h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ood and Weevils share something in common. They are both of an underclass, a bipedal non-human humanoid. What do they signify, in a subconscious manner?

Um, I wouldn't trust a Weevil to do the ironing?

Pass.

They signify a budget limited to making interesting latex masks for the head but which doesn't stretch to extraneous limbs, extra heads, or radically different body plans. They signify, in short, men in masks.

Did you see Cahterine Tate on Jonathon(sp?) Ross admitting she hadn't realised some of the aliens were people in suits? Very funny.

I was thinking about the way the Morlocks in H G Wells' Time Machine can be interpreted in terms of the terrible consequences of the class system. In a way, Ood and Weevils are a bit like Morlocks, sub-human(oid). I get the feeling there is some deeper message we could get from them. Maybe someone involved in both Torchwood and Who is showing their contempt for certain sections of society with these creatures.

Or,yes, maybe it's just a cheap way to make TV.

It's certainly possible to overanalyse these things.

The Daleks were intended to be an allegory of the Nazis, an idea most clearly and unambiguously shown in 1975 in "Genesis of the Daleks". They were never intended to be a comment on wheelchair users, for instance. They were, again, a design constrained by budget. Their designer Ray Cusick was looking for a way to affordably produce something menacing, human operable, but not resembling a humanoid form - a common challenge when so many TV monsters are clearly just guys in suits. He was inspired by the Georgian State Dancers, who'd been in Britain in the early sixties, women who had these long skirts and gave the impression of gliding across a dancefloor without detectable leg movement.

The Cybermen were a deliberate comment on the logical conclusion of transplant surgery and cybernetics.

However, the Sontarans, as far as I can tell, are just a cool bunch of hard bastards, and not any kind of comment on anything, unless it's the dangers of cloning or the possible downside of a diet heavy on potatoes...

SoRB

Sad rather than funny. She admitted she hasn't seen the Star wars films and has little interest in sci-fi. Perfect for the role then.

"She admitted she hasn't seen the Star wars films and has little interest in sci-fi. Perfect for the role then."

Bruno Ganz hadn't been to 1940's Berlin and had little interest in exterminating Jewish people. Still played a spine-chillingly good Hitler in Das Untergang...

"Sad rather than funny. She admitted she hasn't seen the Star wars films and has little interest in sci-fi. Perfect for the role then."


It's a thing called 'acting'.

""Sad rather than funny. She admitted she hasn't seen the Star wars films and has little interest in sci-fi. Perfect for the role then."

It's a thing called 'acting'. "

well, quite. We did once have a companion played by an actor who knew a great deal about Doctor Who, to the extent that he called himself a proper fan, and even read fanzines, he knew a great deal about SF in general as well - indeed his favourite author was Harlan Ellison.

His name was Matthew Waterhouse.

Draw your own conclusions.

<"Sad rather than funny. She admitted she hasn't seen the Star wars films and has little interest in sci-fi. Perfect for the role then."


It's a thing called 'acting'.>

In Tate's case 'allegedly'.

"

Sad rather than funny. She admitted she hasn't seen the Star wars films and has little interest in sci-fi. Perfect for the role then."

I'd say that yes, in a funny way it does make her perfect for the role. It's not as though the character is supposed to be a sci-fi geek, UFO enthusiast or familiar and comfortable with aliens, time travel and the like...

As for the Ood and Weevils, I'd say they're very different (other than the 'actors in latex masks' bit). Ood have been used to comment on slavery, which I can't see being a direction the weevils could be taken in.