How 'woke' is your TV consumption?
- Publication: London Evening Standard
- Date: 2017-07-17
- Author: Samuel Fishwick
- Page: 23
- Language: English
THE future of the future is female — as is the past and present. The BBC had a big weekend as, following months of speculation, the corporation unveiled the identity of Peter Capaldi's Doctor Who successor to be Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to play the role since the show began in 1963. Twitter erupted as the news split the fandom.
There were the anguished cries of a thousand manchildren and the righteous hot takes: "I'm angry about a lady Dr Who but far more concerned about suffocating under the weight of my own relentless virginity," tweeted Emmy Award-winning The Daily Show writer Chris Regan.
There was also wide praise for the appointment. "Well I never," tweeted Colin Baker, the sixth actor to play the role, from 1984-86, "the BBC really did do the right thing and let the Doctor be in touch with her feminine side. As a father of daughters —result!"
In the name of Gallifrey, then, TV is getting Who-ke. The reveal followed the men's tennis final, in which Marin Cilic broke down in tears on Centre Court while losing to Roger Federer. On Channel 4, the latest episode of hit Margaret Atwood adaptation The Handmaid's Tale continued to brutally satirise women's place in our society. There is also Love Island, which continues to be pitched as a right-on Big Brother, with more bikinis and more shoot-from-the-hip feminism.
Last, Game of Thrones returns, with Emilia Clarke's Daenerys, Sophie Turner's Sansa Stark and Lena Headey's Cersei Lannister setting out to prove that girls, incontestably, rule the world — especially if they have dragons. So, how Who-ke is your watching?
1. Tears are rolling down Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic's cheeks as he crashes out to Roger Federer, citing a blister on his foot as holding him back. Do you...
a) Let your own tears flow freely
b) Wonder what all the fuss is about
c) Fire up the *cry laughing* emojis
2. Game of Thrones has returned, and you have cleared your Monday night to watch it. Are you watching it for...
a) The over-arching climate-change metaphor?
b) The strong female characters?
c) The boobs?
3. It's Camilla's birthday on Love Island, and after her new beau Jamie surprises her with a birthday breakfast of avocado and scrambled eggs on toast she later confides: "I'm a normal woman. Of course every person would want to have sex with him. I mean, look at him." Do you...
a) Punch the air at this great leap forward in equality — a woman owning her own sexual desire on reality TV without being shamed for it — then blog about it
b) Smile benignly at this evidence that the women are calling the shots on this show
c) Purse your lips and mumble something about yesteryear
4. The new Doctor Who has been announced and you are prepping a hot take. Do you...
a) Write a blog post on how this is great news for equal representation of women on screen, but also that technically the Doctor is a refugee
b) Upload a Facebook live video of your 11-year-old daughter who is overjoyed
c) Tweet: "The show is dead to me. What next, Mother Christmas?"
5. The Handmaid's Tale has become your essential Sunday-night watch, and you can't tear your eyes from Yvonne Strahovski's Serena Joy. Is this because...
a) You recognise the deft representation of an internalised patriarchy as a bitter contemporary satire
b) You think Strahovski's a brilliant actor
c) You think she's well fit
Mostly As You have regenerated into the ultimate Who.
Mostly Bs You're not woke but time is on your side
Mostly Cs You are asleep. Exterminate!
Caption: Box smart: clockwise from top, Love Island's Jamie Jewitt and Camilla Thurlow; Marin Cilic sobs; Jodie Whittaker, the first female Doctor Who
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Fishwick, Samuel (2017-07-17). How 'woke' is your TV consumption?. London Evening Standard p. 23.
- MLA 7th ed.: Fishwick, Samuel. "How 'woke' is your TV consumption?." London Evening Standard [add city] 2017-07-17, 23. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Fishwick, Samuel. "How 'woke' is your TV consumption?." London Evening Standard, edition, sec., 2017-07-17
- Turabian: Fishwick, Samuel. "How 'woke' is your TV consumption?." London Evening Standard, 2017-07-17, section, 23 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=How 'woke' is your TV consumption? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/How_%27woke%27_is_your_TV_consumption%3F | work=London Evening Standard | pages=23 | date=2017-07-17 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=15 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=How 'woke' is your TV consumption? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/How_%27woke%27_is_your_TV_consumption%3F | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=15 April 2025}}</ref>
