WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch 'Don't make me go back': post-feminist retreatism in Doctor Who Franke, A. and Nicol, D. This is an author accepted manuscript of an article published by Intellect in the Journal of Popular Television, 6 (2), pp. 197-211. The final definitive version is available online: https://dx.doi.org/10.1386/jptv.6.2.197_1 © 2018 Intellect The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Whilst further distribution of specific materials from within this archive is forbidden, you may freely distribute the URL of WestminsterResearch: ((http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/). In case of abuse or copyright appearing without permission e-mail
[email protected] ‘Don’t Make Me Go Back’: Post-Feminist Retreatism in Doctor Who By Alyssa Franke and Danny Nicol ABSTRACT In post-2005 Doctor Who the female companion has become a seminal figure. This article shows how closely the narratives of the companions track contemporary notions of post- feminism. In particular, companions’ departures from the programme have much in common with post-feminism’s master-theme of retreatism, whereby women retreat from their public lives to find fulfilment in marriage, home and family. The article argues that when companions leave the TARDIS, what happens next ought to embody the sense of empowerment, purpose and agency which they have gained through their adventures, whereas too often the programme’s authors have given companions ‘happy endings’ based on finding husbands and settling down.