When we did 'Thirtysomething,' television was either about doctors, lawyers, or cops.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
We kind of forget because what television tends to do with these professions like lawyers and doctors and police officers, we create them on such a heroic level that you kind of forget that these are really people.
Back in the day, years ago, in 1988, the only TV I watched was 'Doctor Who' because I had children and two full-time jobs, and 'Doctor Who' was the exact length of time it took to do my nails, so I would watch 'Doctor Who' once a week!
We lived a lovely, middle-class, suburban life in Philadelphia. And I really thought that the TV programs of the '50s, like 'Father Knows Best' and 'The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet' Nelson were documentaries filmed with hidden cameras in our neighborhood.
There's room for a diversity of ages on television.
It wasn't until I got involved in 'Doctor Who' that I started doing dramas on television.
The whole tone now of TV is under 35 and directed toward males.
In the 1970s, there was a trend for all detectives on TV to have some quirk or gimmick, and this was often physical.
When I was younger, I watched all the detective shows.
25, 30 years ago, that meant something, they were making some money. And they were doing all sorts of comedy, screaming at the audience, basically crowd control. And then there was the whole urban comedy scene.
'Doctor Who' began as family television: a show that kids and their parents and grandparents can all watch, maybe even together, on the sofa.