Disciplines
Digital Humanities | Screenwriting
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The theme of humanity is something that is common in science fiction media. Stories set in this genre are often the most human of all. There is no better example of this than in the 2005 revival of the classic BBC series Doctor Who, specifically the two-parter “Human Nature” and “The Family of Blood”. It studies how much its titular character, The Doctor, is influenced by humanity when he and his companion, Martha Jones, have to go into hiding. In this video essay, I examine how the structure and the script help to illustrate how much humanity as a whole needs The Doctor. I also examine how the theme is continued in the rest of the show up to its current run and what changes were made from the script when it was transferred to the screen.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - English
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Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Anna Weinstein
Oh, The Whomanity: An Analysis Of The Theme Of Humanity in Doctor Who
The theme of humanity is something that is common in science fiction media. Stories set in this genre are often the most human of all. There is no better example of this than in the 2005 revival of the classic BBC series Doctor Who, specifically the two-parter “Human Nature” and “The Family of Blood”. It studies how much its titular character, The Doctor, is influenced by humanity when he and his companion, Martha Jones, have to go into hiding. In this video essay, I examine how the structure and the script help to illustrate how much humanity as a whole needs The Doctor. I also examine how the theme is continued in the rest of the show up to its current run and what changes were made from the script when it was transferred to the screen.