Thursday 29 December 2016

Reaction Stations

This year got off to a good start for me in January, when during an e-mail conversation with the editor of the Doctor Who Magazine special editions, Marcus Hearn, he casually mentioned that perhaps I could write something for one of the specials at some point.

This resulted in me doing quite a few bits and pieces for Marcus for various of the special editions across the year, and now in December there's another one out.


The end-of-year "yearbook" specials usually focus on the making of the series. But as there wasn't a full series of Doctor Who this year, this year's edition covers all manner of spin-off media and fan activities.

I am particularly pleased with the article I've contributed, about reaction videos - videos people post online of themselves reacting to watching episodes of Doctor Who. It sounds an odd idea if you've never watched one before, but they can be very interesting, and many of them are quite charming. I'd watched quite a few on and off since around the time of the 50th anniversary in 2013, and was pleased to be able to speak to several of those whose videos I've enjoyed for the piece. I was very fortunate that so many of these bright young things from across the world were happy to talk to a random stranger who messaged them online about wanting to write an article about what they do!

I'm pleased with the article both because I think it's a good piece, and also because it's very much about the newer part of fandom. I am a crusty old Doctor Who fan and not one of the modern tumblr generation, but I was pleased I was able to write - hopefully well, or at least informatively - about one of the newer aspects of appreciating the show.


Oh, and I was also pleased with it because I came up with the title, and I think it's always a good sign when the editor likes a title you've suggested so much that they keep it!

The Doctor Who Magazine 2017 Yearbook should be available at your local WH Smith's and all other good newsagents for the next couple of months or so.