite]

I'm not sure people are going to be lining up to lick the back of Tom Baker.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 1:14 PM on January 3

Are you kidding? Baker is pure, a-grade hallucinogen.
posted by Mezentian at 3:05 PM on January 3 [2 favorites]

He used to think that. He's dead now, at a tragically young age. Just saying.

I have it on good authority that for this seventh regeneration he's taking a break, and running a roast beef sandwich stall in Cornwall.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 3:37 PM on January 3 [2 favorites]

Anyone who likes Clara better than Amy and Rory is a bad person with a dead soul.

Anyone who likes any of those three over Donna, Martha, Rose (in that order) is... something something not my kind of human.
posted by crossoverman at 5:26 PM on January 3 [1 favorite]

The fact that they used the opening credits portraits for the classic-era Doctors pleases me.

Also companion-squabblers, stfu, Sarah Jane 4eva.
posted by immlass at 9:51 PM on January 3

Anyone who likes Clara better than Amy and Rory is a bad person with a dead soul.
Anyone who likes any of those three over Donna, Martha, Rose (in that order) is... something something not my kind of human.

IAN AND BARBARA.
posted by JHarris at 11:19 PM on January 3

My computer has a virus that makes it look like people are saying that there are better companions than K9.
posted by Rock Steady at 3:21 AM on January 4

Hey! I'm not even 40 yet!

What?
posted by Dr. Wu at 4:18 AM on January 4

Is this the post where we mention our favorite Doctor?

The Ninth Doctor, all the way. HE made geek sexy.
posted by _paegan_ at 11:26 AM on January 4

No, no, this is the post where we criticize your favorite doctor (and companions!).


On the bright side, it also encouraged me to watch my first pre-9 Doctor episode through completion!
posted by Atreides at 2:14 PM on January 4

I like the 8th Doctor because, you know, why not?
posted by crossoverman at 12:56 AM on January 5

A video that has a clip from every Doctor Who episode to date. (Warning: VIMEO)
posted by Mezentian at 5:19 AM on January 5

A video that has a clip from every Doctor Who episode to date. (Warning: VIMEO)

(Warning: 45 minutes long.)
posted by crossoverman at 1:29 AM on January 6

crossoverman: "A video that has a clip from every Doctor Who episode to date. (Warning: VIMEO)

(Warning: 45 minutes long.)"

(Warning: Show with fifty year history and multiple spin-offs.)
posted by radwolf76 at 1:38 PM on January 6 [2 favorites]