Doctor Who and the Axis Of Evil

THE REIGN OF TERROR, The Enemy of the World, The Web of Fear, The Dominators, The Mind Robber, The Ambassadors of Death... How about Mindwarp?

B-movie madness? No, they're titles of Doctor Who serials from the past 45 years or so, and they could all be applied to one of the latest episodes, filming for which is mooted to be in Dubai. Gareth McLean at The Guardian has written an excellent article on why "this most progressive of programmes should not be filming... in such an unsavoury place."

"The BBC, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to film... in Dubai. That's the Dubai that isn't a democracy. Dubai with its dubious human rights record, appalling treatment of migrant workers and flagrant disregard for the environment. Dubai, where you can be arrested for being gay and jailed for up to 10 years. To that list, you can now add - because you can be sure the emirate's tourist board will - Dubai: location for BBC1 hit drama Doctor Who. Come! Bring your children!" He has a point. Doctor Who, in its 21st century incarnation, is the product of Russell T. Davies, the man who gave us Queer As Folk. Doctor Who, the gayest science fiction drama series in history (despite, or perhaps because of, its historic unsexiness), oughtn't be party to Islamic fundamentalism (ha! Doctor Who and Islamic fundamentalism in the same sentence - that's jokes, blud). I'm ashamed to say I wasn't aware of the extent of the human rights/environmental abuses in the UAE, although I had a rough idea and none of what I've learned is surprising. But it is appalling. As McClean argues, "There is no justification for filming in Dubai... By filming there, the BBC and Doctor Who are lending Dubai credibility and respectability - neither of which it deserves. What's more, it's a move that totally goes against everything that the Doctor as a character stands for. At best, filming Doctor Who in Dubai is stupid. At worst, it's hypocritical - and it's hypocrisy fuelled by hubris at that. What would the Doctor do?"