The (Apparent) Death and Resurrection of the Doctor

A commenter pointed out to me that the date chosen for the death of the Doctor by Lake Silencio, April 22nd, 2011, was significant, advising me to Google it.

I did.

That date was Good Friday this year.

The same commenter also related the question about the Doctor’s identity to the classic one from the Gospels: “Who do you say that I am?” One could also compare the Doctor’s resolve to accept his own death after learning of the Brigadier’s to the relationship of John the Baptist and Jesus – although I admit at this point I am stretching.

Surely such a detail is unlikely to be accidental. And so I am grateful to have had this detail pointed out to me, and wondering what the show’s writers and producers had in mind when they chose it.

There has been intersection between religion and Doctor Who for as long as I can remember. But little details like this make me think that it is likely to be intentional. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone had the idea for, but shelved for fear of controversy, an episode in which the Doctor visits first century Galilee and Judaea, gets crucified, and is rescued from the tomb by the TARDIS after regenerating.

What do others think about the intersection of religion and Doctor Who? I’m interested professionally and not only as a fan, because I’m looking ahead to having my panel presentation at AAR in November focus on this topic.

(By the way, I am still waiting for an explanation about the Doctor’s tuxedo in “Let’s Kill Hitler”…)

It should be noted that this idea of a connection between Doctor Who, Jesus and the resurrection is not something that has been thought about only now or only in relation to the most recent episodes…