Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 2, August 1997 | Page 103
Doctor Who Fans
99
Television, and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) shot a
made-for-TV movie in Vancouver; it was shown in the United States
in May 1996 and several weeks later in the United Kingdom ("The
Doctor Is In" 8-9; "Eighth Doctor Announced!" 16). Paul McGann,
previously unaffiliated with the program, starred as the Doctor.
The show was written to please two audiences: the fans and those
completely new to the program. Despite a hefty special effects
budget, the ratings were dismal and the rumor mill has passed
sentence: no more Doctor Who.
Doctor Who in America
The Universal/Fox/BBC consortium's attempt to manufacture
a British product for American consumption raises this question:
Why do some American fans prefer British imports? Most MUM
members were fans of other British programs but not necessarily more
than casual watchers of American cult favorites such as Star Trek or
Babylon 5. Many MUM members admit that they prefer British
humor, finding it more sophisticated and intellectual than American
humor. However, intelligent treatment of material was also cited by
MUM members as an important reason they preferred British
programs. John TuIIoch, who interviewed Australian fans about
Doctor Who, felt that Doctor Who was superior to American science
fiction because, as one fan says, the Doctor "doesn't go in for the three
things that you find in all American heroes: (a) they are very, very
macho, (b) they are usually interested in women and gambling, and
(c) they all have a slant towards hardware and action. The Doctor
breaks all of those boundaries, and he rarely resorts to violence"
(TuIIoch and Jenkins 165). British, Australian, and American fans
agree that Doctor Who is a program of ideas.
Perhaps because it is hard to find the source program being
aired, American interest in the program is waning after a boom in the
1980s. Despite an Internet presence and some regional PBS stations
that faithfully air the program, the program attracts few new
American fans. In the mid-1980s, 230 PBS stations showed Doctor
Who; that number had dropped to about 30 in 1995 (Martin 6),
perhaps in part because the show is no longer being made.
In 1986, before Doctor Who was officially canceled, MUM
made their first video. The Two Companions (1986), an adaptation of
a British stage play. Doctor Who story references intertwine with a