6x04 The Doctor's Wife(Grading/Discussion) (SPOILERS!!)

[Sci]

Speaking as an American who had next to no familiarity with any of the British shows parodied in that two-parter -- and only knew about The Weakest Link -- I didn't think their inclusion hurt the show at all. If anything, I thought it was interesting seeing the Doctor inserted into a "real" context like a real-world game show.

 

[MacLeod]

Perhaps keeping it more tied to Earth, and having referrences in the show that people regonise such as the gameshows etc.. actually benefit the show for the more casual viewer. I suspect in the earlier seasons the producers didn't want to push the stories to make them to out there.

Besides Earth is rich is with history in which to explore, though tht should be balanced with exploring out there.

Remember one of the bigger critisims levelled at Doctor Who in the 80's was the men in rubber suits etc.. Ask an ordinary person to associate things with Doctor Who and you'll get (more than likely)

The TARDIS
The Doctor
Regeneration
Daleks
The Master
Cybermen
Companions

 

[Sindatur]

Also, it's kinda difficult to get the concept of Time Travel, when you're on a different planet. Having an Earth setting, automatically allows the viewer to see if it's set in the past or in the future (or, of course, if it's set in present day)

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Just think, we could have had a futuristic Dusty Bin! On second, thought no. Don't think it.

Too late, you made me think it!

 

[Starkers]

I'd love to see Matt Smith doing the 3,2,1 actions...

 

[23skidoo]

But would it have been so difficult to create (not necessarily) an original futuristic game show?

It would have been very easy to create an original futuristic game show. Of course at the same time, you would have lost any emotional baggage that Big Brother and The Weakest Link brought to the episode, all that symbolic shorthand that RTD uses to bring the characters right into the action in media res without any need for exposition.

Exactly, plus is fulfills Doctor Who's unstated mandate of occasionally tweaking the nose of British culture (Happiness Patrol, anyone?). This also allowed them to bring in several name stars to play parodies of themselves - Anne Robinson, of course, and whoever the announcer was on Big Brother.

And it allowed some cross-promotion as later The Weakest Link hosted a Doctor Who edition.

I had no problem with the two game shows - and that "how to dress" show also parodied - being included. It allowed instant identification for modern viewers, and in the future it'll be as much a cultural snapshot as the First Doctor and his friends looking in on The Beatles in The Chase (well, depending what part of the world you live in!) or Fleetwood Mac singing over images of dolls being made in Spearhead From Space or the Ninth Doctor grooving to Britney Spears in The End of The World.

Alex

 

[Australis]

Dusty Bin is unknown to us foreign devils.

 

[Starkers]

Shame, he was cool, a definite part of my childhood!

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Dusty Bin is unknown to us foreign devils.

Dusty Bin

 

[Starkers]

Just to clarify, Dusty Bin is the one on the right