Festive Doctor Who and the Curious Case of Lower Death Rates – A surprising twist on the holiday spirit! A study published in The BMJ suggests that new Doctor Who episodes aired during the festive season, especially on Christmas Day, are linked to lower death rates in the UK! This quirky correlation highlights the potential positive impact of medical professionals working during the holidays, even fictional ones like the intrepid Doctor.
The Doctor, a beloved alien time traveler who battles villains and champions lives, has graced television screens for 60 years, captivating millions worldwide. Now, research suggests this iconic character may be spreading more than holiday cheer. The author proposes that watching the Doctor’s adventures during the festive period might inspire viewers to prioritize their health and seek care, leading to a curious drop in mortality rates. While the study emphasizes that correlation doesn’t imply causation, it does open a playful door for the BBC and Disney+ to consider making new Doctor Who episodes a festive tradition, potentially bringing both joyous entertainment and a touch of life-saving inspiration to Christmas Day.
So, this holiday season, raise a toast to the Doctor, a timeless time traveler who might just hold the key to a healthier New Year in more ways than one!
For 60 years, Doctor Who has battled aliens and saved planets, but could this iconic Time Lord also hold the key to a healthier UK? A humorous take on a serious issue, a new study explores the surprising correlation between festive-season Doctor Who episodes and lower death rates in the UK.
Dr. Richard Riley, a biostatistics professor, cleverly uses the long-running Doctor Who TV series as a “natural experiment” to investigate the potential impact of doctors working during the holidays. By analyzing the timing of new Doctor Who episodes from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day as a proxy for a single doctor’s holiday workload, he then compared this to real-world death rates in the following year.
To ensure a focused analysis, only broadcast episodes from the original Doctor Who series were considered, excluding spin-offs, books, and other mediums. This resulted in 31 festive periods featuring new episodes across the show’s history, including 14 Christmas Day specials, with a striking 13-year streak from 2005 to 2017.
And the results? Well, they’re as intriguing as Dalek technology! Riley found that festive Doctor Who episodes, especially those on Christmas Day, were associated with lower annual death rates in the UK. On average, Christmas Day episodes correlated with 6 fewer deaths per 10,000 people in England and Wales, and 4 fewer across the entire UK.
While stressing that correlation doesn’t equal causation, Riley’s analysis offers a lighthearted yet thought-provoking glimpse into the potential effects of medical care during the holidays. Could Doctor Who’s heroic interventions on television inspire viewers to prioritize their own health? Could the festive spirit encourage more doctors to work, leading to real-world health benefits?
Whether you’re a Whovian or simply fascinated by quirky scientific explorations, this study adds a playful layer to the festive season. It leaves us wondering: could a dose of Doctor Who be the secret ingredient to a healthier New Year? Only time (and further research) will tell, but one thing’s for sure – next Christmas, Doctor Who might not just be saving universes, it might be saving lives!
The reduction was even higher when Doctor Who was consistently shown over the festive periods from 2005 to 2019, mainly on Christmas Day, with an average seven fewer deaths per 10,000 person years in England and Wales and six fewer deaths per 10,000 person years in the UK.
Riley points out that these findings do not show causality and relate to one unique doctor, so may not apply to all medical doctors in the human race. However, the analysis took account of population differences over time and he suggests that watching a doctor who is caring for people, “could encourage health seeking behaviour.”
These findings reinforce why healthcare provision should not be taken for granted, writes Riley.
He believes that decision makers at the BBC and Disney+ (the international broadcaster of new episodes) should reach enlightenment from the study’s findings owing to a possible health benefit of watching Doctor Who.
Also, assuming the findings generalise beyond the UK, Disney+ has the opportunity to reduce mortality rates worldwide if it streams new Doctor Who episodes during the festive period, he concludes.
This has to be a chance finding, but maybe there is truth in the notion that providing kind, thoughtful, timely healthcare, free at the point of need, to those who need assistance, really can make a difference, say researchers in a linked editorial.
The Doctor in Doctor Who represents the best of everyone who works in healthcare, they add, and probably inspired many people to make better choices and live better lives, both on screen and off screen.
And they suggest that while health professionals work this Christmas, six decades after the clattering opening of a police box in a junkyard in London, they can look at each small beautiful action they make and say “we’re saving lives” and “we’ve got a paper to cite to prove it.”
Here’s the gist:
- The iconic sci-fi series has captivated audiences for 60 years, with the titular Doctor traversing time and space, saving lives and battling villains.
- Given its longevity, Doctor Who acts as a “natural experiment” to explore the potential impact of a single doctor working over the festive period.
- The study analyzed the association between new episodes aired between December 24th and January 1st and the subsequent year’s death rates.
- Notably, episodes aired on Christmas Day saw a decrease of around six fewer deaths per 10,000 person-years in England and Wales, and four fewer in the UK as a whole.
- This trend was even stronger during the consistent run of Christmas episodes from 2005 to 2017.
The researchers emphasize that this is likely a coincidental finding, and that the Doctor is not a real medical professional. However, they suggest that watching a caring figure like the Doctor on screen might encourage viewers to prioritize their own health and seek medical help if needed.
The study’s playful tone also carries a message of appreciation for healthcare workers, particularly those who work during the holidays. It encourages them to take pride in their small but impactful actions, knowing they might be making a bigger difference than they realize.
In conclusion, while the study doesn’t prove that Doctor Who saves lives, it offers a lighthearted reminder of the importance of healthcare and the positive impact it can have on individuals and communities. And who knows, maybe there’s a tiny bit of truth to the idea that a dose of festive Doctor Who could bring a little extra cheer and well-being to the world.
So, will we see a Doctor Who marathon become the new Christmas tradition? Only time, and perhaps the next festive episode, will tell.
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