Tom Baker was my first, too. WTTW Channel 11 in Chicago showed Doctor Who at 11 pm on Sunday night. One night at the age of ten, I was walking past the living room, where my dad and brother (who was 13) were watching Doctor Who, "The Pyramids of Mars." I was fascinated, especially by the strange character with the long scarf.

Because her favorite, my brother, was staying up late for Doctor Who on a school night, my mother bought a BETA recorder. The Doctor resonated with me because he was flamboyant and asexual and didn't care what others thought of him. I didn't achieve that not caring part, but still.

At 15, I became an obsessive Oscar Wilde fan, and his flamboyance and individuality, like that of the Doctor, resonated with me.

Later, in the 1990s, I wrote a bit of fan fiction in which the Doctor was a woman. I'm glad that finally happened in the show, and I'm glad Doctor Who is so LGBTQIA+ friendly to this day.