An Adventure in Time and Space
I'm excited because this weekend sees Doctor Who return to TV. I am a huge fan. I've often felt that being a Whovian is not a cool thing to be and many others look down at fandom. But I think most people have a obsession over something. Why is loving and being knowledgeable about Doctor Who any different from loving and being knowledgeable about a football team?
For me it began on 26th March 2006 when Billie Piper's character Rose Tyler met the Doctor, then Christopher Eccleston. I had seen a few repeats of old episodes when I was much younger and went to a Doctor Who museum with a load of the costumes on a family holiday to Wales but this was my first proper encounter with the show. And I loved it. Since then I've watched every episode from the 1963 debut through to the modern day. I've read countless Doctor Who novels and magazines and own a range of Who stuff from T-shirts to pencil cases. I've visited the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff and also been on a tour of filming locations. It's a huge part of my life.
So why do I love the show so much? I suppose it's because it's about a hero saving people. There's something some hopeful and inspirational about that type of storytelling- it's the same reason I like superheroes too. But Doctor Who has the TARDIS so it can tell any story a writer can think of, be that a historical romp, a contemporary thriller or a futuristic epic. It's the only show where there are literally no limits. It's intelligent and though it can be emotional is often light and funny. For me, Doctor Who is escapism that no other show can do, never being endlessly bleak but also making you laugh and gasp.
There has been a Who shaped hole in my life in recent years. From the start of 2016 to now only 14 episodes of the show have aired. I'd long since finished watching all the classic episodes and though I do occasionally go back and watch some there has been very little new Who. Finally though, a new run of episodes is starting with perhaps the biggest change in the history of the show- the Doctor is now a woman.
There are portions of the Doctor Who fandom who are furious that the Doctor is a woman. I remember the phrase 'TARDIS full of bras' being used shortly after Jodie Whittaker was announced. In other cases I tend to agree that you can't change a character's gender- take James Bond for example, he is a male character. There's no reason someone couldn't write a female equivalent but I don't believe it should be the same character. The Doctor though is different because she's a Time Lord. Every few years the entire body of the Doctor is destroyed and a new one takes its place, complete with a new personality. In recent years the idea that Time Lords could change gender was at first suggested and then proven when The Master reappeared as Missy. As if that wasn't enough, one episode (Hell Bent) even showed on screen a male Time Lord regenerating into a female Time Lord. In the show's mythology, there is no reason why the Doctor can't be a woman.
Some misogynists seem to think that a woman can't be a hero. This is obviously nonsense with millions of women across the world being firefighters, aid workers, doctors, teachers and countless other heroic roles. Some say that casting a woman is just politically correct but I think, like the tagline for the new series says, it's about time. I really feel that representation matters.
I was surprised to discover the feeling of being represented in a TV show this week when I stumbled across a small detail about the new series of Doctor Who. New companion Ryan, played by Tosin Cole, is dyspraxic. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever seen a dyspraxic character in anything. It gave me a little buzz knowing that I'll be able to relate to this new character in a way I've not done before. And this isn't just on any show, it's on my very favourite, Doctor Who.
Of course, being dyspraxic doesn't define me as much as my race or gender does. As a white male there is no shortage of characters on television who are like me. But this gave me a hint at what it must be like for people of colour or women to see a hero become more like them. The new series stars a woman as the Doctor and a young Asian woman and a young black man as her companions. That's a lot of people being represented, a lot of people who can see a character on screen who is like them. It's lovely to see Doctor Who leading the way in how all TV shows and films really ought to be.
If you've not seen Doctor Who before then now is the time to jump on board. The new series is a fresh start with no knowledge of the fifty-five years of the show needed at all. Join us for a diverse, fun escape from reality. Allons-y!
For me it began on 26th March 2006 when Billie Piper's character Rose Tyler met the Doctor, then Christopher Eccleston. I had seen a few repeats of old episodes when I was much younger and went to a Doctor Who museum with a load of the costumes on a family holiday to Wales but this was my first proper encounter with the show. And I loved it. Since then I've watched every episode from the 1963 debut through to the modern day. I've read countless Doctor Who novels and magazines and own a range of Who stuff from T-shirts to pencil cases. I've visited the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff and also been on a tour of filming locations. It's a huge part of my life.
So why do I love the show so much? I suppose it's because it's about a hero saving people. There's something some hopeful and inspirational about that type of storytelling- it's the same reason I like superheroes too. But Doctor Who has the TARDIS so it can tell any story a writer can think of, be that a historical romp, a contemporary thriller or a futuristic epic. It's the only show where there are literally no limits. It's intelligent and though it can be emotional is often light and funny. For me, Doctor Who is escapism that no other show can do, never being endlessly bleak but also making you laugh and gasp.
There has been a Who shaped hole in my life in recent years. From the start of 2016 to now only 14 episodes of the show have aired. I'd long since finished watching all the classic episodes and though I do occasionally go back and watch some there has been very little new Who. Finally though, a new run of episodes is starting with perhaps the biggest change in the history of the show- the Doctor is now a woman.
There are portions of the Doctor Who fandom who are furious that the Doctor is a woman. I remember the phrase 'TARDIS full of bras' being used shortly after Jodie Whittaker was announced. In other cases I tend to agree that you can't change a character's gender- take James Bond for example, he is a male character. There's no reason someone couldn't write a female equivalent but I don't believe it should be the same character. The Doctor though is different because she's a Time Lord. Every few years the entire body of the Doctor is destroyed and a new one takes its place, complete with a new personality. In recent years the idea that Time Lords could change gender was at first suggested and then proven when The Master reappeared as Missy. As if that wasn't enough, one episode (Hell Bent) even showed on screen a male Time Lord regenerating into a female Time Lord. In the show's mythology, there is no reason why the Doctor can't be a woman.
Some misogynists seem to think that a woman can't be a hero. This is obviously nonsense with millions of women across the world being firefighters, aid workers, doctors, teachers and countless other heroic roles. Some say that casting a woman is just politically correct but I think, like the tagline for the new series says, it's about time. I really feel that representation matters.
I was surprised to discover the feeling of being represented in a TV show this week when I stumbled across a small detail about the new series of Doctor Who. New companion Ryan, played by Tosin Cole, is dyspraxic. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever seen a dyspraxic character in anything. It gave me a little buzz knowing that I'll be able to relate to this new character in a way I've not done before. And this isn't just on any show, it's on my very favourite, Doctor Who.
Of course, being dyspraxic doesn't define me as much as my race or gender does. As a white male there is no shortage of characters on television who are like me. But this gave me a hint at what it must be like for people of colour or women to see a hero become more like them. The new series stars a woman as the Doctor and a young Asian woman and a young black man as her companions. That's a lot of people being represented, a lot of people who can see a character on screen who is like them. It's lovely to see Doctor Who leading the way in how all TV shows and films really ought to be.
If you've not seen Doctor Who before then now is the time to jump on board. The new series is a fresh start with no knowledge of the fifty-five years of the show needed at all. Join us for a diverse, fun escape from reality. Allons-y!
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