Kids and Doctor Who - Doctor Who and Torchwood

chuk · 10-11-2009, 22:36

I've just got a quick question

At what age do you let your children watch Dr. Who? I have a 4yr old, a 3 yr old and a 4 month old baby, and sometime in the future I look forward to getting my DVDs out and enjoying them with the kids.

I personally say about 8 (with care), but when I said that to my wife, she was a bit horrified. (different culture to the UK), even when I explain that I was about 8 when I started watching Jon Pertwee etc etc

Anyway, loving the new Who, loving the New Doctor Who fan threads, especially the first thread, a special journey, loving the hype

enough to bring me out of digitalspy retirement

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Cmwatt · 10-11-2009, 23:18

I think it really depends on the temperment of the child, and their interest. My daughter was 6 and a half. I didn't try to make her watch, I just let her be around when I was watching. And some episodes I made sure she didn't see (the shakespeare code for example). plus I always watched Doctor Who confidential so she quickly learnt that it is men in costumes / done with computers. she understands the difference between david tennant the person and the Doctor the character. it is more emotional scenes that disturb her than scary monsters. But I still vet all new episodes, and she herself decided last weeks sarah jane adventures was "too freaky".
Now she is nearly 8 she is watching old dvds of 3, 4 and 5 and knows them better than me. She even commented last week after making a bad choice that she would go back and change her mind but she "can't go back and change her own timeline because it would cause a paradox and rip a hole in the universe".

DavetheScot · 10-11-2009, 23:27

I think I was about 7 when I started watching. I don't think I entirely followed the plots, but I wasn't traumatised either.

That said, the effects are better now and maybe the stories are scarier. I think you'd just have to play it by ear based on your knowledge of your own kids.

chuk · 10-11-2009, 23:32

OK thanks very much, so my guess of 8 seems reasonable and there are probably a few episodes that are OK earlier.

(one of them has a t-shirt with a Judoon on the front and loves it and I have shown him the part when the Doctor visits the Shadow Proclamation to show him where it comes from)

OK I have this to look forward to in a few years time

, current TV issue is explaining that all the main characters in Gigglebiz are the same man.

dgembadgemba · 11-11-2009, 07:59

My 2 yr old loves "doctor doo" although most of the scare factor goes over her head. My nephew was 5 when he really started watching. My brother would watch an episode first and check its suitability. although i dont think there has been one of "new who" that he deemed unsuitable

dgembadgemba · 11-11-2009, 08:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuk

OK thanks very much, so my guess of 8 seems reasonable and there are probably a few episodes that are OK earlier.

(one of them has a t-shirt with a Judoon on the front and loves it and I have shown him the part when the Doctor visits the Shadow Proclamation to show him where it comes from)

OK I have this to look forward to in a few years time

, current TV issue is explaining that all the main characters in Gigglebiz are the same man.

I feel your pain. Now she keeps calling him Mr tumble in a dress

chuffnobbler · 11-11-2009, 11:49

What about starting young'uns off with the Sarah Jane series?

I'd vet each individual DW episode separately to confirm child-friendliness. There is bound to be a different reaction to each episode, and something that adults take for granted may freak out a child ... but another child may not even notice that "scary bit". Each child is different, after all.

I was terrified by the Melkur (Keeper of Traken, 1981), but other kids weren't. (I was terrified by Erasmus Darkening in SJA, last week, but other people in their mid-30s weren't...)

Rolnikov · 11-11-2009, 11:52

Wow, glad my parents let me watch it before I was eight... My first story would have been Logopolis instead of The Robots of Death!

stud u like · 11-11-2009, 11:56

I watched it when I was 4 in 1976. I did remember the only thing that scared me was the laboratory scene in "City Of Death" in 1979 with the scientist being turned into a skeleton and The Count removing his mask to show off the Jagaroth green head beneath.

Rolnikov · 11-11-2009, 11:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuffnobbler

What about starting young'uns off with the Sarah Jane series?

I'd vet each individual DW episode separately to confirm child-friendliness. There is bound to be a different reaction to each episode, and something that adults take for granted may freak out a child ... but another child may not even notice that "scary bit". Each child is different, after all.

I was terrified by the Melkur (Keeper of Traken, 1981), but other kids weren't. (I was terrified by Erasmus Darkening in SJA, last week, but other people in their mid-30s weren't...)

I was terrified by the concept of entropy! Still am in fact.

My daughter's almost six and all her friends watch SJA (and play it at breaktime), but only a lucky few get to watch Doctor Who and Primeval.

stud u like · 11-11-2009, 12:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rolnikov

I was terrified by the concept of entropy! Still am in fact.

My daughter's almost six and all her friends watch SJA (and play it at breaktime), but only a lucky few get to watch Doctor Who and Primeval.

We used to play "Planet Of The Apes" and "Blakes 7" but sadly never "Doctor Who".

Jamesda · 11-11-2009, 12:45

My son started watching when he was five, but he only sees episodes after we have watched them first to check for suitability. Generally those episodes that involve some sort of psychological thing we don't let him watch. Not sure about the Waters of Mars, but we'll watch it first again and see how scary it really is.

Where it is a good old fashioned monster like the Daleks chasing somebody, he's OK with those, because he knows it is just somebody in a costume pretending to be a monster.

In fact, we found the best way to introduce him to Doctor Who was to allow him to watch Confidential first. This actually shows people getting into the monster costumes for example, and shows the sets and the green screens. So he can clearly see that nothing is real. He's quite happy with just watching this rather than the full episode if that's what we say it's going to be.

SpringheelJack · 11-11-2009, 13:13

My nephew is five, going on six this Christmas, and he has no problem - he doesn't even find it scary. He actually caught some UK Gold Series 1 day of repeats at the age of three and loved them from that point onwards. And that's amazing, because it nothing else, a three year old shouldn't be able to sit for 50 minutes over and over without getting bored, or a little freaked.

Although I think RTD was incredibly clever with tone in Series 1 - fun and light for the first couple of episodes, with, at times, aliens being as lovable and as funny as they could be scary and dangerous, before a touch of horror, then back to fart gags and silliness, before the darkness really set in.

However, I know children as young as four who can't even watch it, along with Merlin and Primeval (which I have a bigger problem with for a being sold as a "family show") even if they understand it's not real.

I think you have to be sensible about how well you know your child, and what they can and can't seem to understand and how tolerant they can be of scary themes. Harry Potter has got progressively darker and kids are still fine with that, and Who is very strict; no blood, no guts, no overt distress and the good guy always wins.

SpringheelJack · 11-11-2009, 13:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamesda

In fact, we found the best way to introduce him to Doctor Who was to allow him to watch Confidential first. This actually shows people getting into the monster costumes for example, and shows the sets and the green screens. So he can clearly see that nothing is real. He's quite happy with just watching this rather than the full episode if that's what we say it's going to be.

That's a REALLY good idea. Bravo!

Bezmina · 11-11-2009, 14:13

However I remember being 7 and my folks making me watch "The making of Thriller" film so I wouldn't be scared everytime I heard the song (little did they realise it was really fear of Vincent Prices voice) and then I had nightmares for 6 weeks about row upon row of decomposing zombie head masks in the workshop so that didn't work for me.
I was a wuss though.
However Doctor Who I watched from as young as I can remember - am the baby of the family so I had to watch what my sisters did and I was only ever scared of the Daleks really.

JohnFlawbod · 11-11-2009, 14:50

I started watching DW by osmosis - I was asleep aged 2 when Pat Troughton was made to regenerate...my first memory is of "Terror of the Autons" and my all-abiding memory is my Dad switching off the end of "Brain of Morbius" when the brain dropped on the floor and Solon picked it up...because MY DAD didn't like it and thought it was sick: I have never forgiven him

edEx · 11-11-2009, 14:54

I remember being scared witless by The Stones of Blood. All that sacrifice stuff and then the stones moving was pretty damn terrifying, but in the main I loved Dr. Who even at an early age.

DavetheScot · 11-11-2009, 23:39

Sometimes kids aren't scared by the episodes I think are scary, but are scared by those I think aren't!

My nephews had no problem at all with The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit or Blink, but New Earth gave them nightmares.

wildbill_hicock · 11-11-2009, 23:46

I got in real trouble with my sister for letting (making) my four year old nephew watch blink with me.

dizzywhore_1804 · 12-11-2009, 00:04

Gawd, my nephews (six and four, i think) watch it all the time, as far as I know without any sort of vetting.

They decide for themselves which ones are scary and which are not - when they come to my house they always want to watch my DVDs of the new series, but will tell me which ones they don't like.

Muttley76 · 12-11-2009, 00:19

My sister has just started to introduce my niece to DW via SJA. My niece is just coming up 4 now, bless her.

Gutted Girl · 12-11-2009, 02:46

Are the BBC still doing The Fear Factor?

When Doctor Who came back the youngest of the children chosen was 4 IIRC and it was designed as a guide for parents.

I remember being really desturbed by The Dæmons when I was 6. I had however just come out of nearly a year being educated by Nuns, which was very scary.

PlasticGob · 12-11-2009, 12:20

My eldest has been watching since she was 4 and my youngest since 3 months old! :-)

Rorschach · 12-11-2009, 13:00

My five year old daughter is scared of Doctor Who and doesn't even like seeing pictures of it.

Her six year old friend next door has watched it since she was four, loves it and has the bedsheets and toy K9.

So it's certainly down to the child.

swampwizard · 12-11-2009, 16:17

My daughter starting watching around 3 (she's now 5). She was mesmerised by the aliens especially the slithereen. She now does Dalek impressions. Funny when she watched Torchwood and did the "we are coming" with her finger pointing to the sky.

So really it all depends on how the child takes it. With a Dad into sci-fi she's got no choice this sunday lol

10-11-2009, 22:36	#1
chuk Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Zürich Posts: 9	Kids and Doctor Who I've just got a quick question At what age do you let your children watch Dr. Who? I have a 4yr old, a 3 yr old and a 4 month old baby, and sometime in the future I look forward to getting my DVDs out and enjoying them with the kids. I personally say about 8 (with care), but when I said that to my wife, she was a bit horrified. (different culture to the UK), even when I explain that I was about 8 when I started watching Jon Pertwee etc etc Anyway, loving the new Who, loving the New Doctor Who fan threads, especially the first thread, a special journey, loving the hype enough to bring me out of digitalspy retirement Last Login

10-11-2009, 23:18	#2
Cmwatt Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 15	I think it really depends on the temperment of the child, and their interest. My daughter was 6 and a half. I didn't try to make her watch, I just let her be around when I was watching. And some episodes I made sure she didn't see (the shakespeare code for example). plus I always watched Doctor Who confidential so she quickly learnt that it is men in costumes / done with computers. she understands the difference between david tennant the person and the Doctor the character. it is more emotional scenes that disturb her than scary monsters. But I still vet all new episodes, and she herself decided last weeks sarah jane adventures was "too freaky". Now she is nearly 8 she is watching old dvds of 3, 4 and 5 and knows them better than me. She even commented last week after making a bad choice that she would go back and change her mind but she "can't go back and change her own timeline because it would cause a paradox and rip a hole in the universe".

10-11-2009, 23:27	#3
DavetheScot Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 4,537	I think I was about 7 when I started watching. I don't think I entirely followed the plots, but I wasn't traumatised either. That said, the effects are better now and maybe the stories are scarier. I think you'd just have to play it by ear based on your knowledge of your own kids.

10-11-2009, 23:32	#4
chuk Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Zürich Posts: 9	OK thanks very much, so my guess of 8 seems reasonable and there are probably a few episodes that are OK earlier. (one of them has a t-shirt with a Judoon on the front and loves it and I have shown him the part when the Doctor visits the Shadow Proclamation to show him where it comes from) OK I have this to look forward to in a few years time , current TV issue is explaining that all the main characters in Gigglebiz are the same man.

11-11-2009, 07:59	#5
dgembadgemba Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Professional Voyeur Posts: 7,358	My 2 yr old loves "doctor doo" although most of the scare factor goes over her head. My nephew was 5 when he really started watching. My brother would watch an episode first and check its suitability. although i dont think there has been one of "new who" that he deemed unsuitable

11-11-2009, 11:49	#7
chuffnobbler Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 2,538	What about starting young'uns off with the Sarah Jane series? I'd vet each individual DW episode separately to confirm child-friendliness. There is bound to be a different reaction to each episode, and something that adults take for granted may freak out a child ... but another child may not even notice that "scary bit". Each child is different, after all. I was terrified by the Melkur (Keeper of Traken, 1981), but other kids weren't. (I was terrified by Erasmus Darkening in SJA, last week, but other people in their mid-30s weren't...)

11-11-2009, 11:52	#8
Rolnikov Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Services: Sky Digital, 240GB Tivo, Telewest Broadband Posts: 720	Wow, glad my parents let me watch it before I was eight... My first story would have been Logopolis instead of The Robots of Death!

11-11-2009, 11:56	#9
stud u like Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Sunny Side Of The Street Services: masculine men with passion! Posts: 17,563 Blog Entries: 14	I watched it when I was 4 in 1976. I did remember the only thing that scared me was the laboratory scene in "City Of Death" in 1979 with the scientist being turned into a skeleton and The Count removing his mask to show off the Jagaroth green head beneath.

11-11-2009, 12:45	#12
Jamesda Forum Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Surrey Services: Freeview Posts: 24	My son started watching when he was five, but he only sees episodes after we have watched them first to check for suitability. Generally those episodes that involve some sort of psychological thing we don't let him watch. Not sure about the Waters of Mars, but we'll watch it first again and see how scary it really is. Where it is a good old fashioned monster like the Daleks chasing somebody, he's OK with those, because he knows it is just somebody in a costume pretending to be a monster. In fact, we found the best way to introduce him to Doctor Who was to allow him to watch Confidential first. This actually shows people getting into the monster costumes for example, and shows the sets and the green screens. So he can clearly see that nothing is real. He's quite happy with just watching this rather than the full episode if that's what we say it's going to be.

11-11-2009, 13:13	#13
SpringheelJack Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Sauf Lan'den Posts: 215	My nephew is five, going on six this Christmas, and he has no problem - he doesn't even find it scary. He actually caught some UK Gold Series 1 day of repeats at the age of three and loved them from that point onwards. And that's amazing, because it nothing else, a three year old shouldn't be able to sit for 50 minutes over and over without getting bored, or a little freaked. Although I think RTD was incredibly clever with tone in Series 1 - fun and light for the first couple of episodes, with, at times, aliens being as lovable and as funny as they could be scary and dangerous, before a touch of horror, then back to fart gags and silliness, before the darkness really set in. However, I know children as young as four who can't even watch it, along with Merlin and Primeval (which I have a bigger problem with for a being sold as a "family show") even if they understand it's not real. I think you have to be sensible about how well you know your child, and what they can and can't seem to understand and how tolerant they can be of scary themes. Harry Potter has got progressively darker and kids are still fine with that, and Who is very strict; no blood, no guts, no overt distress and the good guy always wins.

11-11-2009, 14:13	#15
Bezmina Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,458	However I remember being 7 and my folks making me watch "The making of Thriller" film so I wouldn't be scared everytime I heard the song (little did they realise it was really fear of Vincent Prices voice) and then I had nightmares for 6 weeks about row upon row of decomposing zombie head masks in the workshop so that didn't work for me. I was a wuss though. However Doctor Who I watched from as young as I can remember - am the baby of the family so I had to watch what my sisters did and I was only ever scared of the Daleks really.

11-11-2009, 14:50	#16
JohnFlawbod Forum Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: City of London Services: Freeview Posts: 2,225	I started watching DW by osmosis - I was asleep aged 2 when Pat Troughton was made to regenerate...my first memory is of "Terror of the Autons" and my all-abiding memory is my Dad switching off the end of "Brain of Morbius" when the brain dropped on the floor and Solon picked it up...because MY DAD didn't like it and thought it was sick: I have never forgiven him

11-11-2009, 14:54	#17
edEx Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: El Centro de Londres Services: Tiscali TV+ 8MB, Freeview Posts: 3,179	I remember being scared witless by The Stones of Blood. All that sacrifice stuff and then the stones moving was pretty damn terrifying, but in the main I loved Dr. Who even at an early age.

11-11-2009, 23:39	#18
DavetheScot Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 4,537	Sometimes kids aren't scared by the episodes I think are scary, but are scared by those I think aren't! My nephews had no problem at all with The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit or Blink, but New Earth gave them nightmares.

11-11-2009, 23:46	#19
wildbill_hicock Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 8	I got in real trouble with my sister for letting (making) my four year old nephew watch blink with me.

12-11-2009, 00:04	#20
dizzywhore_1804 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 48	Gawd, my nephews (six and four, i think) watch it all the time, as far as I know without any sort of vetting. They decide for themselves which ones are scary and which are not - when they come to my house they always want to watch my DVDs of the new series, but will tell me which ones they don't like.

12-11-2009, 00:19	#21
Muttley76 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Hiding from the Waters of Mars Services: Carrot Juice Posts: 63,196	My sister has just started to introduce my niece to DW via SJA. My niece is just coming up 4 now, bless her.

12-11-2009, 02:46	#22
Gutted Girl Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Services: Sky Digital Posts: 1,947	Are the BBC still doing The Fear Factor? When Doctor Who came back the youngest of the children chosen was 4 IIRC and it was designed as a guide for parents. I remember being really desturbed by The Dæmons when I was 6. I had however just come out of nearly a year being educated by Nuns, which was very scary.

12-11-2009, 12:20	#23
PlasticGob Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 964	My eldest has been watching since she was 4 and my youngest since 3 months old! :-)

12-11-2009, 13:00	#24
Rorschach Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 2,265	My five year old daughter is scared of Doctor Who and doesn't even like seeing pictures of it. Her six year old friend next door has watched it since she was four, loves it and has the bedsheets and toy K9. So it's certainly down to the child.

12-11-2009, 16:17	#25
swampwizard Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 279	My daughter starting watching around 3 (she's now 5). She was mesmerised by the aliens especially the slithereen. She now does Dalek impressions. Funny when she watched Torchwood and did the "we are coming" with her finger pointing to the sky. So really it all depends on how the child takes it. With a Dad into sci-fi she's got no choice this sunday lol