The Second Doctor - Tumblr Posts
This post Taught me stuff. I think Black history is pretty interesting as it helps gives us more info into the past and how people were put on TV in the 50s and 60s.
So I’m glad this post was made and it was pretty well done indeed!!!
Some Black History In Classic Doctor Who
Something I've been itching to make a post about as I made my way through classic who! I hope you enjoy ^o^
In the 4th season of Doctor Who (1966), the missing serial "The Smugglers" featured the first black character with a speaking role. This character was named Jamaica and he was played by Elroy Josephs! He was tasked with guarding the captured 1st Doctor, and was later killed for failing to keep guard over him.
Elroy Josephs was born in Jamaica, and besides being an actor he was also a dancer. He became the first black dance lecturer at IM Marsh in Liverpool, which is part of Liverpool John Moores University.
Elroy Josephs is often overlooked for his influence on black British dance and on November 1997, a bench and plaque was unveiled in Elroy's memory at John Moores University.
More about his influence of black dance in Britain can be read here
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The serial immediately after was called "The Tenth Planet" and this serial featured Earl Cameron as Glyn Williams, the first black astronaut in television (I've seen people say it's actually Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek, since she appeared on Star Trek JUST a month earlier in 1966, though I'd argue the portrayal in Doctor Who is more akin to what we know an astronaut to be. Still, a crazy close call!)
Glyn Williams, alongside another astronaut, discovers the Cyberman home planet Mondas in their rocket. This is the first serial to feature the cybermen, too! Their rocket gets pulled in by Mondas's gravitational pull and they die in an explosion.
Earl Cameron was born in Bermuda, and is well known as the first black actor to take a leading role in a British film! The movie was called "Pool of London" and was released in 1951. It was his performance in this movie that led to him becoming "Britain’s first home-grown, non-American black movie star"!
Earl Cameron passed away in 2020 at the age of 102, making him the 5th Doctor Who cast member to reach his 100th birthday!
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"The Tomb Of The Cybermen (season 5)" and "Terror Of The Autons (season 8)" featured 2 characters, both played by Roy Stewart. Both characters have been criticised for their racist depiction of a black man. In TTOTC, Roy played the character of Toberman, who was a mute servant of an expeditioner and the strongest one of the team. He had no say in any matters and was supposed to be purely muscle. He was partially cyberconverted and sacrificed himself to save everyone.
In TOTA, Roy played the character Tony, a strongman with animal furs also tasked to be brute force. He helped keep the 3rd doctor captive, but was knocked out by Jo Grant.
Born in Jamaica, Roy Stewart came to the UK with the idea to become a doctor, though he ended up changing his mind to start acting. There weren't many black stuntmen out there (they would have white people "black up"). He ended up doing a lot of stunt work and became one of Britain's top black actors/stuntmen! Though, a lot of his earlier work went uncredited.
Roy Stewart also ran a gymnasium in 1954 with a policy allowing people of all races to train together. He also opened a Caribbean restaurant and bar called The Globe in 1960, which he ran until the day he died (2008). The Globe is now one of longest-running nightclubs in London, still with a Caribbean restaurant upstairs.
"Frequented by Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, The Clash and Bob Marley, The Globe became the place to be. Its notoriety was such, that even Mick Jones of The Clash named his album after it and wrote the title song about the nightclub." - The Globe Website
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In season 5 the serial "The Enemy Of The World", Carmen Munroe played the role of Fariah Neguib, a food taster for the powerful politician, Ramón Salamander. She was a food taster by force, and rebelled against Salamander by giving the 2nd Doctor's allies important documents, revealing a black mailing side to the politician. She was shot and died in the arms of the enemy, pridefully refusing to give them information. Though sources are a bit muddy on this (1 sketchy source and the rest is my memory of classic who), Carmen Munroe could very well be the first black woman in Doctor Who. And if not, She is most certainly the first with a prominent speaking role.
Born in Guyana, Carmen Munroe played an instrumental role in the development of black British theatre and representation on tv. She played a good number of leading roles, but is best known for the role of Shirley in British TV sitcom Desmond's. Carmen is also one of the founders of Talawa, the UK's leading black theatre company, which was created in response to the lack of creative opportunities for Black actors and the marginalisation of Black peoples from cultural processes.
Today, Talawa is the primary Black theatre company in the UK, with more than 50 award-winning touring productions from African classics to Oscar Wilde behind it. In total the company has produced more than 80 productions. Our name, Talawa, comes from a Jamaican patois term and means gutsy and strong - Talawa.com
Carmen was also appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), which is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the civil service.
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Hope you enjoyed reading this bit of Doctor Who/Black History! Please feel free to add to this post with more black history in Doctor Who!
Rose Tyler And Classic Who
The First Doctor- a fight and flirt relationship. they would fight so much so often, yet strangely Rose would flirt with him and leave him completely flustered
Susan- they would be besties. Rose would introduce her to modern day fashion, and they would end the patriarchy together. all in one day. (because Susan deserved better and we all know she and Rose are both feral wolf raised children)
Ian- they would talk shit about the Doctor together. and he would hold her back from fistfighting a sexist/racist/homophobic dude then punch him in the face immediately so she doesn’t get in trouble. they would totally have a sibling relationship.
Barbara- they would have a love hate relationship. Rose would constantly fight with her, but they would both make up and be girl bosses over everyone else. she would also help Ian and Barbara get together.
Vikki- two words. feral. children. they would physically get into fights with anyone who dared treat other people lesser.
Steven- they would sit together and talk about cute men, while they get thrown in jail on every planet they go to.
Dodo- Rose would definitely treat her like a younger sister, and Dodo would hate and love it. they totally give each other fashion advice and do the other’s hair.
Ben and Polly- Ben would treat her like his sister, and Polly would help her take over the world.
The Second Doctor- joking and singing. These two would sing together everywhere, with the Doctor playing the recorder. they would also be joking and flirting everywhere they go, yet wouldn’t acknowledge it at all.
Jamie- you can’t not tell me they would absolutely joke about the Doctor, make fun of him, and beat people up together.
Victoria- automatic mother/older sister role. doesn’t matter which one, she automatically takes her into her care with a mentor figure affection, and Victoria would be hesitant at first but eventually come to see her as one of the two.
Zoe- they fight a lot, more than Rose and Barbara would, but it’s more of two extremely strong women with similar personalities that, once they stop fighting and finally click, makes everyone wish they kept fighting.
The Third Doctor- would call her “my dear Rose” and take her out on car rides very often. she would love to help him in his lab, singing along with him when he sang. they would flirt, but it’s seems old fashioned, and less joking
Alistair- would fight in a fatherly daughter way, but drink tea together every afternoon no matter what.
Mike- talk about cute men together, and spar together, and are almost tied at the hip whenever she’s at UNIT
John- chills with Mike and Rose, and has a very brotherly relationship with her.
Jo- they flirt with everyone, wear mini skirts and kick ass together all the time. they would absolutely be besties.
Sarah Jane- same with Zoe, except when they do click the entire world shakes in it’s boots.
The Fourth Doctor- they have a very jokingly relationship, flirting and teasing each other almost every time they see each other. she also will constantly wear his scarf whenever they’re out.
Harry Sullivan- he would become the older brother she never had, and she would help him with coming to senses with more modern views. he always tries to sacrifice himself for her, of which she always patches him up afterwards.
Leela- Rose would beg her to teach her some of the fighting skills, just like how Rose would teach her a bit of stuff from her time on earth, and they would have a shit load of fun together.
K9- calls her Rose, with her insistence. best dog/girl duo ever.
Romana- in her first body they would fight. a lot. Rose would think of her as too posh and stuck up, and Romana would think of her as below her. her second body, however, they would slowly start to become friends, and by the time they separate would be extremely close.
Adric- he acts like a brat to her, which she quickly puts a stop to and they become a sibling duo, constantly bickering with each other and driving the Doctor mad. but, they have that true sibling relationship where it’s “only I can insult them and we’ll insult you together”
Tegan- fashion and music buddies. they constantly share and talk about their taste in fashion, music, and women(because nobody in Doctor Who is straight) 100% gossip buddies
Nyssa- like Victoria, Rose becomes an older sister sort of figure to Nyssa after her planet dies. but, Rose also loves to learn about things from Nyssa about science, and Rose also loves to teach her about earth during her time.
The Fifth Doctor- puppy love. that’s what it is. they would have an almost childish love, the type that just gives and gives freely. they would argue very little, yet when they do they make up almost immediately.
Turlough- Rose would definitely figure out what he was doing with the Black Guardian, and change him earlier than cannon. they would have a fun little sibling bond, making fun of each other and making jokes a lot.
Peri- gossip and joke buddies. the two make fun of the Doctor, that random dude who was rude, you name it. they share fashion advice, and Rose beats people up while Peri yells at them. it’s a nice little match.
The Sixth Doctor- they would absolutely have the same relationship as Rose does with the Ninth Doctor, that joking around one with the undertones of something completely serious between the two.
Mel- Rose would definitely eat shit food just to spite her off, then feel bad about it and either do one of her workouts or eat something she made. it’s a daily occurrence.
The Seventh Doctor- they would have a mix of Three and Two, a very old fashioned type of love but the mix of flirting everywhere they go. all the time. it pisses of Ace a lot.
Ace- an older sister type of role, Rose constantly blowing up stuff and beating people up with her. they would take down the government using nothing but their brains, their fists, and Ace’s homemade explosives.
The Eighth Doctor- very flirty-touchy-close romance. he constantly tucks her arm in his, or wraps an arm around her, or hugs her randomly. it’s more of Tenrose with a more innocent tone to it.
Grace- they would be friends. not terribly close, but when the Doctor would do something weird or stupid they would exchange a glance of shared amusement and tiredness.
And I know there’s more, but I haven’t heard the audiobooks yet so I don’t want to make any assumptions.
Classic Doctor Who + Headlines
Part 3