Doctor Who: City of
Death
&
The Bravest Knight
Intro
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● Tease Part 2 (The Bravest Knight)
Doctor Who
● British sci-fi show that began in 1963, about an alien space/time traveler called
the Doctor and his (usually) human companions exploring the universe,
encountering foes and righting wrongs along the way.
● As of 2019, there have been 37 seasons, telling 287 stories across 851
episodes (754 non-missing), in addition to supplementary novels, audio
dramas, comic books, etc.
● A rotating cast is the key to its longevity, by switching out companions and
having the Doctor regenerate into a new body, allowing a new actor to take
over the role. There have been 14 Doctors and 50+ companions.
● The next season doesn’t air until next year, so in the interim we’re highlighting
a notable story from 1979 for its 40th anniversary.
Season 17, 1979
● In ‘79, DW was in Season 17, within the peak of its popularity with the 4th
Doctor, Tom Baker, who’d been in the role for 5 years.
● Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, was the script
editor for this season (closest thing to head writer at the time). He wrote a story
for the previous (The Pirate Planet), and an unmade film script for Doctor Who
and the Krikkitmen, which would later become the third HG novel Life, the
Universe, and Everything.
● Romana was introduced in the previous season as companion, played by Mary
Tamm, and only the second of the Doctor’s own species. She regenerates
between seasons, now played by Lalla Ward as the 2nd Romana. K9 is
referenced, but not seen because of cost issues.
● City of Death, the second story of S17, aired over 4 episodes between Sep. 29
and Oct. 20, 1979
City of Death
● The script was originally written by David Fisher, rewritten entirely and heavily
reworked by Adams, with the assistance of producer Graham Williams, and
published under frequent BBC pseudonym David Agnew.
● First ever DW story to shoot on location outside the UK, filmed and set in Paris
● The story concerns the Doctor and Romana discovering a time disruption and
an alien’s plot to steal the Mona Lisa. Scaroth (aka Count Scarlioni), scattered
across time, is using the funds to experiment with time travel and undo the
accident that killed his species (the Jagaroth), an explosion that was also the
spark of life on Earth. It’s a fairly standard DW plot, though more similar to
modern stories in its complexity, higher stakes than most, and run through with
Adams’ signature sense of humor.
City of Death - Reception
● The first 3 episodes were viewed in the UK by 12.1, 14.1, and 15.4M respectively. The
fourth episode was viewed by 16.1M in the UK, the highest number for any episode to
this day, though partially due to a strike blacking out rival ITV.
● At the time, reactions to the story weren’t stellar. Audience satisfaction survey was 65%.
DW novelist John Peel called it "total farce... I simply couldn't believe this was Doctor
Who... the continual buffoonery is getting on my nerves." Another, Gary Russell, said,
“like most Douglas Adams material, [it] is overrated and misses the mark for me, falling
between the stools of good pastiche and bad parody and making fairly unsatisfactory
viewing"
● Much more beloved now. In DW Magazine’s fan polls, it was ranked 7th best ever in
1998, 9th in 2005, and moved up to 5th in 2014. The Daily Telegraph named it to their
top 10 in 2008.
● Ben - What did you think? About the Doctor? About Romana? Does it feel like the DW
you’re familiar with, or something different? Did it make you want to watch more?
The Bravest Knight
● 2019 animated children’s show on Hulu, based on the 2013 book “The
Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived” by Daniel Errico, a fairy tale is about
pumpkin farmer Cedric saving prince and princess siblings to become a
knight. He falls in love with and marries Prince Andrew (an LGBTwist)
● The author said he was inspired to write it because of a lack of
representation in children’s literature “that can put them at a disadvantage
towards understanding later in life.”
● After releasing an animated storybook version in 2016, the new series
centers on the couple and adopted daughter Nia, a mixed race family with
two dads, and Cedric’s stories of when he was a young “Not-Yet-Knight.”
● Features Bobby Moynihan as the friendly troll Grunt, and cameos from
RuPaul (as Big Bad Wolf in drag), Wanda Sykes, and Christine Baranski
● Among the first kids’ shows with an openly gay main character
Notorious Power Bottom Mr. Ratburn
● This comes shortly after the stir-up over an episode of PBS’ Arthur, in which Mr. Ratburn
comes out and marries a male aardvark. Met with the typical vocal backlash from some.
○ Ex-Breitbart editor/former deputy national security advisor under Trump/known Nazi
Sebastian Gorka said, “The new season of ‘Arthur’ will have one of Arthur’s
teachers at school, a male teacher married to a fellow male rodent. Did you have
any questions about there being a culture war, ladies and gentlemen?”
○ Frequent shit-talkers One Million Moms accused PBS of “normalizing and
glorifying” same-sex marriage. “Just because an issue may be legal or because
some are choosing a lifestyle doesn’t make it morally correct.”
○ Alabama public TV refused to air it at all.
● Interestingly, not the first Arthur-related LGBT controversy. In 2005, spin-off Postcards
from Buster was meant to air an episode featuring two lesbian mothers, but PBS
decided against distributing it after GW Bush education secretary Margaret Spellings
voiced “strong and very serious concerns about its LGBT-inclusive themes.”
The Bravest Knights: Oppressed Straight People
● Predictably, when researching this, the oppressed straight voices can be found.
● OneNewsNow, recent favorite of Liddle’ Donnie T, published a particularly conspiratorial
article, “The LGBTQ Agenda in Kids’ Programming is Deliberate.” “Homosexual
characters and story lines are showing up more and more often in children's
programming – and in the process usurping the rights of parents to determine if, when,
and how they want their children to be hear about the topic of sexual orientation.”
Another article (by Charlie Butts, no less), “Children’s cartoon shows gay knight marrying
older man.”
● One Million Moms is chiming in again, naturally.
● A petition from a Catholic organization: “This is absolutely crazy. They are
presenting...hypersexual material that is completely inappropriate! ‘We must remember
the words of Our Lord, “But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe
in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that
he should be drowned in the depth of the sea.’ (Matthew 18:6)”
Excerpts from Random Crazies On Their Blogs
● “Normalizing Sin for the Kiddies.”
● The would-be princess bride is rejected by the hero, who wants to marry his male
love interest instead. And the whole kingdom celebrates in a lavish homosexual
wedding.
● This is how the homosexual agenda is marketed to young children. This video will
make you angry, but please understand that the agenda simply will not stop even if
you turn off the television and homeschool your children.
● “The theme [is] the bravest thing you can do is being who you are. I am sorry, if
who you are is corrupt, the last thing you should do is embrace it.
● Does the gay community really want to be associated with these people who insist
that every kindergartner acquires the sexual knowledge of Caligula?
● I heard of this through a gay friend who sent me an outraged email letting me know
he found this upsetting in the extreme and very unfair to parents.
● Shout-out to a wonderful blog I discovered among these, Gays With Kids, all about
LGBT parenting methods, advice, advocacy, and representation.
Talking Points
● Do we need it? (Obviously, given the responses)
● Shows acceptance not just of gay people existing, but gay people having families
● Is it still accessible for non LGBT families?
● Depicting gay people having a happy ending - this is something that has taken a
while, and unhappy endings were enforced by the Hays code for decades
● IMPORTANT: the show spends literally zero time justifying or explaining the gay
couple. They’re simply gay. This isn’t about a gay family, it’s about a family that
happens to be gay.
● Doesn’t seem to address homophobia ever - is this a good or bad thing?
● Show addresses other forms of discrimination (trolls are systemically discrimated
against, but non-white humans don’t seem to be), also an ep on environmentalism
● How does it compare to other LGBT-inclusive kids animation (Korra, adventure
time, Steven universe) - we should watch at least Steven Universe
● Itty bitty yeti committee
Next queek
● Anything?
