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Rosa – The First Doctor Who to Make Me Cry Since Father's Day

In 2005, Paul Cornell wrote Father's Day for the first series of the returning Doctor Who, starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper.

And the story of Rose meeting her long-dead father on the day of his death, saving him, and then seeing him sacrifice himself to save baby daughter did something to me that no episode of Doctor Who had ever done – brought me to tears. Not even Adric's death did that. Not even Vincent And The Doctor could do it.

It might have helped that I had my own six-month daughter in my hands at the time back then. Thirteen years later she, and her younger sister are watching Doctor Who with me, third generation Doctor Who fans, with their mother, a recent convert. Rosa by Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall, starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, Bradley Walsh and, as Rosa Parks, Vinette Robinson.

Because, yes this was the story of Rosa Parks we all know (even if Ryan got a significant aspect wrong the first time out – she wasn't the first black woman to drive a bus) – it's a story I have seen portrayed in film, read in books and comics and one presumed I was at least in some ways immune to.

And this twisty-turny story of a moment in time being preserved no matter the cost, with infinite butterflies being stamped upon, with human frailty strong at its centre standing up for half a century, managed to do it. The tears were down my cheek as the music kicked in. And I wasn't alone it seems…

Next Sunday, spiders. Spiders shouldn't make me cry, No promises though.


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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