Doctor Who: Audience and Industry blog tasks

Audience

1) Who is the target audience for Doctor Who? Has it changed since 1963?

When the show first launched it was aimed at a white middle classed audience as these were the only characters included in the show however now it is more inclusive with a range of different characters of different ethnicities and backgrounds

2) What audience pleasures are offered by Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child? Apply Blumer and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

Personal Identity: School - creates personal identity for audience as its audience was mainly made up of teenagers who were most likely in education at school at the time

Personal Relationships: The show is very popular as the Doctor always travels with one or more companions creating a sense of relationship between the doctor and other humans which allows them to further enjoy the tv show

Diversion (Escapism): Opening title sequence like a rocket taking off - sci-fi genre and links to 1960s space race which audience found entertaining as it was interesting and linked to current events.

Surveillance (Information / Facts): Listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running science fiction television show in the world with over 800 episodes.

3) What additional Uses and Gratifications would this episode provide to a modern 2020 audience?

4) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to An Unearthly Child?

VISCERAL PLEASURE: Being intrigued on the video effects used when the TARDIS is moving

VICARIOUS PLEASURE: The characters in the TARDIS going through time/space travel 

VOYEURISTIC PLEASURE: The inside of the TARDIS a futuristic machine that would have not been common at the time

5) What kind of online fan culture does Doctor Who have? Give examples.

Industries

1) What was the television industry like in 1963? How many channels were there?

In 1963 there wasn't much flexibility in options as there were only two TV channels in the UK in 1963: BBC and ITV. 

2) How does An Unearthly Child reflect the level of technology in the TV industry in 1963?

In terms of technology, videotape had only been in use for seven years when An Unearthly Child was made. It allowed the BBC to create the space and time travel effects we can see in the episode which were considered amazing at the time. 

3) Why is Doctor Who such an important franchise for the BBC? 

Doctor Who is one of the most iconic franchises that the BBC has. It has been shown all over the world through BBC Worldwide and generates huge income for the BBC.

4) What other programmes/spin-offs are part of the wider Doctor Who franchise?

The BBC has maximised the popularity of the Doctor Who franchise by creating a series of spin-offs that build on the same universe or characters as the original show. These include:

• K9
• Sarah Jane Adventures
• Torchwood
• Class

5) Why does the Doctor Who franchise have so much merchandise available? Give examples. 

The fans are obsessed with the show to the point where in order to embrace there passion they demand merchandise such as Tshirts