With less than a week to go till polling day, chat in the online staffroom has, inevitably, focused on the general election. But we are bored with that, so let’s talk about Doctor Who.

The latest doctor, Matt Smith, has attracted plentiful comment since he appeared on TV screens earlier this month. At least from female teachers - male teachers are more interested in his companion, Karen Gillan.

CuriousHistory was especially excited by an episode featuring Winston Churchill. But he had one concern: “I just hope KS2 history isn’t hampered by a generation who believe the Daleks were around in WWII.”

Fincop wondered what they would do to make the programme more relevant to today’s teenagers: “Will the next season have obese Daleks?”

“I think they’ll go chav,” replied Mangleworzle, ”‘I is Dalek Keesha an’ this is Dalek Chardonnay, you is like gonna be well mean bad exterminated innit.’”

For makka pakka there was only one real Doctor. “Tom Baker for me - he signed my Doctor Who monsters book when I was four.”

Over on the pregnancy forum, a cute discussion has developed about ways teachers have broken the news to their partners that they are up the duff.

“I bought the Rough Guide to Babies as we have shelves of Rough Guides to various countries,” clematis said. “I wrapped it and gave it to him when we went to bed the night after I had my positive test (he’d been away working). He opened it and said: ‘Are we having a baby?’ It was a lovely moment.”

Shalala opted for a more direct approach: “Woke him up and waved the stick in his face.”

THIS WEEK’S POLL

Should schools help identify potential terrorists?

NO 52.9%

YES 48.1%

To vote in next week’s poll visit www.tes.co.ukpoll

There was another outbreak of nostalgia in the personal forum, with teachers recalling their risk-filled childhoods.

“Ringworm and rickets were fun,” said willowisp. “I remember a dysentery outbreak in our area.”

Others described how their parents would send them outside at weekends and not care where they went, provided they were home for tea. “What happened if you fell down a mine shaft and broke your leg?” asked Bauble.

“There was always a dog - or was it a kangaroo? - that would run off and tell the grown ups about your accident,” explained maja.

Michael Shaw.