Who is watching Doctor Who tonight

[Firefly2009]

And if you've now seen it, what are your thoughts?

I'm predicting I will love it no matter what. But look forward to discussing it.

When I was working I probably got at least one email a day addressed to Dear Sir. Could not have cared less. I did get vaguely irritated by dear Miss Chemenger from students, who should use Dr as the default at university imo. But most of my students called me by my first name anyway.

I also think the flip to 'how would you feel by being called by the wrong pronouns?' is the point that I'd never ever pass as male no matter what because I'm so short.

When I was at school I did GCSE media studies. One of the topics we did was about womens' magazines, their stereotyped content and unrealistic images of women (with all the airbrushing etc) and vice versa for men's mags the damage this can do to society. This was the 90s.

This is just doing the same in a different way but on steroids. (Quite literally steroids in some cases).

It's massively regressive. And very cynically being pitched directly at teens (and younger).

Yes very good point

Adding, I don't think the BBC want adults viewing this anymore. They want kids and young adults - they want to indoctrinate them rather than entertain. Seems to be working

Funny, as in RL everyone I know still loves Dr Who - in our 30s, 40s and early 50s - it's only online I see all this negativity!

Interesting

Has the meep ever featured in an episode before

I have always watched Dd Who since John Pertwee on and off

https://nerdist.com/article/doctor-who-anniversary-special-beep-the-meep-villain-and-the-wrarth-warriors-comic-and-big-finish-history-explained/#:~:text=Beep%20the%20Meep%20made%20his,appears%20in%20the%20TV%20show.

Thanks

Don't think we ever read the comics

I couldn’t care less.

@TeenDivided yes DH knew the Meep was evil as he remembered reading the comic story when he was little so thanks for that backstory article (just had a read) as I didn't watch Dr Who back then

I am sure that the makers want to pitch the show at a young audience. Of course they do. They a) want to expand the audience and b) getting a younger fan base will provide the show with an audience for potentially many years to come.

I think the trans content partly fits with the inclusive aspect we have seen with the Whoniverse in recent years, and fits with RHD's interests, but will also in itself appeal to that young audience, who are very sympathetic to those issues. See Heartstopper's success.

So there isn't necessarily a specific BBC agenda to evangelise for young people to transition, but I'd agree that there are some issues in depicting this Rose as a poster girl for transition, as aready discussed.

David Tennants wife announced, on Instagram, that their young son identifies as non binary so I am not surprised it was shoe horned into the script. Poot kid can't row back on it now it'sall gone public.

Well yes, Scremeegg. That’s why I said re read.

The first meaning was clearly about the dr, but she’s actually lost even more.

I don’t think that’s true at all, I think it reflects the way that young people think in general. I work at a University and the vast majority of young people accept gender diversity as normal (I have on occasion though ‘I’m too old for this shit’ mind you)
But for them this is normal and older people who disagree are just stuck in their ways and behind the times.
So rather than Doctor Who indoctrinating people, it’s reflecting the world of younger people.

It was the preachiness of the episode around trans issues which annoyed me.

That's quite disturbing imo

Just found a Dr Who Unleashed episode on BBC iPlayer, going behind the scenes of the episode and with David and Catherine, sounds really good - need to give that one a watch too!

Thank you to everyone who replied that they couldn't care less if they were mis-gendered. So why are you getting so worked up about how someone else wishes to be 'gendered' if it is apparently so unimportant to you? Just move along!

That's the way some students think.

Those who have doubts or disagree are too afraid of retaliation by fellow students and staff to express any dissidence.

I enjoyed it, on the whole.

Nice to hear that, in that World anyway, Wilf is alive and well (RIP Bernard Cribbins).

The age thing of Rose is certainly an odd one with a visibly older person portraying her.
The new look Tardis is spectacular I thought

Reading this thread I'm glad of my decision not to watch it. My favourite Doctor was David Tennant (closely followed by Matt Smith), but the show got more and more preachy, especially in the awful Jodie Whittaker series, and it seems like RTD has now given himself free rein with his über-woke agenda, so I'm done. I don't watch Doctor Who to be 're-educated'.

Yes, you should be fine watching this one.

I never watched many of the Matt Smith era to be honest, though did watch most of the Capaldi ones I admit . Not so much the Female Doctor.

I don’t think that’s true at all, I think it reflects the way that young people think in general. I work at a University and the vast majority of young people accept gender diversity as normal

I work at a secondary school, and the social contagion of transitioning is calming down. Fewer students are requesting pronoun changes. And lots of students have no time for the gender woo stuff. They will call other students what they want to be called, but many do not believe TWAW or TMAM.

I couldn't care less if other people want to be 'gendered'

But claiming that 'misgendering' them is 'literal violence' and forcing people to go along with something they don't believe in is ridiculous.

I've been called he, Sir and Mr online. It only annoys me because it assumes male as default.
Anyone who uses male pronouns after they meet me is clearly a little bit stupid

Olympia Dukakis as Anna Madrigal in Tales of the City Series. A woman playing the role of a transwoman, I don't remember any outcry.

I’m talking about young people who I speak to about general life, it’s part of the normal parlance. Not discussed in a political way or theoretical way. Just offered up when talking about their daily life and their friends. No need for them to mention it at all, it’s just part of conversation so I don’t think the fear of retaliation etc is relevant here. If they were remotely bothered, they wouldn’t mention it, there would be no need to.

I’m pleased to hear that things are calming down a bit in secondary schools, I don’t doubt for a second that some of the kids who are identifying as trans / non-binary etc are doing so because of other reasons and I also have grave concerns about some of the unethical medical practices which are going on, but to say that programmes like Doctor Who are indoctrinating young people makes me think that perhaps some people are a little out of touch with the general zeitgeist of younger people right now.