Question of the week: Do you have a favourite London-oriented film or tv show?"Dr. Who
For those of you who have never heard of the British television institution that is Dr. Who, let me give you a brief introduction. In a nutshell, the basic premise is that the Doctor travels through space and time in his vehicle, the TARDIS, having adventures. But it has become much, much more than that simple sentence. Since the first episode aired in 1963, when the Doctor appeared as an elderly man with a teen-aged granddaughter, there have been ten actors who have played the Doctor (due to his ability to regenerate when injured, or when the actor wants to do something else), and he has taken many people along on his travels. It has slowly been revealed that the Doctor is an alien (a Time Lord to be specific) and part of his mission is to fight against other alien groups (the Daleks and the Cybermen are the most famous) and rogue Time Lords to protect the universe in general, and Earth in particular.
While some of the adventures take place in space, many of them happen on Earth (generally in Britain), and a fair number are set in London. While most of the filming for the newest incarnation of Dr. Who isn't actually done in London (filming is cheaper in Cardiff...), lots of landmarks crop up, and London is referenced often. In one episode an alien spaceship crashes into Big Ben, and in another the Doctor saves London by destroying an alien that has set up house in the Thames Barrier.
If you enjoy science fiction at all, I heartily encourage you to look into Dr. Who. The best place to start is the official website, run by the BBC."
- Kris
NB to our students - the first series of 'New' Dr Who - featuring quite a lot of London - is available to borrow from the LUP Library. - Miss Alice
* Photo by Plastic_Bat, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment