Infantilism : Dr Who is not for adults

Stephen Fry says that Dr Who is a great program - for children not adults.

From the Telegraph

“Infantilism is the problem [with TV today],” Fry said. “It’s just shocking. The only dramas the BBC will shout about are Doctor Who and Merlin. They are wonderful programmes, don’t get me wrong, but they are not for adults.”

But on his wider point of infantilism among adults, has the media and society at large created a new generation of grown up children?

I thought adults were grown up children?

How else do you get them?

Dr.Who has always been a bit cheap and rubbish and that used to be part of its appeal.

But the current Dr Who frenzy is out of all proportion to the quality of the show.

Those who claim to like it are presumably doing so in a ironic way.

Those who claim to like it are presumably doing so in a ironic way.

thats a tad unfair, i tune in every saturday and have a good 45mins entertainment. its not gonna be remembered by me for years to come as a classic but its still a good watch.

I do think stepehn fry has a point though about the bbc's two 'flagship' programmes (Dr Who and Merlin) as he terms them, they are for children/teenagers. being as they are both sci-fi based and i have just gone past the age of teenager i find them enjoyable to watch. but i do want to see more to the programmes, I want to see tradegy and violence in them that goes past a nonedescript character dissapearing from the plot.

it's not only the telly, it's books as well

<removed> is with adults reading books aimed at the children & "young" adult market?

It's good fun and escapist, I do think people are expecting too much from Dr Who especially though.

The quality of writing has been mentioned on the Dr Who thread already, I bowed out of that and ran away from the scary fanatics that couldn't seem to grasp that it is a childrens program and not comparable to Shakespear.

Still, as I said, it is good fun, it is harmless escapism and yes, I do really love Dr Who, for all it's silliness and cheesy plot lines.

However, the Childrens book thing Hal raised does annoy me a little.

While I can appreciate the value of reading these books, a few years ago I was Maid of Honour at a wedding that fell on the same day as a Harry Potter release.

I spent a good half hour confiscating Harry Potter books from wedding guests that were intent on reading it throughout the reception... That in my eyes is plain crazy and more than a little rude.

I think both programs are excellent family viewing and I really enjoy watching them with my kids, it's good common ground we share. Though I guess Stephen Fry wouldn't think about that.

I probably wouldn't watch them if I didn't have kids, but I think for a saturday evening they are stimulating enough.

I think both programs are excellent family viewing and I really enjoy watching them with my kids, it's good common ground we share. Though I guess Stephen Fry wouldn't think about that.

He would, he did, and he made clear that it's great fun to watch; but that doesn't make for a good headline.

He isn't bemoaning the existence of programmes like Doctor Who. He's bemoaning the fact that too many people consider them the acme of adult entertainment.

Is this the same Stephen Fry that took a London taxi across America?, not exactly intelligent watching, so i think he should get off his high horse and let people watch what they want, at the end of the day, if he doesn't like it, turn it over and keep his opinions to himself!!!

Is this the same Stephen Fry that took a London taxi across America?, not exactly intelligent watching, so i think he should get off his high horse and let people watch what they want

He'd like to, but people aren't making the sort of programmes that well-rounded adults want to watch.

That was rather his point.

it's not only the telly, it's books as well

 

wtf is with adults reading books aimed at the children & "young" adult market?

Quite.

When Harry Potter came out, the so-called 'adults' even brought copies into the pub to read. One asked me if I'd got a copy.

'No thanks.' I replied 'I haven't got a 5-year-old at home'.

He would, he did, and he made clear that it's great fun to watch; but that doesn't make for a good headline.

 

He isn't bemoaning the existence of programmes like Doctor Who. He's bemoaning the fact that too many people consider them the acme of adult entertainment.

Exactly. Those who are taking the small soundbite in that report, and not putting into the full context of the Q&A after his footnote Bafta speech are missing the point of the comment.

To get more of an idea, why not check http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jun/16/stephen-fry-doctor-who for a bit more on the discussion, and read the full speech he gave prior to it at http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jun/16/stephen-fry-bafta-lecture

His issue is NOT with Doctor Who as a show - he admits it is enjoyable entertainment (and has confirmed this on his Twitter feed after the barrage of attacks by fanboys who cannot read past one line). His issue is with the networks seeing it as a marker point for what TV should be (he also mentions reality shows and other 'easy' shows), with programme makers not taking risks on concepts and shows. The whole idea that many adults consider Doctor Who as a 'mature evenings TV' is the direct point he is making in the quote. It is, after all, a show made with kids in mind, thus the plots are simple, resolved with deus-ex-machina, and throwaway adventures. There is nothing really designed to stimulate the adult aspect, and those who enjoy watching it do so by, effectively, regressing back to a childhood state of mind.

I see exactly what he is on about, and I always say that Doctor Who is fantastic because I can sit and watch it with my wife and kids and we enjoy it as a family. I have loved Who since the Tom Baker years (which hit me when I was a wee little lad), and always will. But I can at least realise that I am actually watching a show aimed at a younger audience.

Fry's point is to take a look at TV as a whole, and see how much of it is adult drama these days. Not a lot. You have the occasional Ashes to Ashes, or Being Human style series, but in general most 'dramas' are of the Merlin, Robin Hood, Primeval, etc tone.