I haven’t watched Doctor Who for years. When it returned to our screens with Christopher Eccleston taking the role, I watched it and then when David Tennant took over I probably watched it even more. But in truth, I was locked into the past, mainly the Doctors of the 1960s and 1970s, actors like William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, my favourite Jon Pertwee and, to me at least, the slightly irritating Tom Baker. I preferred the more humdrum stories, like when Pertwee’s doctor fought against giant maggots that were appearing in a coal mine, or something like that. Latter day Who has been more about the Doctor saving mankind every single week. And it has become horribly woke and diverse.
I thought I’d end the first paragraph with the allegations of wokery and diversity because the words have become weapons of the far right idiocracy. Woke, meaning inclusive, progressive, and that you care about people, is actually a very good thing to be and it speaks volumes of the voices of hate that they weaponise the term to make it out to be a bad thing. And as for diversity, should it only be middle aged white men who prosper and nobody else? That’s that, I hope, dealt with. But what about the new woke and diverse Doctor Who?
Quite simply, I’ve outgrown it. Or maybe I’ve just got bored with it. And I got tired of it long before the Doctor became a woman and then a black man. I liked the TARDIS of Pertwee and not the new-fangled version, I wanted to see Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sgt Benton, I wanted the Master to look like Roger Delgado and I preferred Daleks who couldn’t go up the stairs. When it comes to Doctor Who, I’m that awful old bloke who thinks everything was better in the old days, that there’s no decent music anymore and just generally fings ain’t wot they used to be.
What I have always loved about Doctor Who is the love and kindness he or she carries. S/he is always the good character, fighting off wrong ‘uns. God knows we need as much love and kindness these days, in a the Grave New World of modern hate. I hope at least the love and kindness resonates with the modern generations.
