The Fan Who Waited - My experience at the Doctor Who Season 7 NYC Premiere!

With the approaching 7th season of Doctor Who, fans in and around NYC waited on pins and needles to get news of whether or not there would be a premiere with the cast as there has been for the past two years. BBC America kept us waiting but finally they had revealed that there certainly would be a premiere in the city but this time tickets would be sold online for $1.11 (2 per customer) instead of it being first come first serve as it has in the past. It may not have been entirely BBC America’s fault but the resulting scramble to get tickets on release day would turn out to be a fiasco and would ultimately leave many die hard fans of the show without tickets and very upset. Servers crashed, sites froze and gave errors, and fans everywhere were left shouting at their computers and asking anyone they knew if they were able to buy any extra tickets.

My gf Jackie and I at midnight

I too was one of those fans who got caught in the scramble and was left without tickets. However, I was lucky enough to have a friend give me her two tickets because she unfortunately could not make the trip to New York City. I was completely shocked and so thankful! I accepted the tickets and gave the extra to my girlfriend who is also a big Doctor Who fan.

My gf Jackie and I - 1st and 2nd in line!

The time had finally come and it was the day before the premiere. In the previous years I had lined up about 10 hours in advance and 24 hours in advance. Even still, I was 13th in line both years. (How weird!) The one saving grace is that during the long wait I was in good company. However, this year I went down early to see if there was anyone on line and luckily there was not. But I did run into some friends doing the same thing. So after hanging out for a bit my girlfriend and I left to get some dinner. I returned to the Ziegfeld Theater at midnight to happily see that I would still be the first in line. FIRST! Only a few minutes had passed when two more people had joined the line with intentions to stay the night. With some great geek filled conversations leading through the night and into the early morning, time seemed to pass by rather quickly and around 5:30am people started to slowly trickle in and grab spots on the line. Around 11am, the Ziegfeld started putting up barriers for different lines (ticket holders, picking up tickets, ect) and this definitely changed the feel of the line from previous years where everything was open and people could freely walk around and hangout with everyone. But this didn’t stop people from having a good time while waiting on line. Even though the crowd was now in "official" lines you could still see that people were having a good time and hanging out with each other. Throughout the day there were pictures being taken with new and old friends, photos being taken of cosplayers, and great conversations that speculated on what fans might see in this new episode. People shared stories, food, and good times. The heart of the Doctor Who fandom was present and it was as friendly as ever.

My friends and I waiting to be let into the Ziegfeld Theater

As the hours ticked away and the time grew closer I had several websites or podcasts (TardisTavern and Anglophenia) interview me about what it was like being first in line. BBC America also interviewed myself and other fans about various Doctor Who topics. I feel that it was an honor to be first in line and incredibly fun. I hardly noticed the length of time that I had waited this year because of all the fun I was having.  I may have waited in line for 18 hours but it was incredibly worth it. Between the new friends that I made and the good times that I had, I have no regrets waiting that long.

Photo by: baxterp2

Finally, the moment had come where the cast was arriving and fans were allowed to enter the theater. Unfortunately, fans had to choose whether to stay outside and wait to see the cast arrive or head inside and grab a good seat for the screening and Q&A. Having met the cast on several occasions prior I elected to head in and grab a good seat but it was quite upsetting that that decision had to be made at all. I was able to later catch some great photos of the cast arriving in DeLoreans which is awesome! On a positive note I was able to grab a seat front row center! (This day was just amazing!) After a small bit of waiting, Chris Hardwick came out with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan to introduce the episode and everything got real. Asylum of the Daleks began to play and it was absolutely fantastic!! There was such a great mix of emotions in the episode. I won’t say anything more about it but fans will love it! Afterwards, Chris Hardwick came out and brought with him Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and producer Caroline Skinner.

The Q&A was light-hearted, fun, and full of laughs and it was clear that both the cast and the fans were happy to be in New York City enjoying the new episode. The Q&A conversation went from moments and characters that we had just seen in Asylum of the Daleks to news of the upcoming season. I don’t want to spoil anyone so I won’t go into details here but stay tuned to by blog Realm Beyond Sight for news on the upcoming season!

Except for some crowd control attempts by BBC America and the Ziegfeld Theater, my experience at this year’s Doctor Who premiere was extremely pleasant. I was able to meet up with old friends and make new ones as well. The wait on the line went by fast because of all the fun that I was having and I loved the new episode Asylum of the Daleks.  I was so happy to be the very first fan on line and I truly cannot wait to see if BBC America has another premiere in New York City next season. Perhaps something for the 50th? Until then, this dedicated Whovian will be enjoying season 7 and hanging out with all my Doctor Who friends!

You can see all my photos from the premiere in my Flickr set.