The Doctor Who Enjoyment Index (DWEI) takes a weekly snapshot of what it is like to be one particular Doctor Who fan. Things that happen get a plus or minus score, those scores are totted up and a running total is kept. That’s it really.

Well, this first DWEI isn’t weekly. I had the idea just a bit too late so this first slice is for the month of January as a whole. Subsequent editions will stick rigidly/loosely to the weekly format.

The major event of the month has been the release of "The Beginning" – the three-disc boxed set which covers the first thirteen episodes of the Old Series. Neatly following November’s release of the first thirteen of the New Series, this set knocks the pants off its wider rival. The restoration has been superb. The "remastered" videos of 2000 looked ropey as heck in places and gave the impression that these ancient texts would never look like anything more than dirty old prints. Thanks to the much maligned RT they look superb. Though their technical wizardry wasn’t quite seamless when they tried to turn "they’ve gone from two to nineteen… nineteen to two" into the line that was written. Unlike Ernie Wise you can see the join. But that is the most minor, petty and niggly criticism of a boxed set which was half the price of its New Series comrade but which crammed a lot more love, care and attention onto its discs. DWEI score +3

None more so than the magnificent documentary "The Origins" which lives on the third disc of the set. I wouldn’t normally break something away from its obvious pack like this but the Origins was fantastic. I’ve been part of this fannish world for nearly thirteen years and thought I had a fair grasp of what went on but the documentary was packed with stuff I didn’t know, interviewed everyone still with us (and a couple who aren’t) and stands head and shoulders above any other Doctor Who documentary so far made. DWEI score +1

I’ve also been watching the New Series boxed set. I saw the episodes when they were shown but chose not to watch them again until the DVDs came out. A strange decision seeing as I bought a DVD recorder in March precisely so I could record it onto something other than ye olde VHS. I watched them in order (skipping Father’s Day as I wasn’t in the mood to risk my seven episode winning streak) and enjoyed every single one. The episodes I remembered as being great were still great, while the ones I thought were disappointing were actually great. Maybe one day I’ll even give Father’s Day another crack. It might be great. DWEI score +2

I can say similar good things about the McCoy era. The one advantage of ye olde VHS over the shiny disc is that I can stick a video in, have it on, stop it and pick up where I left off last time. I know I can do that with my DVD player but once the disc comes out I lose my place. So I’ve had the (VHS) McCoy era on while doing stuff and haven’t hated any of it. The best of the stories – Remembrance of the Daleks, Ghostlight and Curse of Fenric – are all DVDs (so my tapes are packed somewhere). So I was effectively watching the McCoy stories not thought good enough by BBC Worldwide. The first season was camp and silly but sometimes meant well. The second tried really hard to say something and was clearly heading in a different direction and the third was the best argument since the early 80s for the continued production of Doctor Who. Plus, Jessica Martin was strangely gorgeous in "Greatest Show in the Galaxy". DWEI score +1

There was further good news with the official announcement of April’s "Genesis of the Daleks" and June’s "Inferno". Both double-disc sets, both with great looking extras (including six episodes of Tom Baker commentating madly) and both damn good stories. It also suggests some kind of new series release in March (normally the DVDs are bi-monthly bit here there is a gap). Hopefully an extras-laden "Christmas Invasion". So good news earns +1

There was out-of-the-blue bad news with the death of Gary Downie. A man best known for being JNT’s other half (as well as a production person during the 80s), he returned to prominence with a very outspoken interview in DWM a year or two back. He stirred up a lot of debate within fan circles and that’s always a good thing. He didn’t care what people thought about him and his honesty won him as many friends as it made him enemies. It’s always sad to lose someone who still had stories to tell and had clearly reached a point in his life where he felt enough peace within himself to finally tell them. DWEI score -1

Another controversial figure is Ian Levine. He stepped away from fandom around twenty years ago (so his version of the story goes) and only ventured out again because he was so fuelled with enthusiasm for the New Series. I’ve made a fair share of mirth at Mr Levine’s expense with a couple of summaries of his online postings but his decision to withdraw from fandom again thanks to comments made to/about him at OG is a sad one. He has drawn himself into a spat with the Restoration Team and things have got out of hand. He took a private matter public when he shouldn’t have done but there does seem to be an air of "what have you done for us lately" about peoples feelings towards him. If it hadn’t been for his work in the 1970s and 80s there wouldn’t be "The Beginning" boxed set. Yes he can be pompous, yes he has a high opinion of himself and his work but unlike a lot of people on Doctor Who message boards who share those traits, he has at least done something to earn them. DWEI score -1

Irritation came when I was pleased to get the 2005 Annual for £1.99 online only to find it (the very next day) in Borders for a quid. The bastards. DWEI score -1

Equally annoying was the release schedule for the next few months of Myth Makers releases. Reeltime are not only continuing their recent policy of only putting one interview on each disc (instead of two which was the norm for the first twenty or so releases) but they are rubbing salt in the wound by releasing a whole raft of non-Doctor Who double headers. For whatever reason they tried to tap into other markets with Myth Makers interviews and failed every time. Now those interviews are being bunged out on the cheap while we get half of what we used to get for our cash. Grrr for Briggs and grrr for Barnfather. DWEI score -1

And last but not least I have to say I have been pleased with the response to the revival of "Twenty Four Things…" which has graduated to its own section on the back of acclaim. Well, a couple of nice remarks from people. I must now decide whether to do The Time Monster or The Five Doctors next. The latter is like shooting fish in a bath but must be done sooner or later. Rather embarrassingly, I was intending to do The War Games until I assembled the columns for their new section and found I’d already done it. I have no memory of writing it but write it I must’ve done some time. DWEI score +1

Scoreboard

Start of play : 0

This week : +5

Overall total : +5