Pratchett Attacks Doctor Who

[Logan Westbrook]

Pratchett Attacks Doctor Who

Terry Pratchett may write about magic and space turtles, but he doesn't think that Doctor Who should be able to just make stuff up.

Discworld creator Terry Pratchett has taken umbrage at the storytelling of Doctor Who [http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who/e/B001CFFX86/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1278523513&sr=1-2-ent], calling it "ludicrous", and saying that it "breaks most of the laws of narrative".

"[A] god from the machine is what the Doctor now is," he said, writing in the magazine SFX. "A decent detective story provides you with enough tantalizing information to allow you to make a stab at a solution before the famous detective struts his stuff in the library."

"Doctor Who replaces this with speed, fast talking, and what appears to be that wonderful element 'makeitupasyougalongeum'. I don't know about you, but I don't think I would dare try to jump-start a spaceship that looks like the Titanic by diving it into the atmosphere."

Pratchett also isn't particularly fond of the rather loose definition of science on the show, calling it "pixel thin":

"I'm sorry about this, but I just don't think that you can instantly transport a whole hospital onto the moon without all of the windows blowing out. Oh! You use a force field, do you?! And there's the trouble; one sentence makes it all OK."

"I just wish that it was not classified as science fiction," he added.

Pratchett did admit that he still watched the show however, despite his grievances: "[it's]pure professionally-written entertainment, even if it helps sometimes if you leave your brain on a hook by the door ... I might shout at the screen again, but I will be watching on Saturday," he admitted. "After all, when you've had your moan you have to admit that it is very, very entertaining, with its heart in the right place, even if its head is often in orbit around Jupiter."

Source: The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/tvandradioblog/2010/may/04/terry-pratchett-ludicrous-doctor-who]



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[HK_01]

He does seem to have some valid points. I don't watch Doctor Who though, so I don't know.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Well, he's a little harsh but if anyone is allowed to rant at Dr. Who for it's storytelling, it's Terry Pratchett.

Doesn't mean I have to agree with him though, I've come to love the Makeitupasyougoalong'ness of Dr. Who.

 

[laryri]

This is exactly why Blink is still the best episode of the new series. The solution was completely comprehensible.

 

[Quaidis]

Pratchet needs a hobby. Like collecting buttons. Give him something better to do than look for faults in a random television program.

 

[Legion]

Pratchet needs a hobby. Like collecting buttons. Give him something better to do than look for faults in a random television program.

... Do you know who Terry Pratchett is? I have to ask because if it was sarcasm, it's hard to tell.

 

[yourbeliefs]

How can you complain about something being "too fiction" in Science Fiction? Also, I thought Dr. Who was classified as Sci-fi/Fantasy. Is he saying that the old Dr. Who was okay while the new series is wrong?

 

[Flour]

Pratchet needs a hobby. Like collecting buttons. Give him something better to do than look for faults in a random television program.

... Do you know who Terry Pratchett is? I have to ask because if this was sarcasm it's hard to tell.

You could have provided a TvTropes [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TerryPratchett] link for the guy you quoted.
If he knew who Pratchett is, he just lost a few hours and if he didn't then he'll learn something.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Here's my thing. He's not wrong - Dr. Who relies on the "magic wand" solution rather a lot. My point is....so bloody what? So long as the stories are still fun, who cares if the solutions to problems is a bit whizbangy? Just because it's sci fi, that doesn't mean it has to have basis in genuine science.

I mean, come on, the TARDIS has a pool for crying out loud. Are we really going to get upset at a bit of deus ex machina?

Now, if you want to say that such methods diminish the storytelling, that's a whole other discussion, and one that I think has some merit. But to say that the show is doing something wrong by, for example, whisking Martha's hospital to the moon...who cares that it's a silly set up? It made for a fun episode, didn't it?

 

[MrPop]

I know what he means.

I haven't really enjoyed Dr Who as much as I used to but I still watch it because it's just entertainment and I enjoy criticising things too =P

 

[Blimey]

Is he fucking serious?

He makes his living writing fantasy novels, with clairvoyants, magic, and all that shit.

And yet he calls out Doctor Who?

What a lunatic.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

This is exactly why Blink is still the best episode of the new series. The solution was completely comprehensible.

I dunno, the Tardis Summoning at the end still reaked of "Makeitupanium"

 

[SeanTheSheep]

I think there are probably three things I disagree with Terry Pratchett about, and I can't remember any of them, but this is definitely not one of them.

I enjoy Doctor Who just as much as the next person, maybe even more so, but I nver go in looking for coherent scientific explanations that are possible in any way in our time.

 

[Trivun]

Nooooooo!!!!! This is terrible, Pratchett is one of my favourite authors and Doctor Who is one of my favourite TV shows! And I've somehow become such a geek I can lift references to both from ages ago from the top of my head! I don't want to see them fighting, come on Terry, spread the love, for the fans?

 

[Iscin]

Terry is referencing an old Russell penned episode here. The new series (5) is headed by Moffat (the man who wrote Blink) and is a far more creative writer. I have higher hopes for intelligence in this series, but I will have to give my final verdict at the end of it.

 

[j0frenzy]

Those are some legitimate grievances with the show that sound alien to me. I saw a couple episodes of Doctor Who that lacked the deus ex machina. My grievances that made me stop watching was that from what I saw, the only actor less convincing than Chris Eccleston was the rest of the cast.

 

[Dexiro]

I think what he's saying is that the science in the series has no background or explanation.
Like on his example teleporting to the moon with a force field is ok in sci-fi but you see nothing of the mechanisms that do this, it's basically just used as a plot device.

As a plot device it is entertaining, but i think for him it leaves a bit too much to the imagination to be classified as science fiction

In contrast you have things like Avatar that went into tons of depth trying to justify the eco system and how it all works.

 

[Jack and Calumon]

I'm sorry Mr Pratchett. I didn't hear you. May you say something a little less stupidly insane? Too Fiction? Thats like saying an Apple is too crunchy or a Dog is too furry. It's who they are. The doctor thinks as he goes as in a real world scenario you would do the same, it's just that The Doctor is rather smart and therefore can think much better.

Also...

"I'm sorry about this, but I just don't think that you can instantly transport a whole hospital onto the moon without all of the windows blowing out. Oh! You use a force field, do you?! And there's the trouble; one sentence makes it all OK."

I never knew that you owned your very own Teleporter Pratchett. You must share that wonder of Science sometime.

Calumon: Doctor Who now?

 

[Cosplay Horatio]

I love the wibbly wobbly-ness of The Doctor and Karen Gillan. I'm very much enjoying the Matt Smith episodes. Even though Terry may have taken it a bit too far with, "I just wish that it was not classified as science fiction", the other arguments are valid because he still watches Doctor Who.

 

[Billion Backs]

I think it's a valid complaint in regards to most popular "science fiction".
But then again, as a fan of harder science fiction, I'm DEFINITELY biased.

There's nothing wrong with pseudo-scientific babble, nobody expects you to actually invent all the fantastic things - but there's such thing as going too far.

Although Doctor Who is still an amusing show. I just wouldn't call it good science fiction, though.