A few weeks ago, the BBC released a video of Jodie Whittaker—in what was probably her closet or a bathroom—dressed in her Thirteenth Doctor gear to let us all know that she was “self-isolating” (hiding) from Sontarans. It was an emergency transmission, sent because the TARDIS was picking up a surge in psychological signals and “someone somewhere might be a little bit worried.”
It was one of the most relieving things to be found on social media in months.
Incoming message… #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/lTXziuzWVQ
— Doctor Who on BBC America (@DoctorWho_BBCA) March 25, 2020
There were many reasons for that relief, from the useful advice she gave (tell bad jokes!) to the reminder to trust in science (we forget that a lot lately, as a species). But chief among those reasons was the video’s existence, intent on reminding us that the Doctor is still here. And she cares about us. The Doctor believes we can be strong, and come out the other side of this.
But why is that so comforting to know?
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Being a television series that has been around for over half a century, it’s hardly surprising when people are intrigued by Doctor Who. But when they have no knowledge of the series, that interest usually comes in the form of a question like, “So how is that show?”
I do not like this question, or any question related to it. The reason why is simple enough: It’s impossible to answer.
Now, part of the reason for that is the sheer volume of history that comes attached to Doctor Who, its mythology ever-expanding and multi-faceted. It’s like being asked how you feel about Superman comics—well, what era? What writer? What storyline? What artist? There are so many things that make up a good Superman comic, but it’s impossible for each story arc to achieve that pinnacle.
It would make more sense for someone to ask you how you feel about Superman himself.
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When it’s hard to get out of bed—which let’s be honest, are most days lately—there’s a funny old quotation that sometimes gets caught in my head:
“There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, and the sea’s asleep, and the rivers dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there’s danger, somewhere there’s injustice, and somewhere else the tea’s getting cold. Come on, Ace. We’ve got work to do.”
These are the last lines of the Classic Doctor Who series from 1989, spoken by the Seventh Doctor. And I’ve always thought that they resonate deeply because the call to action within them is almost an afterthought. We’re offered imagery to fuel the imagination, and a reminder of the state of the universe, a place that is full of risk (danger) and terror (injustice) and also simple actions of physical being (the tea’s getting cold). And then those final words: We’ve got work to do.
It’s such a useful pronouncement because it’s true, isn’t it? We all have some sort of work that needs doing, and this is a helpful reminder to start moving. It’s not scolding or nagging or mean-spirited. It’s also not saccharine or emotive. It’s just a statement, one that is no less meaningful for its pragmatic approach. We have things to be getting on with, even if that’s a tall order today, or every day. We should try to get on with them.
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So people will ask “Is the show good?” when they want to know about Doctor Who. And the answer yes sometimes, and no sometimes, and the answer is also it depends on who you’re asking and when, because not everything will appeal to everyone all the time. But the more important answer is actually: Who cares?
Quality is a beastly metric to judge anything by. And I don’t mean to say that thoughtful criticism or having standards are pointless exercises—of course they aren’t. We should endeavor to make good art, and to absorb good art. We should care about quality, even when we’re fully aware that quality is one of the most subjective concepts we can foist upon entertainment. Also, as a descriptor, “good” is a relatively meaningless word, one that is often used in the place of purposeful discourse.
But what I’m really trying to say is, it doesn’t matter if Doctor Who is good. It has never mattered if Doctor Who is good because the only thing that matters about Doctor Who is that it gave us the Doctor. If a piece of fiction is the beholden to what it leaves behind, then that is what the show bequeaths to us.
And what a beautiful inheritance that has become over the decades.
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If you know anything about its origins, you probably know that Doctor Who was initially conceived as a means to teach children about history. A time traveling main character makes it easy to showcase historical figures and events, and the Doctor’s first companions lent themselves to that job nicely—two school teachers and a granddaughter who was eager to learn. But it became clear, very quickly, that the show was a different sort of gift to children; it offered up a protagonist who used wit and knowledge against enemies, who valued what others often overlooked. And most important of all, it gave them a hero who readily admitted to their own fear. Or as the Third Doctor so readily put it:
“Courage isn’t just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It’s being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.”
The Doctor’s creed has never relied upon might or power at the expense of care. Certainly, the character has the capacity for pomposity and boisterousness (most clever people fall prey to that trap), but that cannot outstrip the Doctor’s need to do as their name demands—to tend to others, to work tirelessly in the defense of people who cannot defend themselves, to make things right. The Twelfth Doctor put it into words as best he could, right before his own demise:
“I’m not trying to win. I’m not doing this because I want to beat someone — or because I hate someone, or because I want to blame someone. It’s not because it’s fun. God knows it’s not because it’s easy. It’s not even because it works, because it hardly ever does. I do what I do because it’s right! Because it’s decent! And above all, it’s kind! It’s just that. Just kind.”
As a child, there is nothing more valuable than having a someone to look up to who is exactly that. Just kind, history lessons or no.
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I was watching the show the other day (Classic Who has been a very helpful comfort watch lately), and found myself struck all over again by something the Fourth Doctor put quite succinctly:
“The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common: They don’t change their views to fit the facts. They change the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs changing.”
I don’t really think I need to explain why that landed like a sneaky little stab wound. I might still be bleeding over it.
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People will ask “Do you think I’d like that show?” and honestly, which show? It’s been at least a dozen different ones, and showcased over a dozen Doctors. I could direct those people toward an episode or era I think they’d like if I know them well enough, but that’s not really how being a Whovian works. We watch because we need the Doctor. We need the Doctor because they remind us to be the best versions of ourselves—not just for our own sakes, but for others.
Right now, most of us are stuck in holding patterns. We’re depressed or exhausted or scared all the time, or some combination of all those things. But the Doctor knows that’s not the full sum of our lives. Look at what the Ninth Doctor has to say about us:
“There’s no such thing as an ordinary human.”
Or the Tenth:
“Some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It’s not the time that matters, it’s the person.”
Or the Thirteenth:
“We’re all capable of the most incredible change. We can evolve while still staying true to who we are. We can honor who we’ve been and choose who we want to be next.”
We watch the show because we need the Doctor. We need the Doctor because their existence, their kindness, their belief in us makes it a little easier to be in the world. There aren’t many fictional figures who fill that need, who offer that manner of comfort, and certainly not with this longevity. Regeneration gives Doctor Who fans the greatest gift of all; there will always be a Doctor here for us, or, at least, there can be. That sixteen year hiatus where the Doctor didn’t appear on television seems cruel in retrospect. Imagining a future where the Doctor isn’t available to soothe our troubled minds seems equally cruel.
The character has transcended the boundaries of their story.
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Since the lockdown began, Doctor Who scribes and actors have been banding together to create stories, and Twitter watch-alongs, and helpful PSAs for the world because they know this. They know that people need the Doctor, especially in times of upheaval or crisis. They’re not the only creative teams putting out free content and entertainment for the world right now, but the level of integration and output is different here, unprecedented. They know that seeing her face will make your day brighter, even if she’s filming from a cupboard and her hair has grown out past it’s regulated Doctor-length.
"Stay strong, stay positive. You're amazing".
Four tips from @bbcdoctorwho to get you through self-isolation.
pic.twitter.com/8l9GFs4nLi
— BBC (@BBC) April 9, 2020
The Doctor remembered us because we needed her, and that means it’s going to be alright. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, or even next month. But eventually, it will be.
And for now, she just wanted to remind you to think of others because that’s “rule number one of being alive.” Excellent advice, that. Useful for children and adults. A good way to check in with yourself and make sure that you’re focusing on what matters. Practical, certainly—and still kind.
In the end, that will be the measure of us.
Emmet Asher-Perrin plans to laugh hard, run fast, and be kind. You can bug them on Twitter, and read more of their work here and elsewhere.
This is an impressive read. It is exactly how I feel. When people complain about the current doctor to me (and they have since Smith), I give them an idea of my take…sometimes good, sometimes bad. They will ask, “you gonna keep watching it? My answer is that I have been watching it since 1981 (that I can remember) and I will watch it until I die.
I think you captured the essence of the Doctor very well. I remember Tom Baker Outsmarting amazing monsters time and again. It definitely was a gift and affected who I became as a person.
“Friends, enemies – so long as there’s mercy. Always mercy”
That’s an important thing to remember as well, these days.
Doctor Who did not originate as an attempt to teach history to kids. the myth gets put around a lot, but it started as a way to get four demographics (kids, teenagers, younger adults, older adults) together to watch TV together.
By some amazing coincidence, I’ve been using that Fourth Doctor quote about the powerful and stupid as part of my email signature since late 2016…
And I think this final statement from Twelve should replace most of philosophy and theology as a basis for the moral life:
I have to admit, even though I’m a 44 year old guy, seeing a video of The Doctor offering words of encouragement made me cry. For that brief moment the facade of grim determination I’ve been wearing since all this started slipped and I knew everything was going to be OK. Different, but OK.
For me, that’s something that no other character could ever have achieved.
I was also quite touched by the Doctor’s public service announcements. Another character I have been following since 1964 also comes to mind in tough times, when I think, “What would Captain America do?”
When I saw this I was impressed. Where are the reality TV “stars” in a crisis? Leave it to the Doctor to do the right thing.
And since I started watching in 1979 I must close with this:
Border Guard: Names, please
Doctor: I am the Doctor, and this is Romana
Guard: Romana who?
Romana: That is correct…
It says something about the current quality of the writing on Who that these short homemade videos of Jodie feel like the best version of 13 we have seen. That said, I still totally agree with this article – the point is the Doctor – and although I’ve never had less fun with the show than I am now, I still love Jodie and I still think the Doctor is the greatest hero in all of fiction. And I’ll always keep watching, because I know sooner or later the show will evolve again, and who knows? The next incarnation might be my all-time favorite.
When the show first returned in 2005 ,the writers made a mistake not in the script writing but when they promoted the show. They tried to push Rose as the only important Companion and all the others who came after her as ‘replacements ‘ and not very good ones. Dr Who has always been a ‘choose your own adventure ‘ everyone has their favourite Companion and Doctor.
I was glad to hear that the writers did decide on a female Doctor and not chicken out and I think Jodie is doing an amazing job, the stories are following a similar pattern to Tennant’s series. Not necessarily a bad thing. I think if she does decide to leave they should definitely have another female Doctor.
I thought you and your readers might like an excerpt from an interview I did a while back.
I started with Tom Baker. He was the Doctor from ’74-81. I graduated from high school in ’80, so he got me through some rough years.
Years… decades… later, I’m unemployed. My career is going nowhere. I’m lying on the couch flipping channels and I land on a cute British blonde girl walking through a spooky house. I paused to see what it might be. When Sally Sparrow pulled off the wall paper, revealing a note from The Doctor, the theme kicked in and I leapt to my feet! The Doctor was back in my life. How bad can things be when the Doctor is watching over me? Things have gotten much better since then.
You can read the whole interview here: https://donniedarkogirl.blogspot.com/2015/02/billy-bobble-makes-magic-wand-by-rs.html?m=1
Fan since 1983. I don’t think I’ve heard the core of the show encapsulated so well. Thank you.
Same. Hard same. Didn’t hit me until the end, but… “You’ve got this.” …and there it was.
I’ve been watching the Doctor since the very beginning (admittedly much of 1 and 2 from behind a sofa) and I can’t really put into words the impact that the Doctor has had in my life. But this piece came as close as anyone else has in conveying just how huge a presence they are able to exert in the lives of those who love the show. I can only remember Charlie Jane Anders writing about the Doctor with such understanding and empathy. Probably nothing has embodied the Doctor’s lasting ability to provide comfort and reassurance – in real life – more than thirteen’s message from the closet. “Remember, darkness never prevails.”
I love Dr Who, I’ve been watching the re-runs on iplayer (also on Netflix right now) since the show restarted with Christopher Eccleston, it’s kept me going for months. I loved David Tennent best, but Matt Smith had some great writing too. I’m now enjoying Peter Capaldi, although he’s too serious and didn’t continue the eccentric personality well enough, he also got some fab story lines and is a brilliant actor. I would highly recommend anyone re-watch this series whilst on lock down, you’ll never be bored.
Omd, I totally feel the same way about the Doctor. She has become such a huge part in my life and I now realise always has. A world without the Doctor would be a much bleaker world, for me anyway.
Come on, Ace. We’ve got work to do.
The idea that one can do something is central to SF. (In one of the Spectrum introductions, Amis argued that in a genre version of Brave New World somebody would find something to do about that dystopia.) In some ways the idea that one should do something is also key, but it rarely gets stated so clearly and matter-of-fact-ly; the instance that comes immediately to mind is “There’s need!”, scattered through Zenna Henderson’s “People” stories. Both ideas are powerful.
Well, this is possibly the most intelligent and insightful piece of writing about Doctor Who that I have seen. Like the author, I was very moved by Peter Capaldi’s speech about doing the right thing. Altogether, an excellent article.
This was an amazing read, and explained to me something I had previously found unexplainable about my own relationship with the Doctor, and why it never occurs to me to stop watching even when I’m not thrilled with a particular showrunner, or how an otherwise terrific character is being written. I’d like to point out one thing though–I think you’ve missed the layers of meaning in “the tea’s getting cold.” It’s not merely a fact of physical being. In context, it means something more like: “Something has been prepared for us that is very pleasant and very comforting, which will fortify us for those other things I’ve just mentioned.” A similar meaning might be got at for a non-tea person by saying “Somewhere our supper is getting cold.” To me, it’s an important part of that little speech precisely because it elevates something mundane (or, as Tolkien or one of his hobbits might put it, “homely”) to the same level as all that adventure and wonder. The Doctor is saying that small, pleasant, convivial rituals also matter, that comfort and care are important and necessary. Delight in small pleasures has always been part of the Doctor’s character, and it’s an important lesson for this historical moment as well.
A few years back I decided to get a tattoo on my right calf. Three large, overlapping circles, with weird squiggles inside them. Well that’s how it looks to most people. One of my greatest joys is when a stranger walks up to me and asks “Is that Gallifreyan?” There’s always something special about coming across a fellow Whovian.
The message written is the promise:
Words to live by, and I try to every day. I grew up a Trekkie, baptized in TNG. And Star Trek will always be my first love when it comes to sci-fi. It holds the promise of a brighter future, a better tomorrow for humanity.
But The Doctor tells us things are hard, and they will always be hard, and what defines us is not the hardship, but how we treat each other in the darkest of times.
Be kind.
There’s a quote from Steven Moffat about the Doctor I always liked:
“But when they made this particular hero, they didn’t give him a gun–they gave him a screwdriver to fix things. They didn’t give him a tank or a warship or an x-wing fighter–they gave him a box from which you can call for help. And they didn’t give him a superpower or pointy ears or a heat-ray–they gave him an extra HEART. They gave him two hearts! And that’s an extraordinary thing.”
Thank you for this wonderful article, I will be using it in the future to explain why I love Doctor Who. (although I have one of my kids loving it too, working on the others). I’m thankful for the community built up from Who, have participated with the twitter viewings and with Zoom get together with fellow fans. Thank you!!!!
Pronouns!!
Now that the Doctor has regenerated into both a man and a woman, isn’t it time we recognize that they are non-binary and start using the correct pronouns of they/them?
I grew up on Star Trek‘s original series but somehow managed to miss seeing Doctor Who, in spite of having read science fiction all my life. If one wanted to advise such a person on how to get into Doctor Who, what would you say?
Watch from the beginning? Start with the most recent episode? Start with the 3rd doctor? The 11th? There’s a TON of Doctor Who! Where should a SF-loving Who virgin start?
(Apologies in advance if I miss any space-bar-malfunction induced typos. I need a new laptop.)
Well, I don’t recommend starting at the beginning unless you have a tolerance for really old school sci-fi. Doctor Who may have premiered in the sixties, but its early episodes resemble 1950’s sci-fi from the US fairly often, with very cheap sets and a lot of flubbed lines and some serious issues with pacing. Probably best to save these until after you’re a fan.
You can’t go wrong starting with the relaunch. The show had been off the air for a decade and a half, so the show assumes no familiarity with the existing material from the start.
If you want to try some of the earlier stuff, here are some recommendations from the different eras. Try some and see what you like.
First Doctor: “I am a citizen of the universe, and a gentleman to boot!” A lot of these stories are, sadly, missing from the archives. Historical adventures alternated with sci-fi to keep up the show’s attempt at being educational. The Doctor is older, crotchety, and a bit less proactive than he’d be in other incarnations. My favorite from the era is “The Dalek Invasion of Earth”, the story that cemented the Daleks as the preeminent Doctor Who villain. The plot drags a bit toward the middle, but they did an amazing job of showing post-destruction London on a low budget.
Second Doctor:
Jamie: Have you thought up some clever plan, Doctor?
The Doctor: Yes, Jamie, I believe I have.
Jamie: What are you going to do?
The Doctor: Bung a rock at it.
Our hero gets a bit more friendly and eccentric. Sadly, MOST of these stories are missing now, leaving a rather limited number to select from. Check out “Tomb of the Cybermen” for a good example of the era, as the Doctor decides to keep an eye on a team of archaeologists looking into whatever happened to the dreaded Cybermen. Could poking their noses into the final resting place of an army of cyborg nightmares possibly go horribly wrong? (Yes, yes it could.)
Third Doctor: “A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting.” Well, at least we have most of the episodes from this era! To save on the budget, the third Doctor spent most of his run exiled to Earth and helping the planet’s alien-defense taskforce UNIT keep humanity safe. Check out “The Sea Devils” for a good example of this era, featuring Roger Delgado as The Master! (Like I was going to pick a story from this era without him.)
Fourth Doctor: “Killing me isn’t going to help you. It isn’t going to do me much good either…” Tom Baker is probably the Doctor most old-school US fans were introduced to, myself included, due to many PBS stations feeling that changing Doctors would confuse stupid American audiences and so they just kept running Baker’s episodes on an endless loop. I have much nostalgia for these, but if I had to pick one to represent Baker’s eight years on the program, it would be 1975’s “Pyramids of Mars”. Ancient Egyptian gods turn out to be aliens and one of the worst is planning to break free and, what else, destroy the Earth! And probably a bunch of other places as well. Robot mummies! Pyramid-shaped rockets!
Fourth Doctor alternate choice: Tom Baker played the Doctor longer than anyone else, he gets two picks! City of Death. Probably the best example of the Doctor’s turning disrespect into a weapon. An alien stranded on earth for billions of years just wants to go home. To pull it off he’ll need to steal the Mona Lisa, invent time travel, and completely undo all of life on Earth. Much funnier than my previous choice and includes a cameo by John Cleese, just because.
Fifth Doctor: “An apple a day keeps the… No, never mind.” It’s hard to pick one from this era. Most of my favorites from this time period are heavily steeped in the show’s mythology (especially the 20th anniversary season) and wouldn’t make good stand-alone recommendations. Probably Peter Davison’s best performance was his swan song, “The Caves of Androzani”. The Doctor gets himself poisoned looking into some labor disputes on a mining colony. Can he weave his way through the stubborn heads on all sides around him long enough to find a cure? Spoiler: No, because as mentioned, it’s his last story.
Sixth Doctor: “What’s the use of a good quotation if you can’t change it?” I don’t personally like a lot of the sixth Doctor stories. In find their tones were often wildly uneven over the course of a single story and it looks like someone’s slashed the budget in half from previous seasons. My favorite story from the run is the Trial sequence, but that’s the ENTIRE 23rd season, which seems a bit much to recommend for a starter, so instead, try “Vengeance on Varos”. Doctor Who predicts the rise of reality television on a planet where the populace is kept pacified by having them watch rebels and criminals forced to run through a series of torturous challenges.
Seventh Doctor: “I can’t stand burnt toast. I loathe bus stations. Terrible places. Full of lost luggage and lost souls.” Did I say the sixth doctor looked like his budget was cut in half? The seventh’s budget makes that look excessively grandiose! The show compensated by moving the show in a direction of weirder plots and more social satire. Whether that works for you is strongly a matter of taste. Again trying to avoid some of the better stories that are steeped in the show’s mythology, I’m going to recommend “Survival” for a good example of this era.
#24, @Michael Suttkus, II — Thanks so much for your voluminous suggestions! I have vague memories of a curly-haired man wearing a long scarf, but I don’t remember if I saw an episode at a friend’s house or if I merely saw a photograph somewhere. I guess Mr. Baker’s long tenure strikes again. :-)
I’ll look up when “the re-launch” happened and try to find out where I can watch those episodes. Once I have a feel for the world, I’ll check out those favorites you mentioned.
Thanks so much! I would have written something about that long if someone had asked me how to start watching Star Trek‘s original series, so it’s heart-warming to see the love for the Dr. Who series from its fans. :-)
Very nice essay. Thank you.
I started watching the show during the time of the fourth doctor. It was a big draw on PBS in the day. I remember that quote.
Everything old is new again. Welcome to the end of the world.
I’ve seen exactly one episode of Doctor Who (playing at a friends’ house) but I read this anyway because I always enjoy your content and I knew it would say something powerful about art and fandom and hope irrespective of which fandom it was actually about (and truly, this explains very well how I feel about some of my own personal fandoms, especially the ones that have spanned a great deal of time and have many different iterations).