Doctor Who - LIAR: Blog Tasks

 Language and Contexts


1) How can we apply narrative theories to this episode of  Doctor Who? 

Todorov's Equilibrium: 
 
E= Susan and her teachers are at School, but they are suspicious of Susan's knowledge
DE= Susan's Teachers visit Susan at her home and they find the TARDIS and they time travel
NE= Susan, Her Teachers and the Doctor end up in a desert.

Propp's character theory:

Doctor= Villain, Teachers= Sidekick, Susan= Princess

Barthes's enigma and action codes:

When the TARDIS begins to take off

Levi-Strauss's binary opposition:

Humans Vs Aliens, Good Vs Bad, Young Vs Old 

2) In your opinion, what is the most important scene in the episode and why?

When the teachers enter the TARDIS, This begins the story of the episode.

3) What genre is An Unearthly Child and how can you tell? Make specific reference to aspects of the episode.

Science-Fiction, It uses aliens and made up concepts e.g the time travelling police box which is bigger in the inside

4) How does An Unearthly Child reflect the social and historical contexts of the 1960s?

When the Doctor pulls away Ian to speak to him and dismisses Barbara, it shows how men were believed to be more intelligent than women.

Representations

1) What stereotypes of men are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

The Doctor represents Men being more intelligent than women. A subverted stereotype is when Ian is confused in the TARDIS, because men were supposed to be less emotional.

2) What stereotypes of women/girls are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

Barbara being more caring and emotional reinforces stereotypes. Susan being more intelligent subverts stereotypes.

3) How do the representations of young people and old people in An Unearthly Child reflect the social and historical context of the 1960s? 

The Doctor being more smart is a 'stereotype' for old people. Susan being highly intelligent is a representation of the importance of education

4) What representations of race/ethnicity can be found in Doctor Who: An Earthly Child? Is this surprising or not? Give reasons for your answer and consider historical / cultural context (the 1960s). Has this changed in more recent series of Doctor Who?

There is not much diversity within the cast, racism was still very common in the 1960s. However in recent episodes there is a more diverse representation.

5) How is social class represented in An Unearthly Child? Think about how education and knowledge is presented in the episode.

Education is presented as important, and middle/upper class

Audience

1) Who is the target audience for Doctor Who? Do you think it has changed since 1963?

Target audience was for families and young people since it was rated PG. I think it would've stayed the same

2) What audience pleasures are offered by Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

Personal Identity: People may relate to the characters

Diversion (Escapism): People watching the episode can wonder what will happen after the episode and relate to characters

3) What additional Uses and Gratifications would this episode provide to a modern 2020s audience?

The audience can learn new information, they can relate with the characters

4) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to An Unearthly Child?

Visceral - The shaking of the camera when the TARDIS is time travelling
Vicarious - Audience relating with the feelings of Barbara and Ian, they are confused and scared.

5) What kind of online fan culture does Doctor Who have? Give examples.

Fan fictions, Podcasts, Spin offs

Industries

1) What was the television industry like in 1963? How many channels were there?

Only 2

2) How does An Unearthly Child reflect the level of technology in the TV industry in 1963?

There are not many on screen effects and they had to do everything in 1 shot because recording tape was expensive

3) Why is Doctor Who such an important franchise for the BBC? 

It is a highly popular TV Show which has been around for decades

4) What other programmes/spin-offs are part of the wider Doctor Who franchise?

Sarah Jane Adventures, K-9, Torchwood, Class

5) Why does the Doctor Who franchise have so much merchandise available? Give examples. 

The BBC creates merchandise for the TV Shows audience and fans, eg hats and shirts

Grade 8/9 extension tasks and reading

Read this Media Magazine article tracing the cultural impact of Doctor Who. What does it suggest regarding the importance of Doctor Who, representations and industry?

Doctor Who has influenced new spin off shows, it also has a high impact on tourism, and helps local businesses

Read this Guardian feature on female characters in Doctor Who. What does it suggest regarding the representation of women over time in Doctor Who?

The representation of women has become more independent, women in the show were usually companions, and now they have become part of the story eg the doctors partner.

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