# Is Dr. Who Kid-Friendly?  [possible spoilers]



## CanadienneBacon (Dec 4, 2014)

So.  Is it?  

My daughters are 13, 12 (twins), and 8.  They enjoy fantasy, cartoons, and pop fiction.  My spouse and I are fairly conservative in what we permit them to view.  They're allowed to _read _whatever they wish, but we limit what they _see_.  We didn't, by way of example, permit them to see Firefly.  

I've never seen Dr. Who, but it sounds like something my spouse and I would enjoy.  If it's kid-appropriate, we can watch with the girls and enjoy it as a family.  If it's not, ok, but my husband and I will have to watch after hours.


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## Morrus (Dec 4, 2014)

It's a kid's show. It's very much aimed at them. Though it has plenty for the adults, too. It's pretty much the definition of a family show.  Watch a couple of eps yourself if you want to be sure, but you're squarely in the demographic there.


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## Umbran (Dec 5, 2014)

Agreed.  Dr. Who is kid-friendly, in both the old and new incarnations.


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## trappedslider (Dec 5, 2014)

I would say that it varies from episode to episode, I do second or 3rd Morru's watch a couple before and make your own judgement


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## Janx (Dec 5, 2014)

it doesn't seem to have any swearing
it never shows people having sex
kissing seldom happens


People do die in it, though the doctor (and most of his companions) seem to not be actively killing people.

I might be wary of letting an 8 year old watch it, but your 12-13 year olds know everything anyway.


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## Morrus (Dec 5, 2014)

Janx said:


> it doesn't seem to have any swearing
> it never shows people having sex
> kissing seldom happens
> 
> People do die in it, though the doctor (and most of his companions) seem to not be actively killing people.




I think that's an important point.  While there are exceptions, the show's primary message is that the heroes win not by violence but by thinking. 

Plus any violence there is usually cartoon violence from the bad guys - no blood or gore or anything, generally.  People get disintegrated and stuff.


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## billd91 (Dec 5, 2014)

Some of the aliens can be a bit scary, particularly in the show's second incarnation with its much better costuming and props. My 10 year old son isn't a big fan of the weeping angels. The show can get a bit suspenseful at times as well. If your kids don't handle suspense very well, some episodes won't be good fits for them. 

I don't consider Doctor Who to be aimed at a kid demographic. It's aimed older than that. But it is generally kid safe, and intentionally so. Torchwood is the Doctor Who spin-off aimed at an adult audience that is not kid friendly. The Sarah Jane Adventures is the Doctor Who spin off directly aimed at kids.


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## Nellisir (Dec 5, 2014)

Morrus said:


> the show's primary message is that the heroes win not by violence but by thinking.



And running. Lots and lots of running.

My daughter is almost 8, and has seen snippets of Who. I haven't made a point of watching it with her because there are scary moments that I know will frighten her, but I think she'll be fine with it when the next season comes on. There's no sex, no heavy/overt sexuality,  and violence is gore-free. Fighting is usually with blaster-type weapons that cause people to disappear or just fall to the ground.

Honestly, my biggest reservation is that I'll have to translate from English to English for her.

There are lots of clips and bits on Youtube that you can watch to get a sense of things.


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## Mallus (Dec 5, 2014)

My friend's children, ages 10 (girl) & 12 (boy), have been watching the show for several years now and they love it. Especially the Weeping Angels.


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## Plane Sailing (Dec 6, 2014)

If your children have very vivid imagination it may give them nightmares. Mine at 11 and 13 and don't watch it for that reason.

You'll have an idea of how much your children are affected by visuals and concepts though. Some will worry about monsters under the bed at that age, others won't.


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## CanadienneBacon (Dec 9, 2014)

Janx said:
			
		

> People do die in it, though the doctor (and most of his companions) seem to not be actively killing people.



This seems to be the consensus not only here, but among my FB friends list as well.  That the show has the Doctor find solutions other than by violence.  Worth a preview on YouTube, I reckon.  Thanks!


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## Quartz (Dec 9, 2014)

Why are you denying your children the pleasure of hiding behind the sofa?


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## Umbran (Dec 9, 2014)

Oh, silly me!

If you decide Doctor Who is a bit mature (especially for your youngest), you can try them on the Sara Jane Adventures, which is most certainly a kid's show.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sarah_Jane_Adventures

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862620/


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## sabrinathecat (Dec 10, 2014)

Doctor Who when it was originally started was a "Saturday Tea-Time" show. Translation: meant for the whole family. Over time it changed and matured. And changed more. And Matured more. Since the current producer took over, it has devolved down to a mostly kids show. It was always family "safe", but now it is targeted at kids (mores the pity), to the detriment of the long-time fans. Season 5 of the new show was so bad (plot holes, general illogic, piss-poor stories) that I almost abandoned the (new) show entirely (and I've been watching for almost 30 years, so yeah, it was really, really, really bad).
Watch a few episodes and decide for yourself.
If you like it, and want more, there are also audio programs (full stories--all original with original cast--done as radio-type plays) by Big Finish Productions that are frequently superior to the new show.


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## Herschel (Dec 10, 2014)

Some people apparently like their corn flakes with pee.

It's generally a solid kid show, with blunted violence and sexuality. It doesn't so much avoid them as not call attention to them.


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## Umbran (Dec 10, 2014)

Herschel said:


> It's generally a solid kid show, with blunted violence and sexuality. It doesn't so much avoid them as not call attention to them.




Which is not to say that romance doesn't happen.  Most of the female companions fall for the Doctor in some sense or other.  They just don't show skin, or speak much about physical acts of intimacy.


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## JediSoth (Dec 11, 2014)

Craig Ferguson summed up the show's appeal pretty well: "It's about intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism."
[video=youtube;M9P4SxtphJ4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9P4SxtphJ4[/video]


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## GMforPowergamers (Dec 14, 2014)

Herschel said:


> Some people apparently like their corn flakes with pee.
> 
> It's generally a solid kid show, with blunted violence and sexuality. It doesn't so much avoid them as not call attention to them.




if I were you I would pre watch every episode, because sometimes they are great, and sometimes very adult...


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## Bagpuss (Dec 17, 2014)

CanadienneBacon said:


> So.  Is it?
> 
> My daughters are 13, 12 (twins), and 8.  They enjoy fantasy, cartoons, and pop fiction.  My spouse and I are fairly conservative in what we permit them to view.




My six year old watches it with me. There are things he sometimes find scary (usually thanks to the music, and suspense rather than what something looks like), but kids should be allowed to be scared. He occasionally gets nightmares, but nothing he has seen has kept him up all night, he normally falls straight to sleep after waking. More often he pretends to be the monsters, his current favourite is pretending to be the monster under the bed and grabbing my ankle (from the most recent season). He likes to point out weeping angels when we walk past churches. We recently went to the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff.

There are occasionally things that some more conservative parents might object to, for example two occasional characters are lesbians married to each other (one of who is a lizard creature the other human), in the latest season they were seen to kiss. This lead to a total of six complaints in the UK. One returning character from earlier seasons was bi-sexual, really only reflected in how he would flirt with anyone attractive he came across. However most of the time this stuff doesn't come up that much in the series, and there is no on screen nudity.

Deaths tend to be bloodless, bodies turned to ashes on occasions, saying that the most recent season, did show a badly burned hand at one point.



> They're allowed to _read _whatever they wish, but we limit what they _see_.  We didn't, by way of example, permit them to see Firefly.




Yeah that sort of raised issues about prostitution every episode thanks to one of the characters.



> I've never seen Dr. Who, but it sounds like something my spouse and I would enjoy.  If it's kid-appropriate, we can watch with the girls and enjoy it as a family.  If it's not, ok, but my husband and I will have to watch after hours.




It is intended as family viewing but I imagine you are getting it through some sort of on demand service? I suggest you watch a couple of episodes first to see what you think.


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## Nellisir (Dec 17, 2014)

Bagpuss said:


> It is intended as family viewing but I imagine you are getting it through some sort of on demand service? I suggest you watch a couple of episodes first to see what you think.




It is available through Netflix, usually a season or so behind (I don't think they have Capaldi yet); current episodes air on BBC America. I'm not sure if they still air PBS stations or not.


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## Janx (Dec 17, 2014)

sabrinathecat said:


> Doctor Who when it was originally started was a "Saturday Tea-Time" show. Translation: meant for the whole family. Over time it changed and matured. And changed more. And Matured more. Since the current producer took over, it has devolved down to a mostly kids show. It was always family "safe", but now it is targeted at kids (mores the pity), to the detriment of the long-time fans. Season 5 of the new show was so bad (plot holes, general illogic, piss-poor stories) that I almost abandoned the (new) show entirely (and I've been watching for almost 30 years, so yeah, it was really, really, really bad).
> Watch a few episodes and decide for yourself.
> If you like it, and want more, there are also audio programs (full stories--all original with original cast--done as radio-type plays) by Big Finish Productions that are frequently superior to the new show.




yes, but remember you don't like anything*. 

*except Babylon 5


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## CanadienneBacon (Dec 18, 2014)

I pre-watched an episode.  I loved it.  It was not, however, something I would permit my children to watch before they hit high school.  C'est la vie.


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## Morrus (Dec 18, 2014)

CanadienneBacon said:


> I pre-watched an episode.  I loved it.  It was not, however, something I would permit my children to watch before they hit high school.  C'est la vie.




Which episode?

One thing about the show is that every episode is different. Different genre, different setting. Some are dark, some light, some dramatic, some comedic. Earlier this year there was a Robin Hood episode so aimed at kids that I struggled to watch it.


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## Bagpuss (Dec 22, 2014)

Curious as it is pre watershed in the UK, ie generally considered suitable for family viewing. No swearing, limited violence... What violence there is being bloodless, no nudity, etc.

What put you off?


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## SteveC (Dec 23, 2014)

As a fan in the show more in its first incarnation, I can say that that one is much more kid friendly.

It's not that the new episodes are "adult," it's just that the focus changed to be more adult orientated than kids. I'd say the original show would be very kid appropriate (as I watched it as a kid with very strict parents) but perhaps not as much in the modern one.

As an example, as a kid my favorite of the Doctor's companions with Sarah Jane. I think pretty much everyone my age thought so. In the new show, they brought her back, and had a conversation about what the heck was up with their relationship the whole time. It was very touching and sweet, but recognized that they were both adults. Something like that would NEVER happen in the original show: in fact Elizabeth Sladen (who played Sarah Jane) said many times that the rule of the show was "no hanky-panky in the TARDIS."

The problem with the older show is the effects are terrible. I can watch the old episodes but I don't know if people who have only seen decent effects could handle it. Try it out and see!

For the new show, if you're really conservative with what your kids watch, I'd hold off a bit. I think my folks would have put up a PG-13 rating on it, but they were pretty strict.


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## Bagpuss (Dec 23, 2014)

You might want to try the "Sarah Jane Adventures" assuming you are getting Doctor Who through Netflix. If Doctor Who is PG, then Sarah Jane is U certificate.


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## Scott DeWar (Dec 30, 2014)

I do not know if this has been mentioned @*CanadienneBacon* 	  				, but the episodes with John Hurt are some of the bit on the dark side. Just so you know.


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## Morrus (Dec 30, 2014)

Scott DeWar said:


> I do not know if this has been mentioned @*CanadienneBacon*   , but the episodes with John Hurt are some of the bit on the dark side. Just so you know.




There's only one episode with John Hurt and it was the 50th anniversary episode. Mainly a fun romp with three Doctors. I didn't find it dark at all. It was very light-hearted.


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## Scott DeWar (Dec 31, 2014)

Well, in my still coma fogged mind, it kinda felt dark. So that is just me.


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## billd91 (Dec 31, 2014)

Scott DeWar said:


> Well, in my still coma fogged mind, it kinda felt dark. So that is just me.




It's a bit of both. There are rompy bits but some genocidal bits as well.


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## Scott DeWar (Dec 31, 2014)

billd91 said:


> . . . . . EDIT . . . .  but some genocidal bits as well.




That is what I probably found disturbing. I cannot quite remember what it was that disturbed be.


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