XPost: rec.arts.drwho 
 From: doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca 
  
 In article <0aute.22224$tY4.22157@trnddc06>, 
 L. Ross Raszewski  wrote: 
 >On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 07:59:23 +0100, Mark Evans 
 > wrote: 
 >>Ian Hastie  wrote: 
 >>> On Sun, 19 Jun 2005 22:29:21 +0100, Steve wrote: 
 >>> 
 >>>> The show was budgeted in the hope that one of the big US networks would 
 >>>> buy it (hence the 45 minute episode lengths which would expand to a 
 >>>> one-hour slot, and a number of 'American' characters). However, the 
 major 
 >>>> networks all turned it down as 'too British' 
 >>> 
 >>> Really?  What about the original Dr Who?  Much more British and very 
 >>> popular over in the USA. 
 >> 
 >>Popular with viewers does not imply popular with TV execs. 
 >> 
 >>Whilst US viewers may like British shows, because they are British, you 
 >>even get situation of US broadcasters "remaking" the likes of "The 
 >>Office" with American actors. It's one thing to do this with gameshows 
 >>and "reality TV", but rather another with Drama. 
 > 
 > 
 >Also, "popular" is a relative term. Doctor Who is "popular" with US 
 >viewers in a certain niche that doesn't necessarily scale to the 
 >general public. 
 > 
 >"Popular" british imports over here means imports that are popular 
 >with US viewers who would ever watch public TV or BBC America.  That's 
 >a pretty tiny subset of the population at large. The "average" 
 >american probably has not even *heard* of Doctor Who. Really. Let's 
 >say 40% of the american TV viewing population has never heard of 
 >Doctor Who. That's probably reasonably close to the truth. Another 30% 
 >have heard of it in passing, maybe heard it mentioned somewhere and 
 >recall this.  And say 20% know someone who's a fan, though they 
 >themselves have never actually seen it, with the possible exception of 
 >catching a few minutes, probably at the prompting of that friend of 
 >theirs who's a fan.  5% have actually seen it, sometimes watch PBS 
 >even, might have caught a commercial for the TV movie, but they're not 
 >into that kind of stuff. 4% are big Public TV fans, love the britcoms, 
 >maybe even watch Red Dwarf, and they know Doctor Who and wouldn't 
 >object to catching an episode if nothing else was on, but it's not 
 >really their cup of tea -- ir... coffee.  The remaining 1% is mostly 
 >"casual" fans, folks who like the show, would self-identify as fans if 
 >asked, but wouldn't actively seek it out or anything.  The "hardcore" 
 >fans are a minority of the minority. 
 > 
 >It's "popular" in that if I did the same thing for, say, Red Dwarf or 
 >even Are You Being Served, those numbers would be even *more* dire 
 >(Say, 70, 15, 8, 5, 1.95, .05), but it's still *way* below the 
 >"cultural awareness threshhold" for network TV. 
 > 
 >Also, Doctor Who is sort of "polarizing" in the US in a way that it's 
 >not at home. Doctor Who has a huge mainstream appeal on the 
 >BBC. People who wouldn't self-identify as "fans" watch the show on a 
 >semiregular basis.  That doesn't happen in the US. You're a fan, or 
 >you *NEVER* watch the show.  Obviously, if it were shown in more 
 >markets that might change some, but I have a feeling that it really 
 >wouldn't (Largely a cultural thing. The inherent "britishness" of the 
 >show is something that would discourage non-fans); the base of "fans" 
 >would grow (quite a lot), but no 'casual' viewers (We'd move to, say, 
 >20, 40, 20, 10, 10 -- but remember, that's only the last ten who are 
 >actually *watching* the show). And a show can't work like that, at 
 >least not in the US. 
  
 Agreed.  When Powell pulled the plug on DW, he needs bodyguards just to walk 
 the streets of London. 
 -- 
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