Implicit Religion, Vol 18, No 4 (2015)

Doctor Who and the Iconographic Search for an Ecstatic Human Religious Experience

Stacy Embry
Issued Date: 22 Dec 2015

Abstract


The concept of the leading character from Doctor Who, the Doctor, as the perennial Everyman is directly taken from the medieval play, uplifting and educating viewers whilst making religious morality lessons into entertainment. This article claims that the Doctor, focusing o his eleventh incarnation portrayed by actor Matt Smith, is Everyman and yet no man. He is a Time Lord on a human quest for an ecstatic religious experience. Yet by his journey alone, the Doctor glimpses a hope that ultimately eludes him. This modern television program, through iconic imagery and performance, creates the world of the Doctor whilst teaching a Christian way of living without ever using the term Christ.

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DOI: 10.1558/imre.v18i4.29091

References


Amy-Chin, Dee. 2010. “Davies, Dawkins and Deus ex TARDIS: Who finds God in the Doctor?” In Christopher J. Hansen, ed. Ruminations, Peregrinations, and Regenerations: A Critical Approach to Doctor Who, edited by Christopher J. Hansen, 22–34. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press.

Budgen, David. 2014. “‘Halfway Out of the Dark’ : Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who Christmas Specials.” In Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour edited by Andrew O’Day, 89–105. London: I.B. Tauris.

James, William. 1988. “Pragmatism” (1907). In Writings 1902–1910. New York: Library of America.

McCormack, Una. 2011. “He’s Not the Messiah: Undermining Political and Religious Authority in New Doctor Who.” In The Unsilent Library: Essays on the Russell T. Davies Era of Doctor Who, edited by Simon Bradshaw, Antony Keen and Graham Sleight, 45–62. London: The Science Fiction Foundation.


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