Jack, the series already had a touch of self-parody when I last saw it (in the 1980s), but most of the waffle was meant seriously (down to unintentionally funny). As I wrote above, in its best parts it played on existing clich&eaute;s such as Morris dancing.

I concede that sci-fi in general had its part in making our society (slightly) more sensitive to ethical problems of technology than it would have been without it. Nowadays, the most dangerous monsters are no longer as easy to identify as they seemed in HG Wells's time. Popular fiction must find new narratives. As far as I have read, the Doctor sticks to his "dinosaur" race, in all his "regenerations". Am I ill-informed?

Similar observations apply to the James Bond franchise, where the humour is even sparser.