Shaping the image of late Victorian London in the television series “Doctor Who” of the 1970s. (“The Talons of Weng-Chiang”)

Abstract

The article explores the issue of constructing the image of late Victorian London in one of the classic Doctor Who stories, “The Talons of Weng-Chiang”, which tells of the confrontation between the Doctor and the mad scientist Magnus Greel posing as a Chinese deity in 1889’s London. The script of Robert Holmes provided this story with attention and love not only of the viewers of the 1970s, but also those of our time. However, today’s Western audience, paying tribute to the inventiveness of the author, is inclined to see manifestations of racism in the way Chinese characters – the inhabitants of Limehouse – are presented in the script. Casting also seems to be questionable, or rather, the choice of actor John Bennett for the role of Chinese stage magician Li H’sen Chang. The problematization of the “Chinese” theme in “The Talons of Weng-Chiang” makes us turn to the specifics of perception of China and the Chinese in British literary texts of the 19^th century. Futhermore, the article analyzes other references to British literature of that time, including the character of Sherlock Holmes. It also considers the interpretation of topics relevant to Western culture of the 19^th century, such as progress, civilization and “savagery”. The subject of consideration is also the features of the visual representation of London.