His Dark Materials: LIAR

 His Dark Materials: LIAR

Language and close-textual analysis

1) How does His Dark Materials fit the conventions of the fantasy TV genre?

His Dark Materials fits into the conventions of the fantasy genre when Lyra's daemon is talking and has the ability to change animals which shows how its a fantasy theme. 

2) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do some of the main characters in His Dark Materials fit into? 

Mrs Coulter is presented as the female leader which subverts the idea men have more control. She is seen as the villain who is trying to look for her daughter and treats people harshly.  Lyra is seen as the hero who explores different worlds while the boy Will is showed as being the helper however possibly as a villain when Lyra grows suspicion he killed someone. 

3) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in His Dark Materials? 

Enigma codes used is un answered questions such as ' who are the spectres ? ' which encourage audience to watch and explore who it is. The action codes in Dark Materials is with Lyra running and shows action building suspense. 

Representations

1) How are women represented in His Dark Materials? Are gender stereotypes reinforced or subverted.

Women in His Dark Materials are subverted when Mrs Coulter is presented with more control which isn't often shown and is leading the Magisterium.  However it reinforces stereotypes with her beauty and looks. 

2) How are men and masculinity represented in His Dark Materials? 

Characters such as Will create subverted idea that he is more of a follower rather than a strong leader.

He follows Lyra throughout the episode and is less in control.

3) How do the representations of young people and old people in An Unearthly Child reflect the social and historical context of the 1960s? 
 

The Doctor represents the new age of technology and science that was emerging in the 1960s. Barbara and Ian represent traditional human values and are classically middle class. Barbara and Ian also play the narrative role of mother and father to Susan who is very naive and who has not had that paternal guidance from the Doctor.  They are very traditional in their gender roles.  Ian is very physical when there is fighting or physical work to be done. Barbara is represented in a more homely, caring role in the series

4) What representations of race/ethnicity can be found in Doctor Who: An Earthly Child? Is this surprising or not? 

Specifically this episode all of the characters are white and British and this was due to the vast majority of movies and episodes being made this way. Black women and men weren't included as when this came out many people hadn't supported ideas of black people taking good characters roles. This was because of racism throughout 1960s.

5) How is social class represented in An Unearthly Child? 

 Barbara and Ian represent traditional human values and are classically middle class. While the Doctor would be mainly considered upper class due to his high and well known, respected role in society with a higher education.

Audience

1) Who is the target audience for Doctor Who? Do you think it has changed since 1963?

The mainstream target audience would be from ages 10-30+ who mainly all have a similar hobby or interest towards sci-fi and fantasy themes which can build a connection especially with families who may watch this together.

2) What audience pleasures are offered by Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child? 

Personal Identity: Audience may have a special connection with the characters such as Susan and may have same personality and interests. Some characters may relate to the Doctor and what he does such as explore and enjoy time travel. 

Diversion (Escapism): Sci-Fi is a way some audience see as a way to go away from daily life and work as it interests them. Time travelling with TARDIS is different to what we see today and can be used to escape.

3) What additional Uses and Gratifications would this episode provide to a modern 2020s audience?

         Information/ Surveillance: It provides the audience with new information. This is because the                doctor is made to have and know a lot of information related to science and the future which many          audience may not know about. 

4) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to An Unearthly Child?

Audience live vicariously through the audience since they feel connected with characters. For example they connect with Susan and the Doctor and how they use time travel and this is also a visceral pleasure as it creates a thrill. 

5) What kind of online fan culture does Doctor Who have?

Doctor Who fans have the name of the ' Whovians '. They all have similar ideas on Doctor who and BBC provides merchandise which allows. The ' Whoniverse ' is made up of podcasts which includes stories from Doctor Who. 

Industries:

1) What was the television industry like in 1963? How many channels were there?

In 1963 the television industry wasn't yet developed and there were only two TV channels: ITV & BBC. 

2) How does An Unearthly Child reflect the level of technology in the TV industry in 1963?

It allowed the episode contain unique and new effects which had not been seen in the TV industry yet since the technology was still new.  However since it was still new it was black and white since colour wasn't yet developed to be used on TV. 

3) Why is Doctor Who such an important franchise for the BBC? 

Doctor Who is very important to the BBC because it was the first and well known franchises to the UK and was even known worldwide which was one of the most important ways of income for BBC since it was big and well known series and built a strong fanbase. 

4) What other programmes/spin-offs are part of the wider Doctor Who franchise?

The BBC has maximised the popularity of the Doctor Who franchise by creating a series of spin-offs that build on the same universe or characters as the original show.  These include: Sarah Jane Adventures, K9 and more. 

5) Why does the Doctor Who franchise have so much merchandise available? Give examples. 

Doctor Who has lots of merchandise because it was able to bring a strong fanbase together who wanted merchandise to feel connected and brought together.