Trauma in the Tardis – how death of Doctor Who girl was ‘too scary for children’
SINCE it began 52 years ago today, Doctor Who has had a reputation for making children hide behind the sofa.
But it seems the series may have gone a step too far in Saturday’s episode, which saw the death of sidekick Clara Oswald.
The instalment, called Face The Raven, began almost an hour before the 9pm watershed and has been criticised for being too scary and upsetting for young viewers.
The claims follow the watershed row over ITV’s brutal Sunday teatime drama Jekyll And Hyde.
In Doctor Who Clara, played by Jenna Coleman, 29, was killed by a creature known as a quantum spirit. The Doctor explained that she could ‘flee across all of time and all of the universe’ but it would track her down.
The Time Lord could only look on helplessly as it flew into his companion’s chest before she silently screamed, with black smoke coming from her mouth, and then collapsed lifeless to the ground.
Steven Moffat, the series’ head writer, defended the dark themes, claiming children loved to be scared as long as it was kept within certain boundaries. He said: ‘You have to be responsible about it – that doesn’t mean it isn’t shocking or troubling. But it is not like children learn about the realities of people dying from Doctor Who.’
However, fans were unsettled by the episode, which was watched by 4.5million people, calling it ‘traumatic’.
One wrote on Twitter: ‘Still left staring blank at my TV after Doctor Who; too emotionally damaged.’
Another added: ‘Doctor Who just tore my heart into millions of tiny pieces then stomped on them. Somehow not feeling much love for Steven Moffat!’
This is the latest in a series of programmes that seem to challenge the 9pm watershed by showing graphic content earlier in the evening when children might still be watching.
ITV was flooded with complaints over Jekyll And Hyde. Its writer Charlie Higson was eventually forced to admit that it was ‘not suitable for younger children’.
The programme is currently being investigated by Ofcom over whether its violent scenes breach broadcasting rules. The inquiry began after 839 complaints were submitted to watchdog Ofcom and ITV.
Doctor Who has frequently courted controversy. Last year’s episode Dark Water saw the BBC receive 118 complaints after dead bodies were transformed into an army of Cybermen. At one point it was suggested that dead could feel the pain of being cremated.
The BBC defended the show at the time, saying Doctor Who was ‘a family drama with a long tradition of tackling some of the more fundamental questions about life and death’.
Miss Coleman, who has played Clara since 2012, said that she could not stop crying when she filmed her final scenes. She told the Sunday People: ‘It was a surprise when I read the script. It’s really cool and different, and good, I think. And sad. It was ridiculous to get emotional. I’d planned all these things I wanted to say but only got two words out.’ The BBC declined to comment yesterday. Christopher Stevens’ TV review – Page 57