Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Books / Nerd / TV We Can Rebuild It. We Have the Technology.
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 3:03 PM
Slog Tipper Brinsonian directs us to the BBC Archive Project, in which a couple of BBC surveyors examine whether or not the network should look into producing a science fiction drama. This is the report that eventually led to Dr. Who. What's remarkable is how cool and sociological the survey is. Some observations: "SF is overwhelmingly American in bulk," "SF ideas are short winded," "Characterisation is equally spare. People are representative, not individual," "It doesn't appeal much to women and largely finds its public in the technically minded younger groups."
"KLIK!-WILL-YOU-READ-SCIENCE-FICTION-NOW-THAT-I-HAVE-TAKEN-YOU-SHOE-SHOPPING?-KLIK!"
Brinsonian prefers this bit of literary criticism, about what they determine to be a subgenre of SF called "Threat and Disaster:"
"Two exceptions to 'Threat and Disaster' are Arthur Clarke and C.S. Lewis. The latter we think is clumsy and and old-fashioned in his use of the SF apparatus, there is a sense of condescension in his tone, and his special religious preoccupations are boring and platitudinous."
I am completely charmed by these reports.
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In general: Uh, have they seen Jamie Bamber? Sci-Fi appeals to women.
For what it is worth, the BBC's sci fi offerings take us ladies into account now by making women the center of many stories. Also gays, single-parent families, the middle-aged and elderly, and the Welsh. V. open-minded!
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