Pay attention @StephenFry Dr Who = Food for the Soul
(Spoiler alert – for the final episode, Series 5 Episode 13, Big Bang)
I’m addicted to story and I’m not at all ashamed of it.
Story is too often looked down, as being of minor interest in proper, grown up literary fiction. 
Graham Greene, for instance, used to try to divide his novels into what he called “serious novels” and “entertainments” – but it’s not a distinction that really makes any sense to me – and in fact in his later years gave up on the distinction. I suspect that shows us something of where the underlying idea comes from – it has something to do with ego, perhaps, and an attempt to be all grown up and serious.
Story is of course of central importance in genre fiction – another reason it gets looked down on. If a crime novel or a science fiction novel should turn out to be well written – like Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, for instance, or any crime novel by P D James – then it is described as having transcended the genre.
I suspect what we really ought to be worried about is the novels of any kind that are so badly written that they shouldn’t ever have surfaced from the slush pile. The ones that could be said to have…hmm, what is the antonym of transcended? Failed, underperformed, maybe. Nope – books which trash the genre. That will do 
Which brings me round to Dr Who – the last episode of which reminded me of how much I love story – and just how important it is. Stephen Fry recently criticised Dr Who as infantile – comparing it to “chicken nuggets” and complaining about the lack of proper grown up drama on TV. I think he makes a good point – it does seem like a long time since there has been a British TV drama that could rival The Wire, for example. Which is very sad when we can look back to the days of the Wednesday play, or the works of Dennis Potter – even Edge of Darkness.
Who could argue with this -
“But if you are an adult you want something surprising, savoury, sharp, unusual, cosmopolitan, alien, challenging, complex, ambiguous, possibly even slightly disturbing and wrong.”
As my stories apparently seem to specialise in the morally ambiguous, I find myself in broad agreement – we do need more adult stories, more adult television.
However, and it’s a big however, I think Dr Who is much more wholesome than chicken nuggets.
It’s a fairy tale – food for the soul.
It’s a children’s programme and so yes, there are parts of it that are designed to entertain children. And rather like Harry Potter, if that gets them interested in story and drama that’s a Good Thing. And it’s a little silly to criticise it for having “deus ex machina” resolutions involving time travel – errrr, that’s the point. It’s a bit of a romp and a lot playful, and yet it’s also full of some amazingly grown up and complex emotions, too. The storylines revolve around issues like love and friendship and loyalty – and loss. The dialogue between the Doctor and River Song at the close of this series was perfect – clever and funny and moving all at the same time.
It’s no good criticising it for being bad science fiction. It was never science fiction – just adventure wrapped up in science fiction clothes. Daleks instead of bad fairies and wicked witches. Take the infamous sonic screwdriver – now that’s a MacGuffin if ever there was one, and no attempt at any kind of scientific explanation. It’s just magic – and not in the Arthur C Clarke sense of a “sufficiently advanced technology.”
Again – it’s a modern fairy tale. I didn’t see the other references caught by the Guardian reviewer here… but what could be more fairy tale than Amelia’s storyboook centurian guarding this modern sleeping beauty for 2000 years?
But most of all, it was shown most vividly in the scene in the scene where the Doctor is sitting by the bed of young Amelia Pond, talking to her…
“You’ll remember me a little. I’ll be a story in your head. That’s okay. We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh. Because it was, you know. It was the best.”
In the context of the story, Amelia remembering the Doctor is the key to his survival. If she fails – he dies. He will never even have existed.
In our own lives it’s also the deepest of truths. When we die, what we fear most is that we might as well never have existed.
So that’s our way of survival, isn’t it? In people’s memories – that’s the only way we live on after we die.
We survive only in the memories of those whose lives we have touched.
So, how can you get any more grown up than that?
About Ann GodridgeAnn Godridge has just completed her first crime novel, The Mermaid's Shroud, and has started work on the sequel. Her story the Tree of Knowledge was shortlisted for the Asham Award. She writes about writing and sometimes about textile arts at her blogStraw into Gold. You can find out more about her here - About Ann G.
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14 Responses to Pay attention @StephenFry Dr Who = Food for the Soul
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Thanks Ann – sorry to sound off like that, but it is so distressing wilfully to be misreported! Heigh ho. Fine blog anyway!
X
Grr. I did NOT describe Dr Who as infantile. I love it. I watch every damned episode. I fell in love with it when I was 7 and have written extensively about it. I know Russell T and Stephen Moffatt and admire them both, Why should even feel the need to justify something I never even said? Grrrr. God it makes me cross that so many people still a) believe what they read in the papers and b) don't even read what's written in the papers anyway, but just go on 2nd, 3rd and 4th hand reports. I went out of my way to say how well written Dr Who is and NEVER ONCE CALLED IN INFANTILE. Oh I give up…..
lol, people that protest too much blah blah……. only joking Stephen, I think most know the media twist and distort things but i need to know did you mention chicken nuggets?
Mea culpa, Stephen.
The Guardian does seem to be reporting on a completely different speech, and I should have read the original more carefully.
Thank you for putting the record straight.
Ann
I have to say I'm a sci-fi/fantasy fan.I sometimes see people come in and peruse my bookshelves and look disappointed that there's little 'serious' literature there. However, some of the most beautiful and emotive writing that I've ever read (and yes I do read other genres) can be found in the fantasy genre. A good story, well written, is timeless, the setting – be it contemporary, another planet, an alternative reality is merely the backdrop.
I have to say, Russell T Davies' last series had a very cobbled-together feel, whereas Stephen Moffat's first series has (somewhat surprisingly) reinvigorated the idea of coherence. It was very cleverly done, and my children are full of admiration. I loved the last episode in particular, and it has made me want to get the series on DVD so I can go back and pick up the clues.
They weren't mentioned in the Bafta speech. Perhaps they were on the menu
To be fair, Stephen, you did stress that it was children's programming and then went on to say that much children's programming is like chicken nuggets and infantile. It is not surprising that journalists and others might have thought you meant you disliked Doctor Who. I am very pleased you did NOT diss it, because it is often truly clever.
On a choice between Doctor Who and Tracy Beaker, I pick the Doctor every time
Oh, don't give up – hang on in there
And, anyway, it shows you're both arguing the same cause!
Twitter: Linda_Mattacks
Not just clever, Morag – I think at times there's been real emotional depth.
I'm really not sure what this distinction between children and adults is supposed to mean, in the end. So long as we aren't looking at the tellytubbies, of course
Merlin, now, I enjoyed that too – but I did think it lacked in subtlety. In Merlin, you get an experience of personal loss, and then it is shrugged off with a laugh and bit of banter between Merlin and Arthur.
I have never watched DR WHO or Merlin so will take you word for it. @Stephen Fry welcome to the discussion
There is nothing more frustrating than being misquoted in whatever context, but if regular journalists are anything like medical or science journalists, then it probably happens rather too often for most people’s tastes. I suppose the editors feel that controversy sells.
Still, thanks for reminding me of Edge of Darkness, Ann. That was rather good as was the Smiley series and Inspector Morse. I must grumble at you lot for not telling me about Inspector Lewis while I’ve been away in the States though, I just found out and caught up with all 4 series on DVD.
Twitter: maverickny
Most Whovians know you love Dr Who Stephen, because you were writing an episode. Everyone was really disappointed when it did not go ahead at that time – it would be great if it could be part of the next series.
Twitter: TessaShepperson
For me the issue isn't about like or dislike – it's about whether or not it is just for children.
I wrote the blog in response to a stream of posts flying past me on facebook from people who had clearly read the same news stories I had, but who were delighted to see Dr Who dismissed as childish.
They loved the idea Dr Who was a kind of guilty pleasure – like chicken nuggets. Silly of me not to realise it was twisted by journalists as well – presumably part of the usual pattern of running down anything – and anyone – popular and loved.