How are young people represented in UK-based dramas?
Doctor Who is a sci-fi drama on BBC One which focuses on the adventures of a Time Lord and his companions. Although many of his adventures take place in other galaxies or universes he has plenty of experiences trying to save planet earth whether that be in the past, future or present. These earthly encounters often come with the challenge of meeting new people which mainly includes children.
The most recent season of Doctor Who (season 8) involves the Doctor saving earth on several occasions which means that children are often represented. Being a child trapped in a 903 year old’s body; the Doctor gets on with children better than he does with adults which often leads to many jokes and laughs which engage a younger audience.
In the second episode of the season (Into the Dalek) the Doctor doesn’t come across any children; however, Clara, the companion does. This is due to the fact that she is a teacher at Coal Hill school. These children are found making snide comments or asking inappropriate questions to two of the main characters. Perhaps this could symbolise a challenge to the older characters because the teachers having authority over the students, the students still try to pry and push the limits as far as they can. Although none of the child actors are particularly famous certain characters do appear later in the season. Courtney even gets to go on a trip to the moon with the doctor. Furthermore, all of the children are wearing school uniforms but each child seems to have a unique difference to their uniform. This could be the way their tie hangs, the collar or sleeve position or whether they are wearing their blazer.
The fourth episode sees the Doctor and Clara meet a young Rupert (Danny) Pink whom is scared of a creature under his bed. Despite the fact that the Doctor ‘dislikes’ the older Danny, he does his best to help young Rupert proving that children are represented as innocent. The Doctor knows that if a child is scared it is not their own fault and he should do as anyone would and try to make the child feel better. He truly empathizes with the boy and makes him feel like a hero even though he is scared which almost speaks to the audience. Their younger selves or even the children watching. His costume (pyjamas) heightens the vulnerability of the child as they connote innocence and purity.
In episode 6 “The Caretaker” a teen called Courtney takes a curiosity to the Tardis. She is seen asking the Doctor many questions similar to how he interrogates Clara. This is important as she becomes a temporary companion in the next episode. Although her role is only small in this episode, her curiosity adds mystery as she asks questions that the audience want to know the answers to. Furthermore, her costume differs to the uniforms of other children implying that all children are unique.
“In the Forest of the Night” is the 10th episode of the season and follows a field trip of young children while the whole of the world is covered in trees. The episode begins with a young girl knocking on the door of the tardis asking for the Doctor. As she enters the tardis the Doctor explains it is dimensionally transcendental (bigger on the inside) but she reveals that she just assumed it was supposed to be this way. She reveals her name is Mave and tends to guide the Doctor through perfectly reasonable statements which sparks many ideas to help him save the planet. She wears a bright red coat while her class mates wear darker colours demonstrating that she is special to the episode. Her character demonstrates that a child’s imagination is not always nonsense.
Overall, the children in Doctor Who allow the audience to get closer into the Doctor’s mind. They ask questions that allow us to follow the action without complete confusion. One of the writers once said that they write episodes simple enough for the adults to follow but mysterious enough to confuse the children. The children in the show allow this to happen.