Dr Who should be recognised for its contribution to religious culture in the UK, a Manchester academic has said.
The show began its run in 1963 with William Hartnell playing the first incarnation of the Time Lord and has continued to entertain fans up until now.
And Dr Andrew Crome, lecturer in the History of Modern Christianity claims the show has given fans a much deeper understanding of religious traditions.
As the show approaches its landmark 50th anniversary, the academic has edited a book on cultural legacy of the programme as well as organised a‘Religion and Dr Who day’ on November 2.
Dr Crome said: “Doctor Who charts British attitudes to religion over the course of those 50 years and this is a way of recognising that.
“Religion has always had some role within the universes of Doctor Who and I would argue there is a good case for using Doctor Who to teach Religious Studies.
“Over the show’s long history on television — and in various spin-off TV shows, audio adventures, novels and comic books — religion and religious themes have consistently been a subject of interest.
“The show has attracted everything from Church of England conferences dedicated to its use in preaching, to guest appearances by Richard Dawkins.”
According to Dr Crome, Buddhism has been a strong theme throughout the show and producer Barry Letts, a Buddhist who died in 2009, regularly referred to his religion.
The academic also states that the episode in which the Doctor regenerated into Tom Baker was based in a Tibetan Buddhist meditation centre and after the shows revival in 2005, atheism became a common theme.
Other themes include the Daleks depicted as religious fundamentalists while recently Steven Moffat has depicted the Church of England as a paramilitary Christian group.
There have also been depictions of paganism and Ancient Greek and Egyptian mythology.
Dr Crome added: “There’s no single theme: in the 1970s, you might argue there was subversive element in that a number of Dr Who episodes were critical of religion.
“But other episodes have endorsed different beliefs in that believers see the show as a way to define themselves.”
Image courtesy of Marcus Metropolis via Flickr, with thanks.
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