Doctor Who herself shares social distancing advice

Doctor Who has done it once again: brought a smile on our faces during some dark times. Over the past few weeks, the fandom and the series have come together to spread joy and bring everyone together as they find themselves stuck at home.

And now, it continues. The BBC posted a video of Jodie Whittaker dressed up as the Doctor providing some social distancing advice. “United we stand, 2m apart.” It’s hard to find things to laugh and smile about these days, so efforts like this are very much appreciated:

The fandom has been coming together with the cast and crew lately for watch parties, with former showrunners like Steven Moffat — who managed the show during the runs of the eleventh and twelfth Doctors — providing us with brand-new Doctor Who short stories like “The Terror Of The Umpty Ums.” (It’s great!)

Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Moffat talked about why Doctor Who has been such a wonderful means of escape during these times. “Doctor Who’s quite a sort of positive show, and it’s very much connected with children and with your own childhood,” he said. “It’s a world of certainties where kindness and tolerance always work out. So if you’re going to cling to a story or fairy tale, something like Doctor Who’s is going to fit the bill.”

As a long-time fan, I absolutely agree with this. Watching the series, you’re transported into a completely different world filled with inspiration, magic, the unknown, and characters you can relate to. Even if for just a few moments, you can forget about the worries of the world.

It was wonderful to read Moffat’s story about the 13th Doctor, as it was his first time writing for her. “It just felt right to me to write the current one,” he said. “It’s quite a big decision to say ‘Oh it’s going to be Peter Capaldi, or Matt Smith, or Tom Baker.’ That doesn’t feel as current. And it was lovely to write Jodie’s Doctor – I found it quite easy. It’s a very vivid portrayal, Jodie and Chris have set down very clear lines about how she operates and how she talks. And of course, a lot of the Doctor is just the Doctor! It’s mostly the Doctor with a tiny bit of this Doctor. I’m kind of used to the Doctor, and I’m kind of used to writing different ones.”

I appreciate that past and present Doctor Who creatives have come forth during this time. It makes us feel more connected. With Moffat producing new Doctor Who stories, it feels like he’s running the show again! “Obviously it’s nice to see people try and generate some material for folk stuck at home,” he said. “There’s precious little you can do with an irrelevant skillset like being a writer during a crisis. So the little you can do… it’d be churlish not to do it…I always said I’d come back to Doctor Who if there was an emergency. What else would you call this?”

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