The Doctor, the Daleks & the 1960s

As usual there are spoilers ahead!

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This episode we track the birth of one of the longest running franchises. Dr Who was first broadcast in 1963 and with the help of some exterminating aliens a film was produced just a couple of years later. I speak to my wonderful Whovian guests about the origins, the hallmarks and the 1960s context of the infamous Doctor including the colourful and shiny 1960s feature films.

Paul Booth is a professor of Media and Pop Culture with a special interest in fandoms on which he has written extensively. He is co-editor of the book Adventures Across Space and Time: A Doctor Who Reader.

Lee Arnott is the co-host if the Problematic Gaze podcast. He is a social historian who is currently researching the the social history of Britain since the 1960s through the lens of Doctor Who.

Although Australian composer Ron Gainer wrote the music for Dr Who it was Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop who produced the theme.

You can see the Delia Derbyshire clip I mention on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsRuhCflRyg

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:41The BBC origins of the series

04:45 The first episode, changes and differences on the big screen

09:40 The Daleks and Dalekmania

13:20 WW2, Nazis and nuclear fears

19:37 More Daleks

23:33 The Doctor

27:33 What is canon

29:21 The Companions

35:13 The Tardis

38:05 Design

42:02 (The best ever) theme tune

45:46 Legacy

49:22 Success and favourite doctors

53:04 Recommendations

Recommendations:

Lee recommended The War Game (1965) and Paul recommended the book Dr. Who & The Daleks: The Official Story of the Films by John Walsh.

NEXT EPISODE!

Next episode we will be discussing the 1965 French New Wave science fiction film Alphaville by Jean-Luc Godard. It is easy to rent on main streaming platforms as well as other places in the US including Mubi and Kanopy. To find the film in your region you can visit the Just Watch website.