BBC warns parents Dr Who is too scary
- Publication: Express & Star
- Date: 2005-04-14
- Author: Sally Dolan
- Page:
- Language: English
Parents have been warned not to let under-eights watch the new series of Doctor Who after an episode featuring zombies left youngsters terrified.
The BBC has issued advice that young children should not watch the revived series after it was bombarded with 50 complaints from parents saying Saturday's show caused sleepless nights for many kids.
In the opening scene of The Unquiet Dead an apparently dead old woman sprang out of her coffin and strangled her grandson. The episode, written by Mark Gatiss of The League of Gentlemen, featured ghoulish aliens spewed from corpses' mouths as the Doctor, Rose and their new sidekick, Charles Dickens, battled against the undead.
A BBC spokesman said: "Doctor Who has never been intended for the youngest of children.
"We would suggest that only children aged eight and above should watch with their parents."
But Doctor Who fans, who have grown up with the familiar sights of Daleks and Cybermen over the last 40 years, have slammed the warning.
Protecting
Tom Silsbury, deputy editor of Doctor Who magazine, said: "Children enjoy being scared and nothing is more likely make them want to watch a programme than being told they can't."
However parents argued that their children needed protecting from a BBC which has gone too far in the battle to win ratings.
Dave Edwards, aged 28, from Liverpool, said: "The kids were really shaken up by the whole programme and they refused to go to bed.
"It's not the type of thing you expect to see on TV at 7 o'clock in the evening.
"The BBC have stepped way over the mark."
Caption: One of the scary daleks
Caption: Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), from the show.
Spelling correction: Tom Spillsbury
The top six monsters
Top six scary Dr Who monsters:
1. The Daleks. Have terrified young and old viewers with their cries of 'Exterminate!' since the series first appeared on screens in 1963. Mocked by many for years over their inability to climb stairs - a limitation which has been overcome with the aid of a nifty anti-gravity device.
2. The Cybermen. First appeared in 1966 at the very end of the William Hartnell era. Their mechanical voices, unlimited strength and plans to conquer the galaxy have made them a hit with viewers ever since.
3. The Master. The Doctor's evil arch-enemy introduced during the Jon Pertwee era of the early 1970s. A villain in the classic mold set on domination of the universe and destruction of the Doctor. His ray, which shrinks humans, and ability to hypnotise people to do his bidding have proved popular with fans for years.
4. The Autons. Shop window mannequins created and brought to life by the Nestene Consciousness to do their bidding. They have guns built into their hands. Frightened a generation of children in Jon Pertwee's very first story as they went on a killing spree on the streets of London. They were chosen as the first enemies to appear against Christopher Eccleston's Doctor in the new series.
5. The Silurians and Sea Devils. Reptilian creatures who were the first inhabitants of Earth and have plotted to get the planet back ever since their introduction in an early Jon Pertwee story proved memorable enough for two return appearances the last against Peter Davison's Doctor in the mid-80s.
6. Sil. A ruthless reptilian businessman who stopped at nothing to gain power and wealth. His gurgling laugh and alien appearance became one of the show's most iconic moments of this 1980s. He proved so popular the character appeared for another story a year later
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- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=BBC warns parents Dr Who is too scary | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/BBC_warns_parents_Dr_Who_is_too_scary | work=Express & Star | pages= | date=2005-04-14 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=19 April 2026 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=BBC warns parents Dr Who is too scary | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/BBC_warns_parents_Dr_Who_is_too_scary | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=19 April 2026}}</ref>
