The concept of television and entertainment has featured many times throughout Doctor Who, sometimes exaggerating the truth and also showing the over reliance on entertainment being there, even if it is extreme and toxic. This can be represented in many episodes, yet I will be focusing on Vengeance on Varos, parts one and two, from season twenty two (6V) alongside the Long Game and Bad Wolf from Series One. These episodes have significant moments on reflecting how many people rely on television to fill in something in their lives.
In Vengeance on Varos there is an underlying theme of being obliged to watch specific things on their television. The main thing that is forced to be watched is the live torture of people rather from the Punishment Dome. If this wasn’t watched there was a high chance that the citizens would be executed. However, after the Doctor had managed to prevent there being any more executions, the episode concludes with a couple staring at the static of their screens, seemingly lost at the lack of something to watch.
The topic is something of which should be positive, they have been freed from the oppression. However the final dialogue of the episodes concludes to a loss. The question of ‘What shall we do?’ seems to reflect how there is a difference in the attitude of not having anything to do. This may be seen as a reflection of the over reliance of something as to provide the entertainment, mainly of the current generation. There is television for us, however in the Television Companion volume 2 there is reference to the fact that these characters are designed to lighten the situation. I believe that the publicised torture is to show that people have always been dependent within society, including within the Roman period.
Then, featured in The Long Game there was the initial set up of Satellite Five. Satellite five is a broadcasting centre and has been featured heavily in two doctor who episodes: the long game and bad wolf. These two contrast over ‘a hundred years’ but to the doctor it is nothing. However the computers are connected directly to the brain in order to connect to the computer, this is a thing that is installed into the forehead and then it may have a certain command word or action (the default being at the click of fingers, also representing how easily technology may be accessed) and then the hand resting on a biogenetic analyser and a data defragmenter in order to scroll the internet, however it is also connected directly to the brain and may be used as a group in sync with others. /look in the visual dictionary 2010 version/ There then is a beam of information of which is directly processed via the brain however it has damaging effects and you may not be able to remember things as accurately, however it is mostly used for journalism and news networks, such as the uses of the modern day world and the online newspapers. This shows the human species being something of which is able to remain in contact with its galactical empire and all be broadcasted to Earth.
Despite this there was a large issue when the journalists were putting themselves at a risk from the behaviour. This reflects how people have to react when out in the real life, as there is a larger amount of trouble within the world that could literally damage their mental state or even get them killed. This was then shut down by the Doctor to prevent the loss of any more lives.
However, when he returned roughly 100 years later there is a high risk of there being at a lack of information, the earth falls into disrepair and all of the news channels are replaced with other
