4. It Has Built Its Own Community
Where once upon a time the individual Doctor Who fan was publicly mocked as being a geek, a social misfit or obsessive, it is now the world of Doctor Who fandom as a whole that gets a bad press. Sometimes quite rightly so. There are moments when being a fan can be a source of great embarrassment. Whether it be the frivolous, misguided Save Doctor Who campaign of the late 80s or the more negative "Get Moffat Out" petitions, the enthusiasm of the fan collective can be misappropriated. Sadly, fandom is at its nastiest when it
turns upon itself and there is a worrying trend of Doctor Who fans on Facebook and Twitter that mock the more moderated online fan forums and visa versa. Sometimes fans are banned from the latter and take to Facebook to vent their annoyance, however more commonly those who prefer social media over forums have become tired of some of the excesses of forum behaviour, from spoilers to the sometimes shocking bullying and trolling on display. All too easy the positive community spirit of Doctor Who fans is spoilt by the vocal minority. For the most part, forums are a great place for fans to bond from across the globe. Sometimes this results in acts of kindness, so moving that they restore faith in humanity. One such example came when a distraught member reported that his house had been broken into and his large collection of Doctor Who DVDs stolen. Within hours, the viewers of the thread were making a concerted effort to replace as much of his collection as possible, by donating their own spare DVDs. Even the stars who understandably avoid the forums with a bargepole display touching moments of connection with fans. Peter Capaldis moving video message to a young autistic fan who had recently lost his father is one example, plus the lovely gesture by Christopher Eccleston to make one couples wedding proposal out of this world.