Crome AndrewMcGrath James F. - Religion and Doctor Who

Andrew Crome

At one time, generations stood entranced by it. Knowing its key texts and the enemies vanquished by its hero was a part of every English childhood. The stories of demons defeated and people set free; of ordinary men and women swept into a story greater than themselves; of a man who died and was raised from death captivated all those who came across it. Those gatekeepers left in charge of this phenomenon looked out with growing confidence. It would continue to go from strength to strength; it was destined to be embraced by generation after generation. But then, suddenly, interest began to decline. The confidence of an earlier era was revealed to be complacency as those who had shown weekly commitment began to drop away. Children were no longer interested in what (to them at least) appeared dull and dated. Desperate measures aiming to rekindle interest through nostalgia failed miserably. Revamps, modern music, even esoteric clothing were all tried with little effect. And by the early 1990s it seemed dead in the water.

Then something unexpected happened. The most committed followers continued to believe. New texts, different approaches and fresh voices suggested that it could be reimagined for a new century. Unsurprisingly, there were disagreements how should their hero be represented? What were the acceptable boundaries he could transgress? And, of course, which of his adventures should be considered part of the canon? While the answers to these questions differed, the core followers revealed that they never gave up the faith. And like its hero, quite suddenly, interest began to rise again. The phenomenon was reborn and appeared more alive and relevant than ever. And by 2013, the concept that had been confidently written off as a throwback to a forgotten age twenty years earlier was more visible and influential than ever before.

This is, of course, the story of Doctor Whos triumphant return to our television screens, first in the UK and then across the world. However, it could just as easily be a description of the role of religion in British life, at least according to one recent wide-ranging survey of the subject by a group of sociologists, historians and theologians.1 Whether you agree with this reading of religions fortunes in the UK or not (and plenty do not),2 Doctor Who itself has always contained a rich current of religious themes and ideas at its heart. In its very first episode, the programme asked how humans rationalise the seemingly supernatural, as two snooping school teachers refused to accept that the TARDIS was real (This is nothing more than a game that you and your grandfather are playing but you cant expect us to believe it). On their travels, Ian and Barbara (now reluctant believers) served as the prototype for the companions who would confront false gods and eternal beings; robot messiahs and strange cults. Above all of this stands the figure of the Doctor himself. The ultimate mystery, beyond time, the force above all those imaginary deities, only he has truly experienced the mysteries of creation. As he recently reminded us, he had seen the creation of the universe and its destruction until nothing remained, no time, no space, just me. The Doctor is therefore unique in the universe; the guardian of terrible truths and secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never be spoken, knowledge that will make parasite gods blaze!3

Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith: Religion and Doctor Who is a collection of academic (but accessible) articles which examines these (and many other) religious themes and ideas within Doctor Who, as well as looking at responses to religion in audio adventures, online communities and wider fandom. Much like the TARDIS itself, this book offers a way of exploring a number of different worlds; a variety of communities, philosophies and historical periods. Yet while the TARDISs initials stand for Time and Relative Dimension in Space, studies of religion often suffer by being narrowly confined to particular faith traditions or academic approaches. The worlds of different faiths and faith communities which have used Doctor Who are as wide as the universe the Doctor traverses, and this calls for a similarly eclectic approach. This collection therefore examines the history and relative dimensions across the landscape of contemporary Religious Studies, Religious History and Theology.