Pop Culture References

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Although I'm sure the current production team are far more concerned with the here and now than how things will be seen in 40 years time, I can't help but think that all the pop culture references are going to make the 'new' series date much faster than the old one. Not a week goes by without some reference to Eastenders characters, coldsore treatments, and now Harry Potter. It's all very funny, or not, depending on your point of view, but I think if the Hartnell and Troughton stories had had as many 'current' references put in them it would just all have gone totally over my head and left me feeling alienated. Whereas as a relative youngster watching them in the 90s I felt very included in the stories precisely because they didn't do things like that.

[Dave Lewis]

Who's to say that the "pop culture" references, such as Britney Spears, or Harry Potter, or whatever, won't still be as memorable and instantly recognisable in forty years time?

[Si Hunt]

Maybe they will date. Who cares?

Si.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Do you think you'll be able to say the same about the current Eastenders cast and Zovirax adverts?

[Si Hunt]

Will I care about Eastenders? Almost certainly not.

Si.

[Matthew T]

I think the answer if that it doesn't matter, because it's being made to entertain a mass TV audience now, not the few thousand fanboys who will still be watching in 30 years time.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

very funny

Anyway, obviously you don't care and just as obviously I do otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned it.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Okay well obviously a Doctor Who internet forum isn't the right place for speculation as to how current Doctor Who might be viewed by future generations. It's not like it's a show about time travel or anything or that it's possible to draw parallels with old Doctor Who for the purposes of discussion, and obviously Doctor Who fans are usually too busy climbing mountains, snowboarding or catching up on the latest football results to even care about thinking about something as sad as this.

Anal fanboy-bashing is all well and good, but when you're trying to be too cool to even discuss Doctor Who on a Doctor Who forum then I think you're going too far the other way. Sorry if even thinking about how future generations might view it is too geeky for you, if so then perhaps you could go and immerse yourself in a 17-page viewing figures thread with minute-by-minute analyses of viewer fluctuation to feel better.

[Milky Tears]

I won't be happy until Rusty sneaks/crowbars in references to Hi-5, Wii, Phone Vote Scandals, BangBus Bukkake Babes, Pete Doherty, that bloke from Eragon, Underground Ernie, Greggles, The Proclaimers and Sweet Baby James Martin's buff torso...






all in the same New Earth-based episode.

[Matthew T]

No I don't care but I was offering up a possible explanation for why there are pop culture references, even though these may date the show. Which was the point of the thread I thought!

[Andrew Curnow]

I think it will be interesting to see which references are still 'understandable' in 40 years time and which aren't. Hartnell witters on about The Beatles in The Chase, and we all still know who they are; although I admit that kind of thing was very much the exception then. In fact, I can't immediately think of any other references in the old series.

Corrie has been running for 46+ years though, so I don't think EastEnders references are necessarily going to baffle future generations. Harry Potter might have the same staying power as The Famous Five, only time will tell. Britney may or may not last forever, but then Soft Cell in the same episode was hardly contemporary, so I think the 'joke' that these tunes aren't actually classical music will still work in 100 years time. As for Planet Zovirax, I didn't even get it last week (until about 10 minutes later when I twigged) so in forty years time... no chance!!

I'm pretty sure the NAs were more into pop-cultural references weren't they, so it's probably inevitable (not to mention, rather fun) that the TV show does now. I'm sure Paul Cornell, at least, weaved in some modernish references (isn't there a take on the "this box is a musical box, wound up and ready to play" bit from Camberwick Green in one of his books?).

[Jonno]

I still have no idea what Zovirax is, or what the reference was!

[Dirk Gently]

Cold sore treatment. The advert for it has a good looking receptionist keeping her helmet on to cover the fact that she has a cold sore but Zovirax frees her from it.

[Jonno]

Ah thanks, Tim! I try not to watch adverts.

[WileyKat]

I think there's a difference between Martha making a reference that would be entirely in keeping with her character and where she's from, and some bizarro alien in the far future making a modern reference.

I mean, obviously the Pertwee UNIT stories haven't dated at all, because there aren't any references to "The Sweet". It's not like everyone's driving around in 1970's cars and using 1970's telephones and everything.

[Jonno]

A field day tonight with Back to the Future and Harry Potter!

Mind you, would they have needed JK's permission to use Expelliarmus?!

[Captain Tancredi]

I'm pretty sure the NAs were more into pop-cultural references weren't they, so it's probably inevitable (not to mention, rather fun) that the TV show does now. I'm sure Paul Cornell, at least, weaved in some modernish references (isn't there a take on the "this box is a musical box, wound up and ready to play" bit from Camberwick Green in one of his books?).

I'm about a third of the way through 'The Left-Handed Hummingbird' at the moment and Benny has already been watching 'Star Trek-The Next Generation'. Cornell did of course famously include Vic Reeves in 'Love and War'. Tonight's reference to Harry Potter 7 was quite amusing, not least because with the scene having been filmed last year, the Doctor had read the book but couldn't mention the title...

[Andrew Curnow]

I'm about a third of the way through 'The Left-Handed Hummingbird'

Which sort of features one of William Hartnell's favourite Beatles...

[P-Bal]

It's never too late as a wise woman once said.

[Lord President]

I won't be happy until Rusty sneaks/crowbars in references to Hi-5,...

I am waiting for Charlie from Hi-5 to get a guest role in the series!

[transvamp]

They're not very subtly done are they?