Okay, fess up. Who let the nerds out of the studio? This week, Haley and Jay surrounded themselves with the best kind of Texans: Whovian Texans. Whofest 2 in Dallas drew visits from none other than Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Terry Molloy, Nicholas Briggs, and Jason Haigh-Ellery to the southwest US, and the GPR team was there to embrace them (and in one fortunate fourth grader’s case, quite literally).
Join us as we share some of the highlights and stories from the “bigger on the inside” little convention, in what Colin Baker has renamed as the “All-Star State.”
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Enjoyed the podcast as usual. I’m not convinced that the BBC is actually owned by the government. It has a Royal Charter which makes it independent of the government. But once every ten years the government can withdraw the charter, so it has too make sure it doesn’t annoy the government too much. But as the people can get rid of the government every five years, I personally prefer to think that the BBC belongs to the people. I don’t think there would be a constitutional crisis if an American became the Doctor Who show runner, I do think it would be a bad idea.
I’m a big fan of American t.v. shows but I wouldn’t claim to be an expert on why they are popular in America. I know from listening to many podcasts that American Whovians are truly fantastic fans and know absolutely everything about the show. The one thing they don’t really know is why it is popular in Britain. The show is full of comic actors. Some of the finest comedians and comic actors in Britain have been on Doctor Who. All the classic Doctors worked in comedy. It is a funny show. Done right it should be bloody scary too. Sometimes the British humour is too much for American Whovians who think it is a serious science fiction show and they get upset with shows like Robots of Sherwood. I would worry that an American show runner would turn it into serious science fiction ( which Americans are very good at ) and drop the the stupid funny stuff. He would probablty make a show Whovians like but ordinary people in Britain would find dull.
That is fantastic information and very solid points. There is a lot about how the show fits into British culture that I know nothing about but love learning. Most of what I know about British culture is either directly from or related to Doctor Who, so any time I gain something extra it is always a joy.
I think you have a very valid point that an american show runner wouldn’t get a lot of why it’s a success over there unless they have spent a long time living there as well. I think it is best to leave the show in the hands of someone who claims the UK as their home, but I’m still not sure who would be a solid replacement. Again, probably due to the fact that most of what I know is already related to Doctor Who.