Doctor Who: Audience and Industries

1) Who is the target audience for Doctor Who? Do you think it has changed since 1963?

people that have a personal relationship with the charaters.

2) What audience pleasures are offered by Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child? Apply Blumler 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.

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

personal identity, education, social interaction.

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

Voyeuristic pleasure can be applied as it uses the plot of time travel as something we wouldn't be able to experience without the tardis.

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

They have called themselves whovians and they often interview and the BBC sell merchandise 

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?

diversion is used in multiple occasion such as when the TARDIS takes off and the cliff hanger at the end which also links to personal relationships because we wonder what is going to happen to the teachers. Surveillance is another one, for instance they are able to teach history in Doctor Who and how much they have improved over the years.

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

It used a niche genre and generated a huge. loyal audience which has lasted them decades.

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. 

It is a profitable business due to the fanbase being so devoted

Since the fan base is worldwide and international. many people want to buy such things which generates revenue. the sell things such as mugs, bags, clothes etc.