Won’t Somebody Think of the Children!?
Connor Johnston makes the case for the younger actors of Doctor Who.
With “In the Forest of Night” featuring a multitude of child actors, the familiar yet somewhat trivial moaning against young actors on Doctor Who has once again arisen. Personally, when young actors appear on screen I’ve never felt the unease that seems to inhabit some people’s minds; but rather the excitement that we could be viewing the origins of what could be one of the greatest actors or actresses of the next generation.
Doctor Who is a show that has undoubtedly benefited the careers of so many brilliant artists with their careers being boosted into successes once leaving the show. Two prime examples of this are most recently Matt Smith entering into the Terminator franchise and Karen Gillan scoring the role as one of the feature villains in this year’s Marvel blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy” – but why should the show’s capabilities in birthing legendary actors and actresses stop there when there is so much infinite potential and talent hidden away in the young people of our society? Today I plan on looking at some of the more notable roles played by child actors on Doctor Who in the past and hopefully prove to you how crucial they are to the production team of the show we all love so much.
The Prime Examples
One of my personal favourite episodes of all time, the criminally underrated “The Rings of Akhaten”, played host to one of the most surprisingly brilliant youth performances in Doctor Who history in the form of Emilia Jones portraying Merry Gejelh – the queen of years. In only a few scenes it is evident that Emilia’s hauntingly beautiful voice isn’t the only contributing factor to her casting. Such an array of scenes including touching moments with both the Doctor and Clara work to ensure that Emilia’s performance is one well beyond her years. It’s a performance that in my mind receives nowhere near enough praise and serves as a prime example to why young actors should be supported and endorsed on Doctor Who.
The challenge to not be outshined in a role you share with two other actors (Including the exceptional Michael Gambon) is one that would be admittedly extremely difficult, but it’s a challenge that Laurence Belcher rises to and successfully completes. Belcher’s performance is immediately humbling, through both his ability to portray a range of emotions including overwhelming joy, sadness and fear; and the spot on chemistry he shares with Matt Smith serves to make him and his role of Kazran Sardick one of the greatest fighting forces for child actors in Doctor Who.
One of the minor errors to the RTD era was both its use of and track record when it came to child actors. One of the iconic and successful cases of this however was the casting of Thomas Brodie-Sangster who was simply great as Tim Latimer in the renowned Series 3 two-parter “Human Nature / The Family of Blood”. It would be so easy to exaggerate Latimer’s psychic abilities or his association with the Doctor, but Brodie-Sangster is careful to keep the character grounded. A particularly striking performance culminates in a haunting monologue enrapturing everything that describes the Doctor.
The second Moffat Christmas special also included some standout roles in the form of both Cyril and Lily Arwell portrayed by Maurice Cole and Holly Earl, respectively. “The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe” is such a family centric episode, and the 2 honest performances of such young actors definitely enhances the deeper values of the script. Each of the characters bring something unique to the episode; the character of Cyril being instantly quirky and lovable and Lily’s strength and curiosity being a particular highlight of the plot.
Of course, who could forget one of the greatest young actresses of Doctor Who history, the very first “girl who waited” – Caitlin Blackwood, better known to us as a young Amelia Pond. We look back to the “Who” classic “The Eleventh Hour” and her performance is instantly perfect – each mannerism, each gesture and expression so undoubtedly Amy. The decision to introduce her to the audience first as a child is genius – we immediately form an affection for Amelia and relate quite nostalgically to the innocent idea of falling in love and establishing such a strong belief in something that to a child must feel so mystical and magical, something like the Doctor. It’s a feeling that Caitlin Blackwood portrays without fault, and continues to through her many appearances throughout Series 5, 6 and 7.
Spinoff Spotlight: The Sarah Jane Adventures
For further reason to support the casting and nurturing of child actors on Doctor Who, one need only look to the extremely well received Doctor Who spin-off “The Sarah Jane Adventures” which constantly served up prime examples of the benefits of young actors and actresses in the television industry. Each of the show’s main stars of each series offered performances well beyond their years, with specific praise going the way of Daniel Anthony (who portrayed Clyde Langer), Tommy Knight (who portrayed Luke Smith), Anjli Mohindra (who portrayed Rani Chandra), Yasmin Paige (who portrayed Maria Jackson) and last but not least Sinead Michael (who portrayed Sky Smith in Series 5). Due to their exemplary performances week after week, I would not only support but endorse the returns and integrations of any and all of these characters into the main series.
Series 8 spotlight
Regardless of how this weekend’s episode treats its child actors, Series 8 has already made a name for itself as one of the best talent utilizing series with not one, but 2 standout youth performances. The first of course being the mischievous and misunderstood Courtney Woods, portrayed sensationally by Ellis George. Appearing in cameo roles during “Deep Breath” and “Into the Dalek” – both “The Caretaker” and “Kill the Moon” featured the character in a main role. Courtney is a character that due to incredible depth in her writing and an honest, genuine performance is instantly easy to relate to. The character is best utilised in her second appearance, with her refreshingly un-annoying teenage personality adding morally complex shades to Hermione Norris’ cynical, pragmatic and dryly amusing older astronaut and being the support source for a struggling Clara while not fully realising the personal ramifications of the situation. Despite one or two flat lines, for the most part Ellis George’s Courtney Woods is arguably one of the strongest case for child actors we’ve had for a long time.
The second standout youth performance of series 8 so far it that of first time actor Remi Gooding, portraying “Rupert (Danny) Pink” in the much acclaimed fourth episode of the series: “Listen”. Remi brought to the role a certain innocence, and it definitely translates on the screen. More than that, the instant chemistry Gooding creates with both Clara and the Doctor is refreshing for someone on his limited acting experiences. If his short yet memorable appearance serves one purpose – it’s to show that Remi Gooding has a long and successful future ahead of him. Watch this space.
The Unfairly Criticized?
Of course it’s only fair in a debate to address both sides of the argument and so I’ll also be looking at 5 of the worst received young actors that have been part of the show. Chloe Webber played by Abisola Agbaje in Series two’s “Fear Her” is without doubt one of the most unpopular Doctor Who characters of all time. While I think that most of the character’s problems are could be blamed on the poor quality of the script, there is no denying that Abisola’s acting came through very wooden. As this is a “case for article” essentially I’m going to try and focus on what she did well. In a way, Chloe’s demeanor is almost representative of the fact she is “possessed” or overwhelmed by the Isouls. Ultimately at the end of the day I think the main fault of Chloe Webber’s tackiness is to be blamed on the writing – there are only so many ways an eight year old can say “Goodbye, I love you” without it sounding horrendous.
While not strictly a child actor due to being 18 at the time of filming, I’ve chosen also today to include a short look at the character of Adric portrayed by Matthew Waterhouse, to extend the debate into the Classic Who territory. Regarded by many (including myself) to be one of the worst companions of all time, Adric was never designed to be a likable character. Adric was a mathematical genius. He was very proud of his elite status and claimed it gave him superiority over others – not only was he a pigheaded egotistical twerp, but very often proved himself to be incredibly sexist. He was often fiercely competitive, yet frustrated by his clumsiness as he struggled to find a useful role in the TARDIS crew – and I’ll tell you I don’t think I’ve ever been on my feet waving “Go Cybermen” flags with the same passion ever since watching “Earthshock”. However as much as I hate to admit it; If a character is written with the intention of being utterly unlikable as to create an interesting dynamic within the TARDIS team and succeeds so well in that respect by having me cheer with glee during his death, then the actor in question has done a magnificent job. Waterhouse performed week after week true to his character, and aside from my personal hatred for the role; it’s a performance that by being so honest to the script and personality of the character really deserves more praise then it’s given.
One of the child actors that has faced a fair amount of backlash from the public after his one off appearance in the Series 6 “Night Terrors” is Jamie Oram who portrayed the main character of the episode: George. This addition in my mind should have been mentioned in the “Prime Examples” section of the article – but due to wanting to avoid a public massacre George ends up being a case to defend rather than an example to set. I personally find no fault in in this young actor’s performance. Yes he is an unobtrusive and tranquil character – but isn’t that the point? Of being scared to the point of being petrified… so scared that his plea reaches the Doctor? Jamie, at the age of 8 portrays the unexplainable fear that we have all felt once or twice in our lives perfectly, where at night-time our paranoia and unstable state of mind create the horrors of the darkness – their terror only restricted by the darkest corners of our imagination. George will for me always be one of the greatest arguments for child actors in Doctor Who and undoubtedly the most unfairly criticized of all time.
Finally, we come to some of the most recent child actors featured in the show, most notably during Series 7’s “Nightmare in Silver”: Angie and Artie (otherwise known as the Maitland Children) portrayed by Eve De Leon Allen and Kassius Carey Johnson respectively. To put it bluntly: the characters are horrible. Angie is written without any depth whatsoever and struggles to exceed stereotypes of selfish and unappreciative modern day teenagers – Yawn. There is so much potential to explore in her hard shell interior and delve into how intelligent she is, and it is completely ignored – though the same process was adapted (much more successfully) for Courtney this series.
Her brother Artie fairs a little better in public opinion… but only because of the ridiculous lack of screen time he is devoted. There is an overwhelming potential for such a young boy with an incredible amount of intellect and once again it is not only under-utilized, but also completely ignored. Both Eve and Kassius perform extremely well with the content they are given, particularly when they are taken over by the Cybermen and fail to falter in scenes when they are described to be in a walking coma – something that is not an easy feat for 2 actors lacking such experience. It’s my firm belief that any hatred towards the characters (neither of them specifically meant to be likeable) should be directed to the lack of depth and characterisation in respect of how they were written. To paraphrase Jessica Rabbit: “They’re not terrible, their just written that way!”
Give the Kid a Break!
Today I’ve looked at both the better received child roles and defended some of the appearances I’ve felt have come under unfair levels of criticism. However – perhaps the only group that is in need of being addressed is the fandom itself, specifically the vocal minority who seem to think it’s at all acceptable to insult and throw such aggressive hate the way of such young and somewhat delicate individuals. Some of the hateful and cruel words that are thrown around during conversations about child actors have gotten to the point of insanity as personal attacks have started to become seen as an acceptable way to debate. These kids are not invincible and untouchable just because they have appeared on Doctor Who. We need to remember that these celebrities of the Whoniverse are still people too, more than that they are children!
Regardless of whether you like or dislike their characters or their portrayal when it comes to Doctor Who; there should always be an undying respect for them as human beings and a consideration for them as children. The aim of the fandom should always be to encourage the growth and development of young talent – not smash it to the ground. We need only look at and feel sorry for Abisola Agbaje – who at the age of 11 gave up on acting and sacrificed her potential talent after the horrific abhorrence thrown her way post “Fear her”, and look in admiration at Eve De Leon Allen who took it all her stride sending sassy Twitter comebacks to those who sent hate mail, to see the way some people act towards these young spirits is a real issue. At the end of the day getting a role on Doctor Who is probably equally one of most terrifying, exciting and rewarding moments in these actors life – and to get to that stage is an achievement in itself that should not be underestimated.
The Future
I hope I’ve shown today that even though occasionally there are young actors on Doctor Who that haven’t reached the pinnacle of their abilities, there is still and overwhelming majority of child actors we’ve had that have absolutely gone beyond our expectations and delivered performances well beyond their years.
It must also be mentioned that the show is not averse to casting mature aged adults whose acting abilities are in places troubled – automatically the Van Boring Brothers spring to mind. It really isn’t an actor’s or actress’ age that define their talent at all, and with a generation of young actors overflowing with potential and ability it would be a crime punishable by hiatus for Doctor Who to ignore the opportunity to highlight some of our freshest talent.
Even when a performance fails to be specifically memorable, never is there an excuse to criticise such young spirits with such an aggression we’ve seen so many times before. The aim of the fandom should always be to encourage the growth and development of young talent – not smash it to the ground. In this week’s “fairy-tale thriller” we can look forward to appreciating the talents of Abigail Eames, Ashley Foster and Jaydon Harris-Wallace – and I plead to you all to try your hardest to anticipate their appearances with optimism and support keeping in mind what an unbelievably scary time this must be for such young spirits. Who knows… perhaps we might be about to witness the birth of the next big star.
