04/02/19
By Raenee Patterson
University Relations and Marketing
HAYS, Kan. – With the opportunity to write about the television show “Doctor Who” and tie it in with historical and political perspectives, one Fort Hays State University professor could not pass up this chance.

Long-time “Doctor Who” fan Dr. Eric Lueschner, chair of the Department of English, was published in the book “Doctor Who Twelfth Night: Adventures in Time and Space with Peter Capaldi.”

Peter Capaldi, a Scottish actor, was the 12th actor to play the title role, holding the role from 2014 to 2017.

“I saw a call-for-papers announcement and proposed the topic to the editor,” said Leuschner. “Although my usual scholarship is related to more traditional topics and more canonical authors, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.”

Leuschner’s essay was titled “‘Chap with wings there, five rounds rapid’: UNIT and the Politics of Doctor Who,” and focuses on the fictional organization UNIT, which was established to investigate and protect the earth from alien threats and has appeared in the show periodically since 1968.

“Examining the depiction of UNIT from a historical perspective reveals how Doctor Who not only satirizes, but also reflects, the political choices faced today. How one defines ‘political’ and what elements of the text are analyzed, such as the changing depiction of UNIT, may reveal ways in which the Doctor Who does and continues to promote ideological and political work,” said Leuschner.

“In this book, the first to address the Capaldi era in depth, international experts on the show explore Capaldi’s portrayal of the Doctor, and Steven Moffat’s role as show writer and executive producer,” says the publisher’s blurb.

“By detailing how UNIT has changed over the years and interacts with the different personalities of the Doctor, I argue in the essay that we can see how the show comments on political issues such as increased militarism and global organization such as the United Nations,” said Leuschner.

The BBC science fiction television series first aired in 1963 and was on British television continuously for 26 years until 1989. It was then rebooted in 2005 with renewed world-wide popularity.

“I’m a long-time fan of the show, having started watching in the early 1980s, when I was in high school, and public television ran old episodes on weeknights,” he said.

This isn’t the first time Leuschner has used “Doctor Who” for academic purposes. Several years ago, an episode was used in one of his classes. “I think it would be fascinating to teach a “Doctor Who” course some time if there were student interest,” he said.

The book was released in the United Kingdom in October of 2018, and in the United States in January of 2019. It is now available for purchase on Amazon.

This book appeals to a variety of people, from fans to scholars, who are looking to learn more about how “Doctor Who” portrayed and understood society.