Difference between revisions of "How 'Doctor Who' landed in America"
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| − | After 54 years on television — not to mention hundreds of books, audio stories and comics — it's undeniable that | + | After 54 years on television — not to mention hundreds of books, audio stories and comics — it's undeniable that "Doctor Who" is British to its core. But a substantial number of fans live on this side of the Atlantic, too, helping the show to flourish for decades as a cult hit and more recently to grow into a pop-culture phenomenon rivaling "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" for galactic supremacy. |
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| − | "Doctor Who" is British to its core. But a substantial number of fans live on this side of the Atlantic, too, helping the show to flourish for decades as a cult hit and more recently to grow into a pop-culture phenomenon rivaling "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" for galactic supremacy. | ||
A new book called "Red White and Who: The Story of 'Doctor Who' in America" — released this month by ATB Publishing — pulls together independent research, media clippings and hundreds of interviews for the first substantive look at the American perspective on the world's longest-running science fiction show. | A new book called "Red White and Who: The Story of 'Doctor Who' in America" — released this month by ATB Publishing — pulls together independent research, media clippings and hundreds of interviews for the first substantive look at the American perspective on the world's longest-running science fiction show. | ||
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Although the Doctor once referred to himself as "a citizen of the universe and a gentleman to boot," the fantastical tales on "Doctor Who" — especially during the show's original run — are clearly rooted in Great Britain. Extraterrestrial invaders target London or rural outposts in the English countryside, colonialism and fascism are recurring menaces to be fought, and the inhabitants of every planet (even the alien ones) speak with British accents. | Although the Doctor once referred to himself as "a citizen of the universe and a gentleman to boot," the fantastical tales on "Doctor Who" — especially during the show's original run — are clearly rooted in Great Britain. Extraterrestrial invaders target London or rural outposts in the English countryside, colonialism and fascism are recurring menaces to be fought, and the inhabitants of every planet (even the alien ones) speak with British accents. | ||
| − | "Doctor Who" gained an underground following in America starting in the early 1970s thanks to airings on various public television stations, with stories starring the curly-haired, scarf-wearing Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor inspiring particular affection. In a pre- | + | "Doctor Who" gained an underground following in America starting in the early 1970s thanks to airings on various public television stations, with stories starring the curly-haired, scarf-wearing Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor inspiring particular affection. In a pre-internet world, clubs and amateur magazines began bringing like-minded fans together, and actors and behind-the-scenes personnel from the show began appearing at U.S. fan conventions in the 1980s. |
"Red White and Who" not only explores those early years of "Doctor Who" fandom in America but also brings the story right up to 2017. Perhaps fittingly considering the long history involved, the 700-page book boasts six authors: Steven Warren Hill, Jennifer Adams Kelley, Nicholas Seidler, Robert Warnock, Janine Fennick and John Lavalie. | "Red White and Who" not only explores those early years of "Doctor Who" fandom in America but also brings the story right up to 2017. Perhaps fittingly considering the long history involved, the 700-page book boasts six authors: Steven Warren Hill, Jennifer Adams Kelley, Nicholas Seidler, Robert Warnock, Janine Fennick and John Lavalie. | ||
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We also had the resources of BroaDWcast, which is a website repository for the broadcast history of "Doctor Who" in every country around the world, mostly run by Jon Preddle from New Zealand but also owned by me and also curated to a certain extent by John. | We also had the resources of BroaDWcast, which is a website repository for the broadcast history of "Doctor Who" in every country around the world, mostly run by Jon Preddle from New Zealand but also owned by me and also curated to a certain extent by John. | ||
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So we all had fingers in these pies, but we did also solicit contributions. We were open to contributions from anyone and posted messages in various places. We opened up a post-office box in case anyone wanted to send us videotapes or anything like that. We told people that if they had VHS tapes of [public television] pledge drives to send them to us — we could use it [for the book], and then we would convert them to DVD and send them back | So we all had fingers in these pies, but we did also solicit contributions. We were open to contributions from anyone and posted messages in various places. We opened up a post-office box in case anyone wanted to send us videotapes or anything like that. We told people that if they had VHS tapes of [public television] pledge drives to send them to us — we could use it [for the book], and then we would convert them to DVD and send them back | ||
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"Red White and Who: The Story of 'Doctor Who' in America" will be released by ATB Publishing on Aug. 21. | "Red White and Who: The Story of 'Doctor Who' in America" will be released by ATB Publishing on Aug. 21. | ||
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| + | Caption: A joint U.S./U.K. production of "Doctor Who" starring Paul McGann aired as a movie of the week on the Fox network in 1996, but it was not picked for an ongoing series. | ||
Caption: Actors Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman — who play the Doctor and Clara on "Doctor Who" — attend BBC America's premiere screening at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City in August 2014. | Caption: Actors Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman — who play the Doctor and Clara on "Doctor Who" — attend BBC America's premiere screening at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City in August 2014. | ||
