Coal Hill School

Not to be confused with The Coleshill School.

Coal Hill School is a fictional school in the television series Doctor Who, on Coal Hill Road in the Shoreditch area of London.

"An Unearthly Child"

The Coal Hill School is the setting of the very first episode of the series, "An Unearthly Child", first broadcast in November 1963. The episode takes place in the same year. In the episode, two teachers at the school, science teacher Ian Chesterton and history teacher Barbara Wright,[1] discover that one of their students, Susan Foreman, is a time traveller who has been attending the school as her grandfather, the First Doctor (the central character of the series), makes repairs on their time machine, the TARDIS.[2] The school was a constructed set shot inside Studio D at Lime Grove Studios.[3]

Writer Kim Newman interprets Coal Hill School as a secondary modern school, which he notes is unusual for British children's television in the early 1960s; educational settings in children's television of the time were more commonly "fantasy fee-paying schools" like Billy Bunter's Greyfriars School.[4] However, Tat Wood and Lawrence Miles interpret the lack of uniforms at Coal Hill as an indication that it is an early comprehensive school.[5]

Newman stresses how important the grounded normality of the "unlovely" school was for Doctor Who's fantastic premise:

With a dress code progressive for its day and teachers committed enough to spot an alien in class, Coal Hill was nevertheless uniquely like the schools the bulk of Doctor Who's young audience actually attended. These sequences anchor "An Unearthly Child" in a reality from which the show could take off.[4]

Ian wears the school neck-tie which, despite being shown only in monochrome, is described in The Web Planet as being black with thin green diagonal stripes.

Remembrance of the Daleks

The school appeared in the series again almost twenty-five years later in the October 1988 story Remembrance of the Daleks.[2] In this serial that kicked off its 25th anniversary season, the Seventh Doctor returns to 1963 to complete some business left unfinished by his hurried departure on the previous occasion. The school is a featured location, as a group of Daleks set up a base there while attempting to locate a powerful Time Lord artifact, the Hand of Omega, the Doctor had previously hid in the area. The school sign names the incumbent Headmaster as H Parson. St. John's School in Hammersmith was used as Coal Hill School in location filming.[6]

Tat Wood notes that in this story, which most viewers interpret as being set shortly after the events of "An Unearthly Child", Coal Hill School has a school uniform; from this and other evidence in Remembrance of the Daleks, such as the fact that it is broad daylight at 5:15 pm, Wood hypothesizes that Remembrance is actually set in the summer of 1963, prior to the events of "An Unearthly Child", with the school's uniforms being phased out in the autumn term.[7] This theory, however, creates numerous discontinuities, given that the blind undertaker with whom the Doctor had consigned the Hand of Omega had been told the Doctor was an "old geezer with white hair", the presence of Barbara's French Revolution book in Ian's science classroom in Remembrance, Susan's statement in "An Unearthly Child" that she and the Doctor had been there for five months, the First Doctor's inability to pilot the TARDIS in anything but an entirely random manner, and the absence of the TARDIS from the I.M. Foreman Scrapyard in Remembrance; the 22–23 November setting of Remembrance is implied by the BBC television announcer stating "This is BBC television. The time is quarter past five, and Saturday viewing continues with an adventure in the new science fiction series, Doc..."

Australian scholar Marcus K. Harmes notes the tension in Remembrance of the Daleks between the presumed nostalgia of bringing back Coal Hill School from Doctor Who's first episode and the story's unflattering portrayal of 1963 London as "a racist, bigoted society", thus placing Doctor Who's origins "in a period with ugly undercurrents".[8] (Harmes contrasts this "transgressive" approach towards Doctor Who's past with the uncritical nostalgia displayed in stories such as Attack of the Cybermen.)[8]

The pupils wear a different school tie from that worn by Ian. In Remembrance, it has alternating red and dark blue diagonal broad stripes.

"The Day of the Doctor" and Series 8

Coal Hill School appeared again twenty-five years later, in the 50th anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor". The Eleventh Doctor's companion Clara Oswald is shown to have become an English teacher at the school. The school sign names the Headmaster W Coburn, making reference to Anthony Coburn, who wrote An Unearthly Child, and lists I. Chesterton as the head of governors.[9][10][11] Reviewers saw the Coal Hill sequence in "The Day of the Doctor" as a pleasant nostalgic touch[12][13][14] or a "delightful Easter Egg",[15] though Ian Sadler of online magazine Hi! felt the school was included "just so fans could be teased with an irrelevant scene."[16] The Coal Hill sequence in "The Day of the Doctor" was filmed at Gladstone Primary School, Whitchurch Road, Cardiff.[11]

In the 2014 series of Doctor Who, Coal Hill School became a recurring location. The first episode of the series, "Deep Breath", included a brief flashback to Clara's first day as a teacher at Coal Hill.[17] In the second episode, "Into the Dalek", viewers were introduced to Danny Pink, a maths teacher at Coal Hill School and romantic interest for Clara played by Samuel Anderson.[2] Danny is a recurring character in series 8.[1] Popular press and fan reviewers alike suggested that the presence of two Coal Hill School teachers may be a deliberate echo of the series' origins.[18][19] Writer Steven Moffat said when introducing Danny Pink:

For the fourth time in Doctor Who history, Coal Hill School is coming to the aid of the TARDIS. In 1963 teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright accompanied the First Doctor. These days it’s the turn of Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. And very soon now, Sam Anderson as Danny Pink will be entering the world of the Doctor.[1]

When asked about the significance of Coal Hill School, Anderson said,

I think it's something everybody likes a bit of nostalgia and I think it's a bit of a high-five to the past—two of the original companions taught at Coal Hill School. And it helps place something or someone that really has no place. The guy can be anywhere in time and space whenever and I suppose it helps, it's a useful tool to say this is where we are, we're back in London and this school is here; we're back in this specific area of London. And I mean the Doctor … is a hero of high intellect so maybe it has something to do with it being in the school and whatnot.[20]

The episode "Time Heist" included a brief scene between Danny and Clara set in the school.[21] The subsequent episode, "The Caretaker", was almost completely set in and around Coal Hill School, and involved Clara struggling to keep her life with the Twelfth Doctor separate from her personal and professional life.[22] Den of Geek reviewer Simon Brew said that in "The Caretaker", Coal Hill School "gets woven even more into the fabric of Doctor Who".[23] Writing for The Guardian, Dan Martin said, "Ofsted would be plunged into crisis if the true nature of Shoreditch’s Coal Hill school ever became apparent," and suggested that it was telling that the Doctor had not informed Clara of his own history with Coal Hill.[24] Patrick Mulkern of the Radio Times noted that, although not explicitly explained in the episode, the Skovox Blitzer (the episode's threat) is drawn to Coal Hill School because of the Doctor's past visits there.[25] Three schools were used for Coal Hill filming locations for "The Caretaker": Gladstone Primary School, Cardiff (again), Holton Primary School in Barry, and Tonyrefail School.[26] The episode "Kill the Moon" included scenes set at Coal Hill in its beginning and end, and in its primary setting on the Moon, the episode involves the Doctor taking Clara's student Courtney Woods to the year 2049 to be the "first woman" on it.[27] "In the Forest of the Night" featured a group of Year 8 students from Coal Hill on a school trip with Clara and Danny,[28] and also included two short flashback scenes set in the school.[29] In "Death in Heaven", students of the school can be seen with a Cyberman on Missy's mobile gadget when confronting her rival and former friend the Doctor.

In 2013-2014, the pupils wear a tie of blue and grey diagonal broad stripes.

Class

Coal Hill School is the setting for the upcoming Doctor Who spin-off, Class.

Other appearances and references

Sam Jones, a companion from the Eighth Doctor Adventures spin-off novels, also attended Coal Hill School.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Clark, Noelene (24 February 2014). "New ‘Doctor Who’ companion? Samuel Anderson joins Season 8 cast". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Day, Patrick Kevin; Clark, Noelene (30 August 2014). "‘Doctor Who': Samuel Anderson begins his journey with the Doctor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Ann Ford, Carole; Hodgson, Brian; Hussein, Waris; Lambert, Verity; Lodge, Bernard; Martin, Richard; Russell, William; Hearn, Marcus; Molloy, Terry (2006). Doctor Who: Origins (DVD). BBC Worldwide. BBCDVD1882(C).
  4. 1 2 Newman, Kim (2005). Doctor Who: A Critical Reading of the Series. London: BFI Publishing. pp. 11–12. ISBN 1-84457-090-8.
  5. ↑ Wood, Tat; Miles, Lawrence (2006). About Time 1: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 1 to 3). Des Moines, Iowa: Mad Norwegian Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-9759446-0-8.
  6. ↑ Adams, Matt (21 November 2013). "Doctor Who showcases London’s best landmarks (and Shoreditch)". London24 (Archant). Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  7. ↑ Wood, Tat (2007). About Time 6: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 22 to 26, the TV Movie). Des Moines, Iowa: Mad Norwegian Press. pp. 225–231. ISBN 978-0-9759446-5-3.
  8. 1 2 Harmes, Marcus K. (2014). Doctor Who and the Art of Adaptation: Fifty Years of Storytelling. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 40. ISBN 1442232854. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  9. ↑ Patrick, Seb (25 November 2013). "‘Doctor Who’: The 13 Best Callbacks and References in ‘The Day of the Doctor’". Anglophenia. BBC America. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  10. ↑ Wilson, Dan (24 November 2013). "15 nostalgic classic Doctor Who hat-tips in the Day of the Doctor – what did you spot?". Metro (London). Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  11. 1 2 Pixley, Andrew (August 2014). "The Day of the Doctor". Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition (Tunbridge Wells: Panini) (38: The Year of the Doctor): 11, 30.
  12. ↑ Mulkern, Patrick (23 November 2013). "The Day of the Doctor *****". Radio Times (London: Immediate Media Co). Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  13. ↑ Cooper, Steven (25 November 2013). "Doctor Who Recap: 50th Anniversary Special, "The Day of the Doctor"". Slant Magazine (New York). Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  14. ↑ Dennis, Matt (24 November 2013). "Doctor Who – The Day of the Doctor Review (*Contains Spoilers)". The Hollywood News. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  15. ↑ Young, Rob (23 November 2013). "Who Review: A Look at the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special". Cinelinx (Austin, Texas). Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  16. ↑ Sadler, Ian (November 2013). "Doctor Who 50th Anniversary: The Day of the Doctor". Hi! magazine. Seb White. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  17. ↑ Lavey-Heaton, Megan (23 August 2014). "'Doctor Who' series 8, episode 1 recap: 'Deep Breath'". The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania). Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "Doctor Who season 8, episode 2: Five unanswered questions from Into the Dalek". Metro (London: DMG Media). 30 August 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  19. ↑ Burdett, Meredith (1 September 2014). "Reviewed: Into the Dalek". Kasterborous.com. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  20. ↑ Wagner, Curt (11 September 2014). "How Samuel Anderson could change the Whoniverse". RedEye (Chicago). Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  21. ↑ Thompson, Steve; Moffat, Steven (writers); Mackinnon, Douglas (director) (20 September 2014). "Time Heist". Doctor Who. Series 8. Episode 5. BBC. BBC One.
  22. ↑ Kelly, Stephen (11 September 2014). "Doctor Who series 8: synopsis for episode 6 The Caretaker revealed". Radio Times (London). Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  23. ↑ Brew, Simon (24 September 2014). "Doctor Who Series 8: The Caretaker Spoiler-Free Review". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  24. ↑ Martin, Dan (27 September 2014). "Doctor Who recap: series 34, episode six – The Caretaker". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  25. ↑ Mulkern, Patrick (27 September 2014). "Doctor Who The Caretaker: "The grumpy 'Space Dad' of my childhood in a tale with heart and wit"". Radio Times (London: Immediate Media Co). Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  26. ↑ Berriman, Ian (27 September 2014). "Doctor Who 8.06 "The Caretaker" REVIEW". SFX (Bath). Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  27. ↑ Ruediger, Ross (5 October 2014). "Doctor Who Recap: The Incredible Inedible Egg". Vulture.com (New York magazine). Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  28. ↑ Lawrence, Ben (26 October 2014). "Doctor Who, review, In the Forest of the Night: 'powerful'". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  29. ↑ Cottrell Boyce, Frank (writer); Folkson, Sheree (director) (25 October 2014). "In the Forest of the Night". Doctor Who. Series 8. Episode 10. BBC. BBC One.

External links

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