3. Fans Shouldn't Be Allowed to Run the Show
Every so often Ill see a stray comment somewhere on the Internet that says something to the effect of, This is what happens when you let fanboys run the show. Both Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat grew up watching Doctor Who and have been quite vocal about their lifelong love for it. Theyve brought in other writers who were fans growing up. As such, many episodes of the new series are peppered with references and inside jokes that only diehard fans will get. On occasion, the excessive use of continuity has caused some fans to accuse the showrunners of fanwank (inserting plot points that serve no purpose apart from referencing old stories). I have a simple question for people who think fans of Doctor Who should not be in charge of the franchise: Who would you prefer instead? Someone who hates Doctor Who? Or perhaps someone indifferent to it who says, I watched it a couple of times growing up but I never really got into it? Yes, Im sure someone like that would be embraced wholeheartedly by fandom. To run a show like Doctor Who you need to be passionate about it. And no one has more passion for it than people who watched it as kids on a regular basis. I should also point out that the idea of fans writing for the show is not unique to the new series. Before he became script editor in 1979, a position roughly analogous to showrunner, Douglas Adams had been a long-term fan. One of his stories, City of Death, is fondly remembered as one of the best episodes of Who ever made. While some dismiss the new series as nothing more than glorified fan fiction, the fact is fans have been making their mark on the show for a very long time.