Media Trends: Doctor Who

Doctor Who, your BBC sci-fi show that's been on televisions for almost 50 years, and has only gotten more popular. Recently the show has had an enormous trend and popularity in Canada and The United States -as well as another show Steven Moffat is a co-director of (BBC's Sherlock- Elementary is the new American version).
The Doctor, a Timelord from the planet Gallifrey has stollen the hearts of many over the world now as it's turned into a fenomenon on an internation scale.

1. What are the different techniques used to inform, persuade, entertain, and attract attention?
Different techinques used are ads in magazines (covers and teasers), half season mini-sodes (for series 7 there was a 5 part miniseries averaging about 3 minutes titled 'Pond Life'), merchandise (tshirts, hoodies- your general clothing products and costume pieces- as well as various things ranging from a TARDIS cookie jar to a toy or prop replica sonic screwdriver). The stars themseleves also play a huge role, Matt Smith and Karen Gillian are both in the spotlights on interview shows, in the common media and just by being themselves they've inticed viewers to watch the show. Also the general Doctor Whos and 'Whovians' themselves from the previous generations before the re-boot of the series by Russle T. Davies in 2005. The stories they tell about the previous episodes from 50 years ago have made the new generations of Whovians want to go back and watch the originals. A marketing scheme within the fans themselves.

2. What messages are communicated (and/or implied) about certain people, places, events, behaviours, lifestyles, etc.? 

Doctor who reaches the topics of humans, love, life, economy and pretty much anything a writer for an episode can think of- It's Sci-Fi you can do almost anything! Example: A two parter episode and the series 1 finally titled 'Bad Wolf' and 'The Parting of the Ways' is set in the year 200,000 and reaches the topic of television- specifically shows like 'The Wakest Link', 'Big Brother' and 'What Not to Wear'. The premise of the episode is that the Doctor and his companions are taken by force to play in reality shows that 'kill you' when you loose. The weakest link, Big Brother and typical fashion and physical reconstruction shows are all poked at and twisted into the deadly show. Another episode concerning transportation, plution and the excessive use of cars, 'GridLocked' where families have been traped along a highway under the city for more then 20 years, some children born in the tunnels. The eipose displays human resourfulness and the problems we have with backed up roads, highways and going to the worse case scenario in this episode, if you travel more then 5 feet in one day- that is a very very good day for driving. Crazy yeah?

Another topic brushed on - out of the so many there are - is human behaviour. The scenarios are all to the extreme - sci-fi and television will do that - but time after time The Doctor is faced with Humans and our emotions, reactions and our selfish needs. Whether it's panicing, willing to kill someone to save ourselves or sharing the planet with a new species that has been inhabiting the inner crusts long before Humans evolved, the concept is always relevant. Humans will behave in some of the oddest ways and most unpredictable ways. Reckless or cautious, for our own benefit or a strangers, the episodes and characters are always relatable.

Topics conveyed about events (in the past) is that there's always something the general public doesn't know- an episode around WW2 and another one around the London Blitz- and those set in the future show that even though the human race has evolved, there are still the problems we have today.