3. We Are All Trying To Find Our Place
Verity Lambert was a woman working at a time when female voices were routinely dismissed. Waris Hussein was born in India and was forced to contend with the bigotry of 1960's Britain. They were the new kids knocking on the door, striving to find their place within a culture that wasn't exactly welcoming them with open arms. Yet they not only persevered, their experiences left an indelible imprint on the show they were making. The Doctor is the ultimate outsider. He runs away from home and then he's surrounded by others who cannot understand what he is. He is sometimes able to ingratiate himself but he never quite belongs. He may be an alien super-being but his dilemma is a very human one. "An Adventure in Space and Time" not only reminds us of the struggles of the past, but also underscores the fact that we have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure that diverse voices are heard. The new series of "Doctor Who" has only had one female writer in its entire tenure. The Doctor continues to be a white male. The Daleks would never have seen the light of day without Sydney Newman's reluctant yet ultimately laudable willingness to open his mind to new ideas outside his normal ken. Without the courage to push through the limits of our own biases, "Doctor Who" would grow stale and wither.