Seen in The Stage today, an article about the BBC commissioning new science fiction radio plays:
BBC Radio 4 commissioning editor Jeremy Howe said the success of Doctor Who meant actors are keen to appear in science fiction productions.
“There is a queue of people wanting to be in science fiction, because it’s seen to be sexy,†he said.
Wow. (Hat tip to Maura).
Yeah, I’m sorta bemused by this. In a good way.
From an actors point of view sf shows tend to mean franchises and continued employment, which is always A Good Thing in their profession.
But, I guess the last ten years of shows like Buffy, BSG, Dr. Who, etc. have made the genre more acceptable.
I do think that if you asked most of the legions of fans of the show if they liked science fiction they might not admit to it. It’s funny the mental compartmentalisation that goes on.
On the other hand, to me the biggest sign of a sea change is a show like The Big Bang Theory, which is stuffed full of nerds, science, and references to new technology (I particularly loved the recent episode about Online Gaming). That the Hollwyood executives agreed to a show that seems like it would only appeal to a narrow audience indicates the reverse: the Geeks are inheriting the Earth.
And I suspect that will bring with it a new breed of problems. 😉
Yep, very soon you’ll be able to get treatment for WoW addiction on the NHS. 🙂