7. It Enables Fans To Be Involved In Making The Show
Dreams can come true. So often the hopes of the young are scorned, brushed aside or given a patronising acceptance, while secretly the grown ups are thinking, "Theyll grow out of it". Doctor Who is testament to the fact that just occasionally the ambitions and desires of children come to fruition. Just ask Peter Capaldi, Steven Moffat or David Tennant. Its heartwarming to read the young Capaldis letter to the Radio Times from 1974 in which he praised Doctor Who for its 10th anniversary special. Little did he know that, some 40 years later, he himself would be the Universe's coveted defender. Of course, being a fan of the show is not a prerequisite for playing and succeeding in the role. Matt Smith had never even seen the programme but fell in love with the stories of the past as part of his research for the part. Why, then, does it matter? Well, its reassuring to know that being a fan of the show doesnt disqualify a talented artist from getting a job. In other fields of life, too much knowledge can be seen as a threat and sometimes those who would be best qualified for a position can be overlooked. Sometimes fandom complains that the production team don't take the show's accompanying fan base seriously enough. They can feel betrayed if a continuity point or a past performer has been ignored. But, such things are trivial. There is no 'them and us' divide between those who run the show and the most passionate fans who buy the t-shirts. It helps to have a fan of the show as its showrunner and recently there have been some wonderful examples of the creativity of a fan being recognised by the production team. Billy Hanshaw's marvellous reworked opening titles on YouTube, for example, whilst unofficial, unsolicited and simply put out there for pleasure, were picked up by the BBC and used as the basis for the actual titles in Series 8. Even the younger fans can play a part in the show, too. Capitalising on the show's longstanding relationship with Blue Peter, the childrens magazine series hosts regular tie-in competitions and most recently winners have seen their efforts come to life in the show. Doctor Who is very much the peoples programme.