For the last few
weeks whenever I’ve talked to someone from home the inevitable question raises
its head: “Did you see Doctor Who?” The
program recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special
episode which has received near unanimous acclaim. It premiered on the day John
F. Kennedy was assassinated, that’s how old it is. More people watched it in
the UK than watched the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. Doctor
Who is a national obsession. The question remains though, why?
It’s a reasonable question, whenever I’ve tried to explain it to someone who hasn’t watched it a conversation similar to this unfolds:
Graham: So it’s
about this guy called The Doctor who travels in time and space, in what’s
essentially a blue telephone box.
Friend: Must be
cramped.
Graham: No you
see because it’s bigger on the inside. His main enemies are the Daleks who look
like pepper-pots with plungers and egg-whisks attached.
Friend:
Egg-whisks?
Graham: They’re
really frightening egg-whisks!
As you see I’m placed
in the position of justifying why not only myself but my entire country enjoys
watching killer-egg-whisk-monsters and why a show which relies on them as well
as other camp or bizarre features could have possibly lasted for fifty years.
There is also the question of how such a thing could become such a cherished
part of modern British culture.
Its very strangeness
perhaps, is the reason for its success. There is no show I am aware of which is
quite as unusual as Doctor Who; its hero is a strange-looking skinny man in a
bow-tie, its monsters include statues that move when you aren’t looking at them
and in one memorable episode evil water, the main character never uses a
gun, abhors violence, and is clueless about sex. (insert joke about the
audience here) This is a show which
no-one in their right minds would produce, and so naturally the British
invented it.
This is of course
selling it short. The central conceit is an appealing mythological one; a
weary, lonely traveller righting wrongs and helping the innocent. Bringing
others along on the journey but knowing that he must continue alone. The very
strangeness of it allows it to stay fresh and enjoyable. The show has consistently
been able to reinvent itself with a handy plot device which allows for a new
actor every few years. (The next will take the role this Christmas.) A bold yet
worthwhile move as Time Magazine explains:
“We expect the show to recreate itself with each new
incarnation of the main character, and that in-built drive towards novelty
helps it remain sharp, even as other shows trend towards repetition and
boredom.”
It has pioneered
interesting and original concepts, inhabiting a variety of genres; comedy, drama,
science-fiction, horror to name but a few. While I may mock the statue monsters
or the episode where they had evil water,
what I neglect to mention are that these were genuinely scary. Seeing the
mundane and everyday become terrifying was the key part of what made these
things frightening. Invoking the same fear you get as a child lying in bed in
the dark, when every object becomes a new fear and every sound is a new
horror. It appeals to the more positive
aspects of ourselves; the myriad worlds feed our imaginations, the villains are
defined by a lack of empathy and common decency invariably prevails, problems
are solved with wit, bluffing and knowledge rather than sheer strength. In the
words of the comedian Craig Ferguson: “It's all about the triumph of intellect
and romance over brute force and cynicism.” Isn’t that what television should
be? Something which exalts the simple act of caring for one another? Encourages
you to think your way out of difficulty? And to do that and be not only
watchable but entertaining? Truly remarkable.
In closing, I hope I
have at least somewhat explained the appeal of this unusual show and if any of
you get the chance, do watch it. You may like it, you may hate it but give it a
shot. At least it might give you an insight into the strange creatures which
the British are. If starting out though, watch an episode from 2005 or later.
Many of the older ones haven’t exactly aged well, many are hilarious for all
the wrong reasons now.
- Graham Bush
