links about things I've been thinking about

[profshallowness]

Den of Geek has two articles up about stuff I've been thinking about.

Where are the female leads in UK geek TV by Andrew Blair, which is somewhat inspired by Atlantis and the still-not-gone-away discussion about the new iteration of the Doctor. I think the feature focuses a little too much on Dr Who, even though I get that that's THE flagship UK

Comments

[swordznsorcery]

I've never really understood why people want the Doctor to be a woman. Quite apart from the fact that the argument only began thanks to Tom Baker making jokes, if people want a female hero, somebody should create a female hero. To be honest, turning the Doctor female smacks a little of desperation. Yes, it's been established that it's possible, but I don't understand the necessity. Ultimately it would make much more sense to create a new show, preferably another genre show. It's long overdue after all. There are any number of books that could be serialised if nobody wants to take a gamble on something properly new. That article is quite right though, when it mentions that television seems afraid of doing anything especially different.

I hope you get to see "Sleepy Hollow" some time. I think you'd enjoy it. The lead female, Lieutenant Abbie Mills, and her sister Jenny, are really terrific.

[profshallowness]

I do understand the desire for a femal doctor a little better as someone who never watched the show - hey, they made a captain of a Star Trek ship one. Even from the outside, I know the Doctor is a totemic character, which means one thing to some fans, but it's also obvious that this show matters to UK TV and specifically UK sci-fi and fantasy. I can understand therefore why people are asking if it is possible why not? Why always be so limited by a convention that was set up in the 1950s when attitudes were very different

[swordznsorcery]

They created a new character to be the captain of a starship, though. They didn't turn Kirk or Picard or Sisko female. But yes, something properly new would be very welcome. The Not Who slot is a good place to debut new, family friendly drama, and it's a shame they seem to be following such a pattern. "Robin Hood" tried something legitimately different. It didn't always do it well, but it did do it differently! Now they seem stuck in a rut, though. Historical dramas provide scope for a sort of swashbuckling and derring-do that is well suited to such a time slot, and I'm afraid that women tend to get short shrift in historical dramas. There's this idea that they can only be princesses or handmaidens, which is nonsense, but a very common misconception (see also the idea that historically black people were only ever slaves, or somehow didn't exist at all

[profshallowness]

The Not Who slot is a good place to debut new, family friendly drama,

Yes, especially as it builds on what's been going on with children's TV.

Historical dramas provide scope for a sort of swashbuckling and derring-do that is well suited to such a time slot, and I'm afraid that women tend to get short shrift in historical dramas.

Sure, but we're not talking historical dramas that are sticklers for accuracy. (I know The White Queen was women-centric, had some fantastical elements, was based on popular books and didn't do amazingly. I had no desire to watch it.)

Anyway, we're agreed that something new would be welcome.