Another BBC show has been destroyed by political box-ticking, rampant ageism, and mind-boggling diversity quotas, according to Mark Dolan. The opinion piece comes after Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies sensationally quit amid tumbling ratings and accusations that the once-great franchise has become too woke.
Doctor Who's Decline
Dolan, who grew up in the 1980s watching Doctor Who, describes the show as once being unmissable television, featuring an eccentric scarf-wielding timelord, endless intergalactic battles, and terrifying daleks that could only be defeated by a flight of stairs. However, he claims the show has since become a finger-wagging borefest, filled with lefty messaging about climate change, immigration, and Donald Trump. One particular storyline featured non-binary aliens, which Dolan finds confusing, noting that aren't all aliens non-binary?
The axing of Doctor Who follows the cancellation of other BBC stalwarts like Football Focus and Question of Sport, which Dolan attributes to the same issues. He quips that it's amazing they didn't paint a giant rainbow flag on the Tardis.
World Cup Fever and England's Hopes
Dolan also touches on World Cup fever, expressing hope that Scotland can go further than Nicola Sturgeon's motorhome, but pinning greatest hopes on England's 11 men, particularly Harry Kane's golden boot. He notes that while not everyone is happy the manager is German, he couldn't care less if he's from Outer Mongolia, as long as he can end six decades of pain.
Labour's Pensioner Policy Under Fire
In a separate segment, Dolan criticises Labour's pensioner policy, arguing that the winter fuel policy is a betrayal of pensioners. He references a left-wing think-tank, the Resolution Foundation, whose former chief executive is now the Pensions Minister, Torsten Bell. The foundation has suggested scrapping the triple lock, claiming it would save £650 million a year. Dolan argues that this would plunge hundreds of thousands of pensioners into poverty.
He describes the triple lock as a modest protection for millions who have worked hard, paid taxes, and played by the rules. He challenges Bell to live on the current state pension of £12,548 a year and consider if it's too generous. Dolan emphasises that pensioners are on fixed incomes and vulnerable to economic shocks like inflation or recession, unlike younger people who can re-enter the labour market or build a pension pot overnight.
He accuses Labour of seeing pensioners as rich fat cats sitting on mortgage-free houses and vast savings, noting that pensioner poverty jumped by 300,000 between 2012 and 2022. He warns that scrapping the triple lock would increase that number, calling it shameful.
