Popular Culture Review Vol. 25, No. 1, Winter 2014 | Page 117

The Ever Expanding Universe of Doctor Who 113 departure he has taken from what seemed to be very fundamental beliefs. Only time will tell if the last of the Time Lords will return to his original ideals. From the onset of the new series, the dialogue of Doctor Who is riddled with Britishisms and Britishness. Jokes about accents and beans on toast immediately entrench viewers within the British culture, and consequently exclude those that reside outside the island. Americans know very little about the regional accents of the English; some are hard to distinguish while others are nearly impossible to understand for the inexperienced ear. In contrast, a compatriot can discern the speaker’s region of origin from just a few words. The show even plays on this idea, as Rose asks the Doctor, “If you are an alien, how come you sound like you’re from the North?” {Doctor Who “Rose”). These culture-specific references continue further on in the series as well. For instance, when Lady Cassandra, a woman reduced to nothing but a thin sheet of skin after undergoing hundreds of cosmetic procedures, transfers her consciousness into the body of Rose, the new Doctor’s first companion, she scrutinizes her reflection in a mirror and exclaims; “Oh my God, I’m a chav!” referring to Rose’s appearance {Doctor Who “New Earth”). A very trendy word in England when this episode aired, few Americans would have understood the word “chav” and its associated cultural and socio-economic implications; according to David Crystal, the term, in fact, had only recently been revived in contemporary British English. As well as using these more subtle aspects of Britishness, the show also pokes fun at their more traditional and well-known customs, with tea drinking and references to tea found all throughout the series. Indeed, it is this staple of British society which helps the Doctor to heal after his regeneration just in time to save the world yet again {Doctor Who “Christmas Invasion”). These tongue-in-cheek references to British culture continue even when the show leaves its homeland. In fact, the western episode showcases more memorable Britishisms than any other in reeent memory. The complete opposite of modern-day London, the Wild West town of Mercy serves to highlight each use of a foreign expression, for the vocabulary and culture these three British time-travelers bring to this setting make the references more overt, and eonsequently more comical. This may be the reason why there are more obvious references to British culture here than in most other episodes. For instance, the Doctor orders tea while in the western saloon and then proceeds to use the traditionally