Who's afraid of Dr. Who?
- Publication: Hartlepool Mail
- Date: 1973-02-13
- Author: Margaret O'Rourke
- Page: 4
- Language: English
The lure of Dr Who is just too tempting for my children. So keen are they on following his exploits and the monsters he meets, that they never miss an episode.
I'm not saying that they actually see what to happening to the Doctor's time travel adventures. It's pretty difficult to watch a television screen when you're flat on the floor behind the settee, or lurking behind the living-room door screeching "tell me when it's over."
And there again, scrunched up in a chair with a cushion pressed tightly against the face, is hardly the recommended way to get a clear picture.
We've tried to ban Dr Who — pointing out quite reasonably, "look the thing scares the wits out of you both. You can't even bear to watch it," but we've been over-ruled with shrieks of "but it's our programme. We've got to have it on."
One of their very strict house rules is that at least one parent must remain in the living-room throughout the programme. The parents have valuable roles in that they are both the link men ("what's happening now, has the monster gone"?).
Comforting words like, "now stop being silly, come from behind that chair, it's only a plastic toy magnified many times by the camera" ... "no he is not real. It's a man all right, but he's wearing tinfoil. You know the stuff I wrap the meat in" ... "for the last tame come from behind that door"
Throughout each serial, it falls to the parent to watch with close attention, completely unmoved by plastic monsters, foil-wrapped men, and beings with one glowing eye. The parent must recount the happenings to the children, and while putting up with thee frantic dashes from the room, be the one to calm them down and restore reason from the realms of fantasy.
Which doesn't sound a lot. and isn't except for mine bare fact. I should be the one crouched behind the settee. Dr Who serials scare she wits out of me!
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.: O'Rourke, Margaret (1973-02-13). Who's afraid of Dr. Who?. Hartlepool Mail p. 4.
- MLA 7th ed.: O'Rourke, Margaret. "Who's afraid of Dr. Who?." Hartlepool Mail [add city] 1973-02-13, 4. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: O'Rourke, Margaret. "Who's afraid of Dr. Who?." Hartlepool Mail, edition, sec., 1973-02-13
- Turabian: O'Rourke, Margaret. "Who's afraid of Dr. Who?." Hartlepool Mail, 1973-02-13, section, 4 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Who's afraid of Dr. Who? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who%27s_afraid_of_Dr._Who%3F | work=Hartlepool Mail | pages=4 | date=1973-02-13 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=13 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Who's afraid of Dr. Who? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who%27s_afraid_of_Dr._Who%3F | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=13 March 2025}}</ref>
