Tuesday, August 23, 2005

"Grown men with a gleam in their eye..."

Christopher Eccleston commented in one of his interviews that:

There was a different energy on the set the day of the Daleks. Grown men with a gleam in their eye, because of this thing...

That could apply to Doctor Who as whole, not just the Daleks.

As I create this blog, I'm asking myself what it is about Doctor Who that makes it so appealing that a grown man like me finds it worthwhile to write about it.

Part of it is that it captured our imaginations when we were very young, and it has a special place in our lives because of that. Part of it is that the new series is often funny, thought-provoking and moving. It satisfies adult tastes as well as entertaining young children.

But perhaps there is more to it than that. The Doctor is an archetypal hero, of a kind that appears in many myths and stories throughout history, and which seems to find a resonance with all cultures. Perhaps these stories meet some deep need in us.


In any case, Doctor Who is loved by people of all ages, and it provides a meeting point for an interesting and fun community, where adults and young people can talk together as friends.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah... my mother had this surreal moment when watching the Dalek episode. Her daughters and son were watching Doctor Who with her, and they weren't scared of the Daleks.

She was a kid when they first came onscreen, and would hide behind the couch because the Daleks were that scary. Even in black and white.

I love the different archetypes the Doctor represents.

But my explanation: it had all the elements of a story that I could be guaranteed to like. That's once I wasn't just watching it out of complete curiosity.

Torchwolf said...

Melata, what are those elements that you're guaranteed to like?

There's so much that I like.

Thought-provoking ideas.

Observations on stupid ape behaviour.

Great one-liners.

Time travel, and the perspective that opens up on life.

Friendship and romance.

Not to mentions great stories, Daleks, amazingly expressive acting, and more.

Anonymous said...

Time travel, eccentric characters, dead people walking... and bringing it together in a way that makes you think as well as laugh.

(And the Daleks? Huge bonus. As well as the great acting and good script.)