Doctor Who: We need to talk about how amazing those Honest Trailers are

Earlier this month, we got not one but two Honest Trailers for Doctor Who. And both of them are absolutely brilliant.

Have you checked out either of the Honest Trailers for Doctor Who, yet? If not, do so as soon as possible. Both of them are absolutely amazing, whether you like Classic or New Who.

When I heard that Honest Trailers were going to be doing one for Doctor Who a few months back, I must admit, I was initially rather worried. Not that I don’t enjoy Honest Trailers. On the contrary, they can be absolutely hilarious to watch, even when I love the films or TV shows they’re parodying.

And it wasn’t that I couldn’t have a good laugh at Doctor Who, either. Comic Relief parody The Curse of Fatal Death, for example, was a hilarious tribute to the original series. (It’s still strange to think that it had been written by Steven Moffat, over half a decade before he wrote for the series properly with his first story, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.)

But a few years back, Screen Junkies had made a video about Doctor Who before called WTF is Doctor Who?! It wasn’t an Honest Trailer, just a look at the show between fans of the show and the host, who clearly wasn’t. The tone of it came across as a little condescending and more laughing at the show than laughing with it. So I was really worried when I heard that Screen Junkies were making an Honest Trailer for it.

A very honest (and genuinely funny) look

When an Honest Trailer was uploaded for Doctor Who, however, I was immediately surprised by two things. First, the fact that Honest Trailers had, surprisingly, done more than just one, tackling both the Classic and New Series seperately.

The second thing that surprised me was just how long each of those trailers were. The New Series trailer was almost ten minutes long, and the Classic Series trailer was just a minute or so less than that. So, on a whim, I decided to check out the trailer for the Classic Series first, as that was what I had grown up with.

It wasn’t long before I was both incredibly impressed and laughing so hard. The trailer was a huge improvement over Screen Junkie’s previous effort to look at the show. Both of the trailers were, in fact.

You can tell that the people who had made the Honest Trailers had actually watched the show, for one thing. And I mean a lot of it. So the moments that were poking fun at it were moments that virtually all fans had pointed out at some point.

Another thing I loved is that it also poked fun at the fandom. I love it, but this statement from the trailer is pretty much the most accurate summary of Doctor Who fandom ever:

"No matter which Doctor is operating the TARDIS, one thing remains constant: He is either the most overrated or underrated Doctor of all time, in either the most overrated or underrated era of the show."

It’s true. I’ve written before about how underrated the Sixth and Seventh Doctors are, after all. But these moments were more affectionate than, again, what we had seen before from Screen Junkies.

A nice bonus

More from Winter is Coming

The fact that Big Finish gets one or two mentions in the Classic Series trailer is also a huge bonus. That was something I wasn’t remotely expecting to get acknowledged, so for this huge fan, that definitely put a smile on my face.

So if you haven’t checked either of these trailers out, do so. Both of them are not only hilarious, but also painfully accurate. Certainly something that felt like it had been made by fans for the fans. Particularly when it asks the most important question of fandom:

"Why do Doctor Who fans get so angry every time people call him “Doctor Who”, when that’s what the show called him for eighteen years?!"

You’ve gotta admit, that’s a pretty good question.

Next. Recap: The TARDIS gang face giant spiders in Arachnids in the UK. dark

Have you enjoyed the Honest Trailers? Were there any points either trailer raised that you agreed or disagreed with? Let us know in the comments below.

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