Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2016 April 10

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April 10

Doctor Who - Rose Tyler's Question of why Doctor 9 had a Northern English Accent

In the Doctor Who episode Rose, why did Rose Tyler ask the 9th Doctor why he sounded like he was from the North? Is it a deep joke about previous Doctors having a patrician air which is not associated with stereotypes of Northerners? Does anyone know if the writers or producers have said anything publicly about this? DuncanHill (talk) 21:00, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

Before this question was removed and then clarified, my answer was "Because he claimed that he is an alien. She assumed that aliens wouldn't sound like someone from her home country. Basically it's sort of a joke." Now that there's clarification as to what you're looking for... I don't know specifically but as an American, I just took it as a joke. Possibly one picking on how often the events of the show have to do with London and the surrounding area when there is a whole wide universe out there to be travelling in. Dismas|^(talk) 21:15, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

Thank you, I did see your answer before it was removed and thought it had merit. I think the question as originally posted had merit and was in no way disruptive, and as the remover refused to give any evidence whatsoever for its removal thought it worth asking again, as it is something which has occurred to me in the past. DuncanHill (talk) 21:17, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

Yes, for anyone not from the UK, the frequency with which they happen to turn up in the UK is laughable. Of course, US-made series tend to be just as US-centric, but the US is larger in population and land area, and the dominant superpower on the planet (at least until China takes over), so there is at least some reason to think aliens might favor the US as a target (and HG Wells sci-fi might have reasonably put alien invasions in the British Empire, at the time, since it was the largest and most dominant power then). However, I prefer sci-fi that picks random spots on the planet for alien incursions. StuRat (talk) 21:21, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

At this point I am reminded of the opening voiceover of District 9. I can't find it quoted online, but from memory it begins something like "When aliens came to Earth, they did not come to the United States." --69.159.61.172 (talk) 23:07, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

They probably wanted to visit somewhere more interesting. I know I would. DuncanHill (talk) 23:59, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

Yes, the English equivalent of Yosemite National Park is massively underreported. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:47, 11 April 2016 (UTC)

Good point. Even people who hate American culture have to admit that the US is well-stocked with natural wonders, from Niagara Falls to Mammoth Cave to the Grand Canyon to the Rocky Mountains, volcanoes and even a supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park. Then there is the hottest point on Earth in Death Valley, glaciers in Alaska, rain forest and tropical beaches in Hawaii, wetlands in Florida; the Great Plains, the Badlands, and the Great Lakes. So, whatever natural attractions the aliens wanted to see, they could probably find them in the US. StuRat (talk) 02:53, 11 April 2016 (UTC)

Given that the aliens will have passed the rings of Saturn, the sulphur volcanos of Io, and Mons Olympus on their way to Earth, I am not convinced that they are going to find Yellowstone or Yosemite all that spectacular. 81.132.106.10 (talk) 08:20, 12 April 2016 (UTC)

You assume they're coming from outside our Solar System? But if their goal is indeed Earth, then wherever they're coming from must be less desirable than Earth. So, how do folks from such a boring place get to be far more technologically advanced than we are? Why can't they just fix their own problems and stay put? No, I deem your premise to be flawed. "Aliens" have lived on Earth for a very long time, even predating the rise of humanity. If anything, it's humans who are the new kids on the block. You can trust me on this, so don't go calling for some lame "citations". -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:32, 12 April 2016 (UTC)

You wrote: "if their goal is indeed Earth, then wherever they're coming from must be less desirable than Earth". Humans from the planet Earth visited the moon, but I wouldn't describe the moon as more desirable than Earth. The Quixotic Potato (talk) 20:27, 14 April 2016 (UTC)

Are people still being taken in by that "moon landing" hoax?  :) Anyway, humans are not aliens, so nyah. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:26, 14 April 2016 (UTC)

If we assume that there is alien life, then to them we would be aliens too, right? I didn't know we were restricted to aliens, I'm just pointing out that finding a more desirable planet (e.g. to use as a new home) isn't the only possible reason for interplanetary travel. I love Buzz Eugene Aldrin Jr.. The Quixotic Potato (talk) 22:53, 14 April 2016 (UTC)

Well, his his granddaughter did go to school in Britain, and grandfathers are notoriously fond of granddaughters, so perhaps it is understandable (even forgivable) that he should turn up here rather more than somewhere that's just loud and big. DuncanHill (talk) 21:31, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

What's the episode where this happens? The Brigadier says "Naturally, Britain was chosen [to take on a worldwide responsibility]." The Fourth Doctor replies, "Well naturally, I mean, the others are all foreigners aren't they?" —Tamfang (talk) 03:50, 12 April 2016 (UTC)

In case none of the foregoing made it clear, Christopher Ecclestone played the 9th Doctor with a very distinctive Northern English (Lancashire) accent. This happened to be Ecclestone's own accent, but being an actor he could doubtless have adopted another, as did the Scot David Tennant who played the 10th Doctor with an Estuary (i.e. London periphery) accent (except in one episode set in Scotland when The Doctor was pretending to Queen Victoria to be a Scot). Knowing the Doctor to be an alien, it would be natural for the Londoner Rose Tyler (whose accent was closer to Cockney) to ask the question. Whether there was also a meta-joke in operation about the Doctor's previous incarnations (indeed mostly more RP/upper-class accented) seems also possible but outwith my knowledge. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 185.74.232.130 (talk) 14:00, 11 April 2016 (UTC)

And I heard once that Ecclestone took the job on condition that he be allowed to use his own voice. —Tamfang (talk) 03:50, 12 April 2016 (UTC)

Help identifying a film

The plot was something like this: a young doctor goes to some Pacific island and leaves his fiancee to do so. While there, I remember he treated the locals who had elephantiasis and maybe malaria (there were scenes where he was annoyed/upset at the presence of mosquitoes). Also, there's a scene in the movie where he writes to his fiancee and tells her that they will both be looking up at the same moon. This would have been some years ago that I watched it; maybe 2006-2007 or thereabouts. Any help is appreciated. 50.96.142.147 (talk) 23:37, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

I just ran across this today and think it might be the film that you're talking about. Was it possibly The Painted Veil? It came out in 2006, concerns a doctor, and he goes to a Chinese village to combat cholera. And apparently there's some marriage trouble. I haven't actually seen the film. Just a description of it. Dismas|^(talk) 18:27, 15 April 2016 (UTC)