Given the rabid techno-geekery of its fan base and the fact that Russell T Davies' revived version is aimed at web friendly eight to 12-year-olds, it is perhaps inevitable that the forthcoming relaunch of Dr Who will be backed by one of the BBC's most ambitious online projects to date. Christopher Eccleston, who plays the Doctor in the new series, might have described the leaking of the first episode on to the internet as "sick" last week but the series will depend on its official online companion to hook a new generation of viewers.
For the first time, BBC Online is creating separate shows exclusively for the internet that can be viewed over a broadband connection. The Dr Who Years, a Whovian version of the Rock 'n' Roll Years, will mix classic clips from the series with music and news events from the year they were first broadcast. And the 13 behind-the-scenes shows, to be broadcast on BBC3 to support the main BBC1 episodes, will also be available on demand over the web - the first time non-news broadcasts have been offered in this way.
Given the wealth of background material already available online on dozens of expansive fansites, the BBC interactive drama and entertainment department also faced a challenge in coming up with anything new. Part of their task has been to fill in new viewers on the Doctor's background and history Davies has been insistent that the ninth incarnation of the Doctor should represent a fresh start for a new generation. So, in the first episode of the new series, to be broadcast later this month, there is no reference to the show's long history of previous Doctors.
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