Unearthy Child Flashcards
Historical, social and cultural context
- An unearthly child is the first serial of the British science fiction series Dr Who
- It was first broadcast on BBC TV in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963
*It was written and scripted by Anthony Coburn and directed by Waris Hussein
*episode deals with Ian and Barbara’s discovery of the Doctor and his spaceship Tardis in a junkyard in contemporary London
The male gaze
Laura Mulvey claimed that women are turned into sex objects through how they are shot in media
TV Drama Conventions
- Serialised - works in an episode-to-episode format
- Length - the show will usually run for either one hour of half an hour including ads. There are some longer versions
- Continuing story - The storyline continues each episode building on the narrative. It is often necessary to understand the ongoing story
- Branding - opening credits that “symbolically” introduces the show
- Scifi conventions - Settings is in the future and outer space as well as high-tech robots and space ships
Narrative is conflicting good vs evil
How is Levi strauses binary opposites shown
Old vs young
Good vs evil
Normality vs future
How is barthes codes used
Dramatic music
Why are the teachers so suspicious
Todorov
At school
realising where susan goes
discovering tardis
they get in to protect susan
discover she is from the past and go to new planet
Audiences
- Mainstream - broad appeal as millions of people watch the BBC
- Long-running which shows it appeals to the masses (12-40) and the reboot helped gain younger fans
- A-E class as some complex plot points but also action and SFX that are easy to understand
*Gender split down middle (although boys are more usually fans of science fiction this has changed over time. Also introduction of romance and drama in narrative
*More diverse representation over recent years like black central characters and strong females
Representation of young adults
Within the media, young people are represented as mischievous, rude and arrogant. They generally lack in education and have a low social class, this is also portrayed in the way they talk and how they dress.
However this is subverts in Dr. Who, An Unearthly Child (1963). Susan Foreman seems to be very intelligent. She also speaks very posh for a 15 year old, possibly showing her social class. In the modern day, young people dress and reveal a lot, however in Doctor Who, many of the students and teachers cover up and dress similar.
However Doctor Who conforms to this as she is very challenging to the teacher, which is odd as schooling was very strict at this time period. Susan is represented as an independent teenage girl who is well spoken and intelligent in school, as she is curious about educational topics.
This therefore subverts the stereotype that is associated with young people lacking education. She does, however, stimulate debate by doubting the teacher’s knowledge, this causes conflict between the elderly and the young, hence conforming to the stereotype.
Furthermore, this portrays her as a hostile character who is least concerned about how she is considered by others.
Representation of the upper class
Typically, upper class people are seen as well bred and cultured, and mass media representations of social class tend to focus on hierarchy and wealth.
They are generally represented through their accents, estates and wealth and may be portrayed in an eccentric and nostalgic way. In Doctor Who these characteristics are conformed - the characters all have a posh and have sophisticated accents, which suggests that they’re from an upper class area of England.
It also implies that they’re intelligent because of their large vocabulary span, even of the young girl Susan. Also, it could be argued that these ideas are subverted because Susan lives in a junkyard, which is clearly not upper class, but on the other hand, inside the tardis, it looks very futuristic and technological. The adults in the programme are teachers, which also subverts these ideas as they are middle class not upper class (social class cat B).
Susan is illustrated to convey the stereotype of upper-class people posture as she is up right and walks smartly. This is shown through the camera angles of close ups and a wide shot which symbolizes the importance of the characters of Barbara and Susan. Dr Who conforms to the ideologies of the upper class as he is portrayed as eccentric and different.
When Barbara and Ian meet Dr Who, his eccentricity is recognized as he acts strange and mysterious.
Representation of old people
Old people in the media are presented as deaf grumpy and not being as able as they once were.
At the beginning of the sequence, the doctor coughs which conforms to the stereotypes of old people as they are seen as weak and senile. Throughout the episode, the doctor acts very confused and the teachers speak to him as if they are superior to him which emphasises on his vulnerable state.
The Doctor acts aggressive and defensive towards the teachers when they tried to get into the Tardis which confirms how old people are presented in the media.
In the sequence, the teacher pushes the doctor showing he is more vulnerable and indicates that the doctor is unable to defend for himself. However, the doctor has a witty attitude which subverts the stereotype of old people.
As well as having a Whitty attitude the doctor is moving around, therefore, showing he is capable of doing something for himself which subverts against how old people are presented in the media. He is also portrayed as wise as his knowledge is seen as otherworldly. He also speaks in a sophisticated manner which conforms to the common stereotype.
He also acts dismissively towards Susan, scolding and blaming her for attending the school and being followed into the junkyard. Moreover, the Doctor is presented as a bit peculiar and eccentric, as he is seen to possess weird items in the junkyard, such as mannequins, paintings and pots, and mostly importantly, the police box, which he is highly protective of.
The Doctor is shown to have knowledge of time and space, and ideas that are out of Barbara and Ian’s comprehension, thus proving that the Doctor is presented as a wise, all-knowing character. His assertive behaviour subverts the stereotypes of old people.
Representation of British people
The representations British People are being conformed to in Dr Who as the main characters all have posh accents and they speak in a polite tone and courteous they are also well educated.
In Doctor Who the two characters that are represented as typically British are Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton. An obvious example of this is their accents which are very posh and stereotypically British.
They dress formally, with Ian Chesterton wearing a suit, and Barbara Wright wearing a formal dress. They both speak with soft and posh English accents. Furthermore, they also complain about the weather, stating that the English fog, could be dangerous at night.
However they also subvert the stereotypes as they are not presented as polite and courteous as they confront the Doctor in a very impolite and rude manner. In addition, they do not discuss or drink tea during the show which subverts the stereotype of English people.
They also don’t discuss anything related to Football or drinking which are other very common stereotypes of the English. Finally almost all of the characters are middle class which subverts the stereotype that all British people are chavs.
Representatin of education
Schools ended much later in the 1960s, we are able to see this because it is dark by the time Susan leaves school.
To add to this, the school is racially segregated, there were only white school children and teachers, as the country still had very conservative views at the time.
Another way that the school conveys stereotypes of the time is that we can see there was little disagreement between teachers and students, as whenever Susan suggests something, she is very quickly shut down.
The education system is shown to be very traditional as the students are sat in rows of wooden desk with a chair. On the other hand, the education system subverts the contextual ideology of harsh schooling in the 1960’s as Susan challenges the teachers without punishment. In England in the 60’s school consisted of arithmetic and literacy; however, in Dr Who the students study science.
Gender norms in the presentation of education in Dr Who are subverted heavily as the male students are not separated from the female and are allowed to interact with each other.
Representation of middle age adults
Dr Who conforms to this stereotype as the teachers are presented as being educated, as they are teachers. In addition, they are also presented as being polite, and a role model to the students, as they show that they care for the safety of Susan and her home.
They threaten the old man at the yard, in order to guarantee Susan’s safety, as they care about her. Their clothing appears to be smart and well dressed, unlike young people that aren’t as conservative.
Moreover, they are also very well-spoken, indicating their intelligence, which follows the point that they are teachers and educated.
They hold good jobs, as education is vital in the development of the youth. They are sensible in that they can sense when something doesn’t make sense, for example, Susan living in a junkyard and then vanishing around an old man.
Additionally, they are aware that her academic skills are unusual, as she has knowledge that isn’t already known to people in the 1960s. They are moral, as they care for their students and their safety, whilst also being strict about their behavior and academic skills.
Representation women conforming to social context
Women were still primary care givers and expected to be wives and mothers.
They would be well dressed, and respectable-the mini skirt becomes a fashion statement in the 1960s but in younger women.
Women were viewed as weaker and more emotional. They were submissive to their male counter parts.
Women had a limited education with subjects that prepared them for being wives and mothers. Jobs were limited to secretarial, shop assistants, nurses and teachers.
Representation of men conforming to social context
It was a patriarchal society so men were in charge.
Men worked and their role was to protect and provide for their families.
Men were expected to be strong and powerful, they needed to be heroic and commanding. This would be physical as well as mental.
They were educated and had opportunities employment wise because they were better educated
