Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 2, August 1997 | Page 111

Doctor Who Fans

107

Conclusion
Henry Jenkins remarks of fans In general that "[wjithin the
cultural economy, fans are peasants, not proprietors" (Jenkins,
Poachers 27). By straddling the line between consumer and producer,
as well as blurring the distance between creation and creators, MUM
members rewrite the texts to their own liking. In MUM's world.
Doctor Who comptroller Michael Grade and producer John NathanTurner get what they deserve for "sabotaging" Doctor Who. MUM
members seize control of their commodity, thus becoming proprietors
by making a final product and by valorizing their ownership of
knowledge, their engagement with the fan experience, and their
perpetuation the group itself.
Though MUM members cite social activity as their prime
reason for making videos, most show a keen awareness of audience
and an understanding of MUM's exclusiveness. MUM members'
responses to my questions focused on social activity, teamwork, the
hard work that goes into making a video, and in-jokes. Though I
have analyzed MUM's video-making activity here in terms of a
disenfranchised group appropriating power, I feel a textual study of
MUM's videos would be useful. The images used--for instance, Mikey
Grade carrying an axe; Eric Saward appearing as a puppet—have
much to offer, as does an analysis of the choices of secondary
television programs used to complement Doctor W/io—many, like The
Prisoner and any number of Monty Python sources, with significant
cult followings of their own.
In addition, studies of American fan-based video-making
groups other than MUM should also be undertaken, as analysis of this
kind of creative activity lags far behind the study of fanzines or
artifacts made from cuttings from the source program itself. Fanwritten and -acted videos that comment on American programs would
provide a useful contrast to this study; however, 1 have seen no such
videos.
American fan reactions to British programs seem to differ
from fan reactions to American shows, where respecting the integrity
of the source program and its continuity are important. Perhaps it is
the very powerlessness of American fans to impact British
productions that results in personal attacks against Doctor Who's
production staff and drastic rewritings of the source text. However,
MUM's fannish activities are a genuine form of American popular