One thing I kind of miss from the old days of watching Doctor Who when no one I knew had even heard of the show—even though the fannish end of things was very lonely—was that I had no idea about anything in the production end of things so cast changes were always a complete surprise. (I didn't even know which episodes were at the beginning or end of new seasons.) It was always fun when a new companion showed up and nearly every new character who helped the Doctor was a potential new companion in my eyes so it was especially suspenseful to see who survived a storyline. I never even noticed when someone was away on vacation (or even considered that might be the reason someone was off-screen for a long time).

The show also aired here on a school night long after I should have been in bed, so there was the illicit thrill of staying up late when I shouldn't. (And I think the giggly sleep-deprivation viewings also helped with the enjoyment of the cheesy special effects.)