A few weeks ago on Twitter I asked the question:
In a very un-scientific fashion, I went through and took tallies (literally) of what words/phrases/themes cropped up in most of the responses.
The heavy hitters were its narrative themes, appeal to multiple generations of viewers, the educational aspects of its narrative and presentation, and its tenure on tv. A few people also noted it as a site for viewing changes over the course of television history, how it has inspired people to be in their professions (be it in science or media production), and how the Doctor can be seen as a role model.
So when we try to posit why Doctor Who is important, it seems to have more to do with the narrative, and how we interpret the narrative, more than anything else. Which I admit, isn't as useful for me and my research.
But the ideas of seeing the changes in television (technologically or otherwise) over time is what I find the most intriguing. But is that enough to justify the "importance" of Doctor Who? I guess that depends on if one person's opinions about the show is enough to make it important. I think it is. And I think the list shows different level of engagement with the text from different people.
I admit that when I watch Doctor Who (especially classic Who) I see it as a cultural artifact, a representative text of the time it was created. As Mark Sheppard said in his interview with Radio Free Skaro, "Doctor Who is always of its time." For me, Doctor Who in the 1960s is a 60s show, and in the 70s a 70s show, and so on. And there does seem to be a pretty interesting divide at the beginning of each decade, where the show takes off in a new direction (technologically, lead man, sound profile, etc.). Yet rather than rebooting, it rebuilds. In fact, rebuilding is the essence of the show. It's central tenet: a show that is always changing, progressing, experimenting, and exploring. Maybe that's why its important, and why so much can be gleaned from it.
Why do you think Doctor Who is important?
In a very un-scientific fashion, I went through and took tallies (literally) of what words/phrases/themes cropped up in most of the responses.
The heavy hitters were its narrative themes, appeal to multiple generations of viewers, the educational aspects of its narrative and presentation, and its tenure on tv. A few people also noted it as a site for viewing changes over the course of television history, how it has inspired people to be in their professions (be it in science or media production), and how the Doctor can be seen as a role model.
So when we try to posit why Doctor Who is important, it seems to have more to do with the narrative, and how we interpret the narrative, more than anything else. Which I admit, isn't as useful for me and my research.
But the ideas of seeing the changes in television (technologically or otherwise) over time is what I find the most intriguing. But is that enough to justify the "importance" of Doctor Who? I guess that depends on if one person's opinions about the show is enough to make it important. I think it is. And I think the list shows different level of engagement with the text from different people.
I admit that when I watch Doctor Who (especially classic Who) I see it as a cultural artifact, a representative text of the time it was created. As Mark Sheppard said in his interview with Radio Free Skaro, "Doctor Who is always of its time." For me, Doctor Who in the 1960s is a 60s show, and in the 70s a 70s show, and so on. And there does seem to be a pretty interesting divide at the beginning of each decade, where the show takes off in a new direction (technologically, lead man, sound profile, etc.). Yet rather than rebooting, it rebuilds. In fact, rebuilding is the essence of the show. It's central tenet: a show that is always changing, progressing, experimenting, and exploring. Maybe that's why its important, and why so much can be gleaned from it.
[...] @emilyooo recently asked on Twitter what makes Doctor Who important: [...]
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