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Is Doctor Who The Place To Get Political?

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Exterminate
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« on: June 26, 2012, 06:58:46 pm »

This story was basically written out of frustration with the tax system, but this isn't the only or last story of Doctor Who where a writer has used their frustrations with politics, taxes, prime ministers etc and poured it into stories. Do you think the show should be used as a forum for venting or should they be left seperate? Or do you think it doesn't matter as long as a good story comes out of it?
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« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2012, 11:55:57 pm »

I would say keep it out of the stories. However, these things reflect things that really happen. I don't think people should use it for agendas or anything but stories are meant to reflect things that happen in the real world to some extent. For the most part though these things go over my head so it doesn't make much difference to me. If I didn't know this story was about tax and inland revenue etc then I'd probably never have noticed.
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« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2012, 08:06:31 pm »

It's not unique to Doctor Who though. Every writer has a thought or opinion on something and it's bound to cross-over. It's even in childrens shows. I think the problem comes from whether or not it's a story based around a social or political situation that's occuring at the time or whether or not it's just the writer using his position to push his opinions on others, which I don't think is happening here.
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« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2012, 11:56:09 pm »

I think TS is probably right. This story had a very obvious message to it but it wasn't an agenda filled story, but more likely reflecting the thoughts of a lot of people. It certainly didn't feel overdone
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« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2012, 12:47:17 pm »

There are so many stories in both classic and new Who where the plot of the whole story is based around a writers thoughts and opinions. That kind of bias will always seep in because I suspect it's easier to write what you know and feel than it is to write something that you don't believe in or stand for. I think the trick though is to make a story enjoyable so that it doesn't offend the views of the viewer. I remember reading an interview where RTD said that Gridlock was written out of his frustration with religion and his own atheist beliefs but you wouldn't necessarily watch it and think that the writer was trying to convince you to abandon religion or that he had written an anti-god story. It struck a good balance. That's what is most important. I think this sort of thing only becomes an issue when a story leans so much into the issue that it's telling you how you should think on the issue. It's a bias that runs in many shows but I don't think it's something this one has ever been guilty of
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« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2012, 01:42:35 pm »

What PP said
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« Reply #6 on: June 29, 2012, 02:42:24 pm »

I'm with Aneurin. Until these things are pointed out to me or painfully obvious then they generally just go over the top of my head.
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« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2012, 09:55:27 pm »

I think PP has got it spot on
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« Reply #8 on: July 01, 2012, 09:55:40 pm »

I think PP has got it spot on
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« Reply #9 on: July 04, 2012, 10:54:37 pm »

I agree with the points that it's probably a lot easier to write what you know, but more than that I think that there is probably more of a story in the things that annoy you, especially in a series like this. I think in this story the writer had the chance to have a moan about something that frustrated them but I don't think I would call it particularly 'political'.
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