This article focuses on the theme of history and fiction as it is played out in the televised Doc... more This article focuses on the theme of history and fiction as it is played out in the televised Doctor Who's written by Christopher H. Bidmead. Indeed, while the third and final televised serial that Bidmead wrote, 'Frontios' (1984), differs from 'Logopolis' (1981) and 'Castrovalva' (1982), in that it is a 'monster story', there are connections between them. We also see comparisons between those serials written by, and those edited by, Bidmead. Many other studies of authors of literature, film and television detect authorial 'signatures' (for instance, see MacDonald, 1994 and Murray 2007 on Robert Holmes; Bignell and O'Day, 2004 on Terry Nation; O'Day 2020 on Eric Saward). We see, then, drawing on the method of structuralism, how a signature can also be attributed to Bidmead, whether this was intended or not, and even though some work was a collaboration between writer and script-editor. This article takes a different approach to Paul Booth's (2014) on the dangers of periodising Doctor Who and fits in with Dave Rolinson's (2007) examination on the discourses of authorship in the John Nathan-Turner era of the programme.
Scholars have commonly written about the way Doctor Who began in 1963 as an example of Public Ser... more Scholars have commonly written about the way Doctor Who began in 1963 as an example of Public Service Broadcasting educating the television viewer about different periods of history that the travellers would visit in their space and time machine while entertaining, as well as featuring futuristic science fiction serials. Matthew Kilburn, for instance, compares Doctor Who with Peter Watkins' Culloden (1964) with both being attempts to find new ways of presenting history to a television audience and fulfil the BBC's duty as a PSB broadcaster. I have also examined elsewhere the first season Doctor Who historical as being 'historical fiction' where history was dramatized in an entertaining way for the audience. Various bloggers have noted connections between early 1960s Doctor Who and the previous ITV series The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956-57) and this is the approach I shall take examining the similarities between the characters of Ian Chesterton and Sir Lancelot, both played by William Russell, whether intended or not. William Russell featured in Doctor Who from the start until the serial 'The Chase' in 1965. This approach of comparing Doctor Who with what James
Best known for his role in creating Doctor Who for the BBC with C.E. Webber, Sydney Newman had fi... more Best known for his role in creating Doctor Who for the BBC with C.E. Webber, Sydney Newman had first produced Pathfinders for ABC Television and we will see the origins of this trilogy. Furthermore, just as the Quatermass serials were an influence both on Pathfinders and Doctor Who, so can we argue that traces of what Doctor Who would become are to be found in the Pathfinders serials along with ways in which Doctor Who deviated along a different path due to its different producer, much to Newman's initial chagrin. In many respects, Pathfinders reveals much about the genesis of Doctor Who and both can be situated in the television landscape of the time. But, as we shall see, Pathfinders also connects with other telefantasy, both before and after, in its form and its pace, and in its emphasis on visuals. The approach here then is a historical one which argues for the importance of Pathfinders not
This article focuses on the theme of history and fiction as it is played out in the televised Doc... more This article focuses on the theme of history and fiction as it is played out in the televised Doctor Who's written by Christopher H. Bidmead. Indeed, while the third and final televised serial that Bidmead wrote, 'Frontios' (1984), differs from 'Logopolis' (1981) and 'Castrovalva' (1982), in that it is a 'monster story', there are connections between them. We also see comparisons between those serials written by, and those edited by, Bidmead. Many other studies of authors of literature, film and television detect authorial 'signatures' (for instance, see MacDonald, 1994 and Murray 2007 on Robert Holmes; Bignell and O'Day, 2004 on Terry Nation; O'Day 2020 on Eric Saward). We see, then, drawing on the method of structuralism, how a signature can also be attributed to Bidmead, whether this was intended or not, and even though some work was a collaboration between writer and script-editor. This article takes a different approach to Paul Booth's (2014) on the dangers of periodising Doctor Who and fits in with Dave Rolinson's (2007) examination on the discourses of authorship in the John Nathan-Turner era of the programme.
Scholars have commonly written about the way Doctor Who began in 1963 as an example of Public Ser... more Scholars have commonly written about the way Doctor Who began in 1963 as an example of Public Service Broadcasting educating the television viewer about different periods of history that the travellers would visit in their space and time machine while entertaining, as well as featuring futuristic science fiction serials. Matthew Kilburn, for instance, compares Doctor Who with Peter Watkins' Culloden (1964) with both being attempts to find new ways of presenting history to a television audience and fulfil the BBC's duty as a PSB broadcaster. I have also examined elsewhere the first season Doctor Who historical as being 'historical fiction' where history was dramatized in an entertaining way for the audience. Various bloggers have noted connections between early 1960s Doctor Who and the previous ITV series The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956-57) and this is the approach I shall take examining the similarities between the characters of Ian Chesterton and Sir Lancelot, both played by William Russell, whether intended or not. William Russell featured in Doctor Who from the start until the serial 'The Chase' in 1965. This approach of comparing Doctor Who with what James
Best known for his role in creating Doctor Who for the BBC with C.E. Webber, Sydney Newman had fi... more Best known for his role in creating Doctor Who for the BBC with C.E. Webber, Sydney Newman had first produced Pathfinders for ABC Television and we will see the origins of this trilogy. Furthermore, just as the Quatermass serials were an influence both on Pathfinders and Doctor Who, so can we argue that traces of what Doctor Who would become are to be found in the Pathfinders serials along with ways in which Doctor Who deviated along a different path due to its different producer, much to Newman's initial chagrin. In many respects, Pathfinders reveals much about the genesis of Doctor Who and both can be situated in the television landscape of the time. But, as we shall see, Pathfinders also connects with other telefantasy, both before and after, in its form and its pace, and in its emphasis on visuals. The approach here then is a historical one which argues for the importance of Pathfinders not
In the developed world, the AIDS pandemic originated in the United States among the gay community... more In the developed world, the AIDS pandemic originated in the United States among the gay community. While we must acknowledge the impact of HIV on other groups (bisexual men, women, drug users and haemophiliacs such as teenager Ryan White who wrote an autobiography), this paper will concentrate on relevant prose narratives in the anthology From a Burning House by gay men living in the United States, and published in 1996 when HIV was still felt to be a death sentence. 1 It is beyond the scope of this essay to look at the novel, poetry, theatre, and film and television drama, dealing with the illness, and these have been covered quite extensively by, for instance, especially from the 1980s and 1990s. There is also no room here for investigation of the multitude of other non-fictional prose narratives by gay men living with HIV in the United States but the Burning House anthology features a variety of writers dealing with a range of pivotal themes and can be read alongside social histories. This paper will investigate the cultural work done by the AIDS narrative in this collection, the literary techniques which are employed and a form which is apparent. I 1
This Dissertation concerns autobiographies written by prisoners in the United Kingdom. As is so o... more This Dissertation concerns autobiographies written by prisoners in the United Kingdom. As is so of many writers of autobiography, these prisoners are marginalised so these autobiographies give them a voice to express their experiences of the prison and their full identities and what they perceived as injustices encountered on a daily basis where they, like other prisoners, were victims. The writers thematise the ways in which, as prisoners, they were not given a voice and how their autobiographies counter official discourses that circulate about the hidden world of the prison. The Dissertation begins by looking at autobiographies written by men before, or in one case just after, the 1990s Strangeways Riots and then at more recent examples.
This Dissertation concerns types of autobiographical writing by people with mental illnesses. The... more This Dissertation concerns types of autobiographical writing by people with mental illnesses. The mental illnesses that will be considered here are limited to the most common affective (or mood) disorders: depression and bipolar. As is so of many writers of autobiography, the people suffering are marginalised so these types of autobiographical writing give them a voice to reach the reader. The writers thematise the ways in which they are stigmatized and must make themselves visible, and how readers, both with and without the mental illnesses described, can connect, and empathize, with them, points also raised by reader responses. These are also ethical issues and this fills a gap in the critical literature.
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