Oh snap vindicated! :D

[elisi]

Doctor Who and the New British Empire by Chris Oates

Money quote:

Doctor Who is also quintessentially British not because it is made in Britain or because it is popular in Britain, but because it reflects the development of the United Kingdom’s place in the world in the past half century. The show continued the youth adventure literature enabled and encouraged by imperialism into a post-imperial time. The Doctor acts as the epitome of how Britons (and perhaps Westerners in general) would like to see themselves and their actions in the world.

(My post Meta: Layers in Doctor Who specifically noted that the show was an allegory for post-Imperial Britain. This guy goes into a lot more detail though, which is lovely, whilst also talking about British TV in general and how it's fairing across the pond. Well worth a read.)

Comments

[hawkmoth.livejournal.com]

Well, I have to disagree with one thing he said. (YMMV!)

I was being influenced by British telly very early on (say '62-'64?) because of NYC-based independent stations that were broeadcasting things like "Danger Man" and "The Saint." Also early Gerry Anderson shows; and that spate of historical movies/serials which Walt Disney had produced in Britain could be seen in prime time. Put all that together with the musical British Invasion, and I was a confirmed Anglophile by the age of thirteen.

And around that time, we started getting episodes of "The Avengers" on ABC, and for some reason NBC had picked up "The Des O'Connor" show as a "summer replacement." (That would have been '66-'67.)

So I was really, really ready when Monty Python skits showed up as part of Dean Martin's summer comedy review show in '74. I still remember being blown away by "Hell's Grannies!"

[elisi]

I was being influenced by British telly very early on (say '62-'64?) because of NYC-based independent stations that were broeadcasting things like "Danger Man" and "The Saint." Also early Gerry Anderson shows; and that spate of historical movies/serials which Walt Disney had produced in Britain could be seen in prime time. Put all that together with the musical British Invasion, and I was a confirmed Anglophile by the age of thirteen.
I shall bow to your superior knowledge, as I have very little idea of British influence on the American TV audience.

And there are certain things he gets wrong/not quite right wrt the show, but hey ho - for the most part it's an excellent article!

[hawkmoth.livejournal.com]

I agree that it is an interesting article.

Mine may be a special case, because I lived in the suburbs of NYC and had access to those particular channels and those shows. (The other major Brit influence around that time were the early Dick Francis novels. I was a voracious reader and was delving into Readers' Digest Condensed Book versions of a lot of stuff the average pre-teen wasn't...)

[elisi]

Sounds like a good childhood. :)

[rahirah]

Yeah. Our local PBS station was has always shown lots of BBC shows - when I was a kid/young teen in the late sixties and early seventies, I watched Doctor Who, Hopkirk & Randall (under the US title of My Partner the Ghost), the Avengers, UFO, Monty Python, and a number of others...

[elisi]

I think at least half the essays in 'Chicks Dig Timelords' started with the words 'When I was growing up I caught this strange show on PBS...'

[radiolaires]

Very interesting indeed. I think I finally understand why some aspects of the show (as in Vampires of Venice) antagonized me so.
Thank you for the link.

[elisi]

I think I finally understand why some aspects of the show (as in Vampires of Venice) antagonized me so.
Really? Well that's extra good! :)

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Read. Enjoyed. And commented. I am a proud Whovian - I was ahead of the 'trend' and a Doctor lover since I was small.

Though they are completely, utterly correct about America and our fascination with All Things British. I'm surprised it took the Doctor as long to catch on here as it did...

*HUGS*

[elisi]

Read. Enjoyed. And commented. I am a proud Whovian - I was ahead of the 'trend' and a Doctor lover since I was small.
*gives you Blue Peter badge*

Though they are completely, utterly correct about America and our fascination with All Things British. I'm surprised it took the Doctor as long to catch on here as it did...
Lack of decent broadcasting?

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

I have a tendency to brag about that...a lot...to anyone who will listen. Because it is AN HONOR and AN EXPERIENCE and CHILDHOOD IN A NUTSHELL, dammit!

*Takes Badge happily*

Yes, among other things. People just don't know good here - even as it slaps them in the face. We were all secretly aided by Nerds in Broadcasting. Thus we few (we humble few), received a better televised experience than the majority of the American populace.

[elisi]

I have a tendency to brag about that...a lot...to anyone who will listen. Because it is AN HONOR and AN EXPERIENCE and CHILDHOOD IN A NUTSHELL, dammit!
Quite right too!

We were all secretly aided by Nerds in Broadcasting. Thus we few (we humble few), received a better televised experience than the majority of the American populace.
Truly the gods smiled upon you! (I grew up in the wrong country. And didn't have a TV...)

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

Fist bump.

[elisi]

Right back atcha!

[eaweek.livejournal.com]

Great article! I'm another one who was able to watch a fair bit of UK TV shows in the 70s because we could get the Boston Public Broadcasting Station, which is (apparently) one of the best PBS stations in the country, and carried DW I think as soon as it was available. It also carried Monty Python (VERY late at night, but in the summer my mom, my brother and I would stay up to watch it and had to muffle out laughter in the sofa pillows lest we wake up my father and sister who'd gone to bed hours earlier). So my brain was warped at kind of a young age.

So the sudden popularity of DW in this country makes me chuckle a bit. ; )

[elisi]

So my brain was warped at kind of a young age.
You lucky thing! :)

So the sudden popularity of DW in this country makes me chuckle a bit. ; )
I can imagine. You should get a sticker that says 'Early Adopter' or similar...

[eaweek.livejournal.com]

I'm happy we had PBS to show us there were other countries making good TV, too, and also just for providing quality programming without endless hours of advertising.

LOL about "early adopter." Although, 'discovering' the show in 1988, I was still a late Whovian bloomer compared to kids I knew who'd been watching it since the mid-70s.

[elisi]

I'm happy we had PBS to show us there were other countries making good TV, too, and also just for providing quality programming without endless hours of advertising.
Adverts are... /o\ Which is why I'm happy to pay my license fee, despite everything.

And I had never seen an episode before 'Rose', so I'm very new to everything! ;)