Day 72: The Executioners

The two most important things in the cultural landscape of the United Kingdom as of 1965 appear within 10 minutes of eachother within this episode. The first is the Daleks. We've probably spoken before about how important they are, but to sum up they combine a post war fear of the Nazis with a spectacular design and an uncanny knack to be able to be imitated by children in playgrounds. They took the country by storm, and allowed for a wave of Dalekmania to hit the streets, there were Dalek toys, comic books, films, they were everywhere. It could be stated that they were the most important creations in the 1960s.

But anyone who says that is thick. Because we move on to the second thing that appears in this episode, the Beatles. They appear through stock footage, and are viewed through a time-space visualiser, but the undeniable fact is that they allowed for them to be put into Doctor Who, and indeed, it is reported that they wished to film a guest appearance where they played senile versions of themselves (in what would be one of the most depressing appearances of John Lennon and George Harrison ever). I don't need to talk about how important the Beatles are, but it's worth mentioning their appearance here shows one simple fact. Doctor Who is acknowledging 'cool'. They are putting the Daleks and the Beatles in the same episode because they are 'cool'. And whilst the cynic wishes to say, why should you try to be cool, cool things are all stupid, there's still an admiration to be had that the Beatles did actually want to be in Doctor Who. Because like it or not, the Daleks were the coolest creatures in the universe for a good couple of years, and they allowed Doctor Who to be cool through association, thus making this little show into a well watched viewing delight. This serial, by the name of The Chase, is one where the Daleks chase the Doctor and co. through space and time. And through doing so, they are able to excite children everywhere with their exploits. Because like it or not, Doctor Who is a show that excites children, because Doctor Who is one of the most important things in the cultural landsacpe of the United Kingdom for a good chunk of the past 50 or so years. And that's because, Doctor Who is cool.