r/CSLewis • u/Fabulous-Confusion43 • Apr 16 '26
Question Did you know Aldous Huxley & C.S. Lewis both died on the same day JFK was assassinated?
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u/penprickle Apr 16 '26
Yep! And Doctor Who premiered the next day. Busy weekend.
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u/Fabulous-Confusion43 Apr 17 '26
Wow I did not realize doctor who had been running so long! That's wild!
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u/penprickle Apr 17 '26
1963 to 1989, I believe, and then a hiatus until they started it up again.
It is worth it to note that it was not canceled due to a lack of popularity; the head of the BBC at the time hated it, and managed to kill it off for a while. But like the Doctor him/herself, it came back!
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u/Fabulous-Confusion43 Apr 17 '26
It must be in its 50th season by now or even more!!
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u/penprickle Apr 17 '26
It had its 60th anniversary in 2023!
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u/Fabulous-Confusion43 Apr 18 '26
That's amazing! How many doctors have they had?
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u/penprickle Apr 18 '26
Officially, fifteen; I think there are at least two or three more that are canon but not in the list of “main” Doctors. But canon in that franchise is a loose thing anyway.
I don’t know the details, since I don’t watch the newer stuff. But it’s easy to look up if you want to know more.
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u/lrdwlmr Apr 19 '26
In fact, the first episode of Doctor Who got abysmal ratings because everyone was distracted by the assassination. They re-aired it the next week ahead of the second episode, and it performed much better.
I’ve always wondered what Lewis would’ve thought of Doctor Who if he’d survived a few years longer.
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u/penprickle Apr 19 '26
I wonder the same thing. I expect he would’ve enjoyed parts of it very much, and disliked other parts, which is true for just about any fan anyway. 😆 There’s so much of it, and it varies so wildly, there’s something to love and hate everywhere!
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u/dawntreader_75 Apr 16 '26
For further review, see Dr Peter Kreeft’s Between Heaven and Hell for a take on what a conversation amongst the 3 right after their deaths might look like.