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When Sydney Newman conceived the idea for Doctor Who in 1963, he envisioned a show in which the Doctor and his companions would visit and observe, but not interfere with, events in history. That plan was dropped early on and the Doctor has happily meddled with historical events for decades. This collection of new essays examines how the Doctor's engagement with history relates to Britain's colonial past, nostalgia for village life, Norse myths, alternate history, and the impact of historical decisions on the present.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1. Television as History: Inform and Entertain
Journeys through Cathay: Remediation and Televisuality in "Marco Polo" (Dene October)
"O tempora, o mores": Class(ics) and Education in Doctor
(Aven McMaster and Mark Sundaram)
Remixing the Imperial Past: Doctor Who, British Slavery
and the White Savior's Burden (Susana Loza)
Part 2. Historical Drama: Genre and Conventions
Doctor, Go Roman: "The Romans," Emperor Nero
and Historical Comedy in Doctor Who (Carey Fleiner)
History as Genre, Aesthetic and Context in "The Gunfighters" (Ramie Tateishi)
A Rude Awakening: Metafiction in Eric Pringle's "The Awakening"
(Andrew O'Day)
Part 3. Historical Constructions/Reconstructions
Playing with History: Terrance Dicks, Fans and Season 6B (Rhonda Knight)
Doctor Who Unbound and Alternate History (Karen Hellekson)
The Vikings at the End of the Universe: Doctor Who, Norsemen and the End of History (Marcus K. Harmes)
Part 4. History and Identity
Ape-Man or Regular Guy? Depictions of Neanderthals and Neanderthal Culture in Doctor Who (Kristine Larsen)
The Dark Heart of the Village: Doctor Who in the 1970s and the Problematic Idyll (Peter Lowe)
Doctor Who and Environmentalism in the 1960s and Early 1970s (Mark Wilson)
Appendix: Adventures Referenced
About the Contributors
Index
About the author
Carey Fleiner is senior lecturer in classical and early medieval history at the University of Winchester. Her research interests include film and television depictions of the Romans, and the cultural influence of the music of Ray Davies and the Kinks.
Dene October is a senior lecturer at University of the Arts London, running options in fan cultures and
Doctor Who. His research interests include the media, performance and the legacy of David Bowie.
Summary
Examines how Doctor Who engages with history and inspires reflections upon it. Topics include reconstruction of lost historical serials, reflections on Britain's colonial past, the subversion of nostalgia for village life, the depiction of Norse myths, alternate history, and the impact of historical decisions on the present.
