Re: Complaining about "Americanization"
I think complaints about "Americanization" are rooting in two things or in one of two things. 1. America is still the biggest economy in the world and the most powerful country in the world and a major exporter of its own culture through Hollywood, and that can generate fears of homogenization and a loss of cultural identity to American influences just by itself. After all, how many British fast food restaurants can be found on every street corner from New York to Beijing? 2. A minority of Britons are just prejudiced against Americans. I think most of the concerns are rooted in 1 rather than 2 -- most people aren't prejudiced against Americans, even if they dislike the U.S. government or U.S. businesses.
I'm curious as to why people feel that DW is being "Americanized?" They have had what, three stories set in the U.S. since 2005? Out of 40? How is that America taking over?
Fewer, actually -- the only episodes with significant scenes set in America before "The Impossible Astronaut" were "Dalek," "Daleks in Manhattan," "Evolution of the Daleks," and "The Stolen Earth." Of those, "The Stolen Earth" only had a few key scenes set in New York with Martha working for UNIT. So, really, only two stories actively set in America. (I suppose if we're being very liberal, we might encompass the existence of New New York in "New Earth" and "Gridlock," but I think that's getting a bit silly.)
Also: "The Impossible Astronaut" is the first episode of the revived
Doctor Who set in America
not to feature the Daleks! Go figure.
Daleks in Manhattan: For the Daleks' plan to work, they needed a structure like the Empire State Building, at the time the tallest skyscraper in the world. Set there for the story only.
Well, for the story and for the atmosphere. Those episodes were homages to American pulp stories.
We don't complain when America is portrayed negatively, such as the idiot president whom RTD just had to kill off
To be fair, the assassination of Arthur Coleman Winters
was depicted as a bad thing, even if President-elect Winters himself was depicted as an American chauvinist. And, frankly, Winters's behavior wasn't completely unjustified -- Prime Minister "Saxon"
had, in fact, violated international law by opening relations with an alien species unilaterally.
or the "Space American" couple on the Starship Titanic who wore tacky clothes and were morbidly obese.
I don't think those two were "Space Americans." They had British accents and used British idioms. They were more just "average" people, and they were portrayed in a positive light. There's a reason the Doctor sat down with
them and proceeded to use the sonic screwdriver to play a practical joke on the people who had mocked them.
Also, I think it's important, for all that we Americans might be inclined to be upset at the show's sometimes-negative depiction of the U.S. government, to remember that the character of Captain Jack is clearly a much more positive representation of Americans. (Yes, yes, I know, he was born on another planet, but he's figuratively an American in the same way the Doctor and the Time Lords are figuratively British.)
We love the show and endure these jabs because we have felt that the show is just great. To get a single story that focuses on where we live is, I feel, just a bit of a thank you.
Yep. I think it's safe to say that, after six years,
Doctor Who is catching on in the U.S. a bit, and the BBC is excited about that. Certainly they've sent Matt Smith and Karen Gillan to New York press events enough.
Yes, BBC America is now co-producing the show. BBCA is still a British company.
Well, BBC America co-produced "The Impossible Astronaut" and "Day of the Moon," the episodes filmed in America. I don't think it's permanently co-producing the entire show; it was only ever advertised as co-producing the American-filmed episodes back when they first announced they'd be filming in America.
Though, interesting trivia: This means that
Doctor Who has now been co-produced by BBC Cymru Wales, the CBC (Series One),
and by BBC America now.
Perhaps a nice shout-out from time to time would be fun, but this is an English show and English it should remain. You all have nothing to bother you.
Slight nitpick:
Doctor Who is not an
English show,
Doctor Who is a
British show. After all, it's written by a Scot and filmed in Wales. In the RTD era, it was written by a Welshman and starred a Scot. And the Doctor himself has had a Scottish accent in the past. I think it's clear that
Doctor Who has more of a pan-British than a clearly English identity.
.
