Doctor Who Christmas specials linked to lower death rates

[dutchman]

Watching the doctor caring for people could encourage people to seek medical help sooner, lighthearted BMJ study finds



Doctor Who Christmas specials are linked to lower death rates in the coming year, experts have suggested.

In the Christmas edition of the BMJ, a lighthearted study found that in years when an episode was shown on Christmas Day there were around six fewer deaths than expected for every 10,000 people over the next 12 months.

For the era between 2005 and 2017, which saw David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker play the doctor, there were seven fewer deaths than expected for 10,000 people.

The team from the University of Birmingham said that “watching a doctor who is caring for people” could encourage people to seek help for their own medical concerns.

Doctor Who first aired 60 years ago and between 1963 and 2022 a new episode was broadcast during 31 festive periods, including 14 episodes shown on Christmas Day.

Thirteen of the 14 Christmas Day episodes were consecutive from 2005 to 2017.

Death rates have been generally falling over the study period. A linked editorial said that although the episodes were unlikely to be behind the health boost, it helped demonstrate the importance of doctors over the Christmas period.

Writing in the BMJ, Bob Phillips, professor of paediatrics and evidence synthesis at the University of York, said: “In reality, releasing a melange of sound and vision on a midwinter holiday could never truly change the mortality rate of a population.

“This has to be a chance finding, drawn from luck, or the clustering of episodes airing.”

But he added: “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.

“The Doctor probably inspired many people to make better choices and live better lives, both on screen and off screen.”