Ever since it was announced last week that Eoin Colfer would be penning the first in a series of Doctor Who eshorts, fans have been wondering why Colfer picked the first Doctor. He now reveals why he’s so attached to the first Doctor.

In the U.K., fans who grew up with Doctor Who in the 1960s – 1980s always speak about who “their Doctor” is. Generally speaking this Doctor is whomever was playing the title role when they were a child. It’s important to remember that Doctor Who was marketed for its first three decades as a children’s program that families could watch together at tea time. The fact that it garnered an adult audience, mostly comprised of children who stayed with the show into their teens and adulthood, was a total surprise to the BBC.

When Eoin Colfer announced that he was writing a story for the first Doctor and this was “his Doctor” people were a little surprised. Colfer was born in 1965. William Hartnell, the first Doctor, ended his run when Colfer was still a baby. Even if one were to assume that Colfer was an incredibly precious child, it would seem unlikely that he would be watching Doctor Who prior to age five by which time the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, was in place. So, why the first Doctor love?

In a piece written for The Guardian, Colfer explains that his love for Doctor Who came in an unusual fashion. Colfer, who grew up in rural Ireland, had but one TV channel that didn’t show much of anything, and a local library whose newest books were older than Colfer’s father. Thanks to his cousin, Kevin, Colfer didn’t see the Doctor, he read about him. Kevin, whom he esteemed as a big brother, brought him Doctor Who novels to read when he would visit from Liverpool. Years later, when Colfer finally saw episodes featuring the first Doctor, he was amazed that the images in his head so closely matched what was on screen.

As to what specifically attracted him, Colfer had this to say:

I chose the First Doctor because I always imagined him to be a crank who was jaded by the Universe’s cruelty rather than amazed by its wonders. There was no naivety about him whatsoever. He had seen far more in his life than he ever wanted to, and his fight against evil‑doers was dogged and not punctuated by repartee. The First Doctor’s companion was his granddaughter Susan and her love for her granddad was perhaps the purest thing in his world, and something he was prepared to protect fiercely.

All of this isn’t to say that Colfer wrote his eshort without trepidation. Classic Whovians are vociferous in expressing their dislike for anyone who gets even the slightest of canon details wrong. Fortunately, he does seem to be taking potential backlash in stride and with a sense of humor.

I know that there are legions of Whovians who will pore over every sentence, alert for any quantum balls-up on my part. I know that’s what I’ll be doing with the other stories. In my defence, I would argue that my Doctor is the Doctor of novels and sunset-tinted nostalgia spectacles, so be gentle. As for the other writers, they have no defense so be as rough on them as you like.

Will you be purchasing Colfer’s eshort? Have you seen or read any of the adventures with the first Doctor?