Newcastle Spoken Word Performer Celebrates Dr Who’s 60th Anniversary With Return of Sell Out Neurodiversity Show
Stand up poet and Radio 4 regular, Whitley Bay based Kate Fox is bringing her sellout spoken word theatre show “Bigger on the Inside” to the Lit and Phil Library in Newcastle on Wednesday 29th Nov.
She is reviving the show, which helped relaunch Gosforth Civic Theatre’s opening weekend in August, to coincide with the BBC’s 60th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who (which was first broadcast on November 23rd 1963) and will host a question and answer session after the show about what Doctor Who has to teach us about neurodiversity (that is- the acceptance of conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and Tourettes).
Fox says: “I’ve noticed that audiences for the show have changed since I started trying out an early version before the pandemic. There are now lots more adults who are working out what their own new diagnoses of things like ADHD mean for them- and realise they’ve been trying to fit into a world that doesn’t always accommodate them. Also, parents and young people struggling to cope with a school system that still isn’t as neurodiversity friendly as it could be."
Many Doctor Who fans are neurodivergent and find a reflection of themselves in science fiction. I’ve been a fan of the show since the Peter Davison era in the 1980s and, particularly since the new Who in 2005 have found it really resonated with me emotionally. Since I was diagnosed as autistic in 2017, the same year that a fellow Northern woman, Jodie Whittaker became the first female Doctor, my identification with the character has only increased and I began to realise I could use the show to explore my diagnosis and how it has impacted my identity- and how society as a whole treats people who are different”.
The show uses stand up, poetry and theatre to explore the issues and a “TARDISH”, a small version of the show’s famous time machine, takes us back and forward through time to explore key points in history. They include 1963 when Doctor Who started, and also the organisation which is now the National Autistic Society, and 1989 when the film “Rain Man” set up reinforced stereotypes of autism, the “Aspergers” diagnosis became more widely available and Doctor Who was cancelled.
The BBC is airing three shows in November, written by Russell T Davies and featuring David Tennant returning as the Doctor, to celebrate the show’s 60th anniversary. Fox hopes her audience will have had the opportunity to watch the shows and then be able to celebrate and discuss them together.
The Lit and Phil show will also feature music from Whovian and local legend, singer-songwriter Simma, who will join the Question and Answer session.
For more information and to book tickets visit www.litandphil.org.uk/events/bigger-on-the-inside-dr-who-and-neurodiversity/.
