Gender and the Quest in British Science Fiction Television

An Analysis of Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Red Dwarf and Torchwood

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by Tom Powers

Type: Essays
Subject: Genre > Science Fiction
Keywords: science fiction, television, Great Britain
Publishing date: 2016
Publisher: McFarland & Co
Collection: Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy
Language: English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 284 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-1-4766-6552-8

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Book Presentation:
The subjects of this book constitute a significant cross section of BBC science fiction television. With such characters as the Doctor (an enigmatic time-traveling alien), Kerr Avon (a problematic rebel leader), Dave Lister (a slovenly last surviving human) and Captain Jack Harkness (a complex omnisexual immortal), these shows have both challenged and reinforced viewer expectations about the small-screen masculine hero.

This book explores the construction of gendered heroic identity in the series from both production and fan perspectives. The paradoxical relationships between the producers, writers and fans of the four series are discussed. Fan fiction, criticism and videos are examined that both celebrate and criticize BBC science fiction heroes and villains.

About the Author:
Tom Powers is a college lecturer who teaches composition courses. Along with Marc Schuster, he is the coauthor of The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: The Discerning Fan's Guide to Doctor Who (McFarland 2007). He lives in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co

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