Doctor Who Appreciation Society: Difference between revisions
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The '''Doctor Who Appreciation Society''' (DWAS) is a society for fans of the television series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was founded in May 1976, emerging from the ''Doctor Who'' Appreciation Society and the editors and readers of the [[Doctor who fandom#Fanzines|fanzine]] ''Tardis''. The society currently produces a monthly magazine, ''Celestial Toyroom'', hosts conventions, organises a network of local groups, and provides discounts to members for ''Doctor Who''-related merchandise. |
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[[North Korea]] |
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== History == |
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=== 1970s - origins === |
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The society gained recognition from the ''Doctor Who'' production office at the [[BBC]] in 1976, succeeding the ''Doctor Who'' Fan Club which had operated since the late 1960s. Whereas the earlier fan clubs had often had only a single organiser, the DWAS was headed by an executive committee. |
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Early activities included the establishment of a newsletter to promote fan communication through pen-pals and swaps, titled ''The Celestial Toyroom'' after the first episode of the story ''[[The Celestial Toymaker]]'', and the establishment of a reference department to collate and circulate accurate information about the production and storyline of each ''Doctor Who'' episode, headed by Jeremy Bentham. Early recognition came when the second edition of ''The Making of Doctor Who'' (1976) acknowledged society president Jan Vincent-Rudzki and co-ordinator Stephen Payne "and members of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society" for their help in writing the book.<ref>Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke, ''The Making of Doctor Who'', London:Target, 1976, p. 6</ref> 1977 saw members of the society help with the BBC documentary ''Whose Doctor Who?'', and the society stage the first ''Doctor Who'' convention, held at Broomwood Church Hall, Broomwood Road, [[Battersea]], [[London]] on 6 August 1977. |
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During 1976 and 1977 membership of the society had been free of charge. Membership seems to have been loosely defined, and members and non-members paid to receive ''Tardis'', ''The Celestial Toyroom'' (which was merged with ''Tardis'' for the duration of 1977) and other items such as the reference department's 'StInfos' without any of these charges being interpreted as society membership fees. However, anxieties expressed by the production office and the BBC's legal department about the reproduction of copyright material contributed towards the introduction of a membership fee with effect from January 1978. Restrictions on the exchange of copyrighted material such as off-air audio recordings through the society's publications were also introduced.<ref>Gordon Blows, 'Publications notice', ''Tardis77'', 6, 28 August 1977, p. 18</ref> A restyled ''Celestial Toyroom'' would be sent to all society members to carry news about the programme, associated merchandise, and the society, while members would continue to pay for ''Tardis'', which moved from monthly to bi-monthly publication, and reference department items.<ref>Gordon Blows, 'Society announcement to all members', ''Tardis77'', 7, 9 October 1977, p. 2</ref> |
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This set the pattern for the next few years. Late 1977 saw the emergence of the DWAS's fiction magazine, ''Cosmic Masque'', edited initially by [[John Peel (writer)|John Peel]] and Steven Roy Evans (writer). In 1978 the convention was given the name Panopticon, named after both the ceremonial gathering-place on [[Gallifrey]] and the [[Panopticon|prison building]] designed by [[Jeremy Bentham]], namesake and ancestor of the head of the society's reference department. The advent of [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]]'s ''[[Doctor Who Magazine|Doctor Who Weekly]]'' in October 1979 led to changes as Bentham became its principal feature writer, and resigned as head of the reference department. He was replaced by [[David J. Howe]]. |
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=== 1980s to present === |
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During 1980 the remaining founders of the society resigned from the executive, president Jan Vincent-Rudzki departing in August.<ref>Jan Vincent-Rudzki, 'The President's Column', ''Celestial Toyroom'', August 1980, p. 2</ref> Vincent-Rudzki went on to join Stephen Payne in founding the magazine publishing company [[Visual Imagination]]. |
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Challenges faced by the society in the early 1980s included tighter control of news by the production office; Vincent-Rudzki complained in his last president's column that independent fanzines were printing news about the forthcoming season which the production office had asked DWAS not to publicise. This would be an issue throughout the 1980s. Another issue was the growth of the society's local group network, which by October 1980 included seventeen groups, two of which were in North America. The society executive felt that they were unable to effectively supervise overseas groups, for whose actions they had legal responsibility, and withdrew recognition from them as DWAS local groups.<ref>''Celestial Toyroom'', October 1980, p. 1</ref> The society continued to recognise an allied North American Doctor Who Appreciation Society until 1984, but the change encouraged the formation of the Doctor Who Information Network as a fully distinct society for Doctor Who fans in Canada. |
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New ideas introduced in the early 1980s included a fanzine poll and regular fanzine reviews in ''Celestial Toyroom''. Smaller events such as Interfaces and DWASocials began, complementing Panopticon. The local group network continued to expand. While the executive never became an elected committee, executive members made visits to local groups and the DWASocials included panels where society members could express their views on society governance. Membership fell for a period in the early 1980s - recorded at 1820 in the August 1981 ''Celestial Toyroom'', it had fallen to 1000 by November 1982 - but then began an upturn, reaching 1175 by March 1983, and 1550 by December. The rise was probably helped by the DWAS's presence at the BBC-run Doctor Who convention held at [[Longleat]], [[Wiltshire]], in March 1983. Membership peaked at just over 3000 in the mid 1980s. |
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During the early 1980s ''Celestial Toyroom'' remained a brief monthly newsletter, with ''Tardis'' (which moved to quarterly publication in 1983) being the main forum of articles and letters. |
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Developments in the late 1980s included a decline in membership, perhaps due to the evolution of [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]]'s ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' into a more fan-based publication. Rival services also appeared, such as [[Dreamwatch|DWB]] for monthly news, The Whonatics or the MLG for local gatherings, and Phoenix for conventions. |
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Failure to register for [[VAT]] led to a crisis in the Society's finances in the late 1980s, but the DWAS recovered from this to survive as the core grouping of [[Doctor Who fandom]] in the UK. A separate company, Space Rocket Ltd, now administers commercial affairs such as conventions and sales, on behalf of the DWAS. |
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From 1997 until his death in 2011, the Society's honorary president was [[Nicholas Courtney]], who played the hugely popular recurring character [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] on the series from 1968 to 1989. Upon his death, [[Colin Baker]], who played the [[Sixth Doctor|sixth incarnation]] of the [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]], was elected as his replacement. |
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==Audio productions== |
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In 1995, the Doctor Who Appreciation Society produced and sold a collection of ''Doctor Who'' audio adventures entitled ''Cosmic Fugue'', a spin-off from DWAS's fiction magazine, ''Cosmic Masque'', edited and produced by Jonathan Way and Steven Wickham. All barring two of the stories were specially written for the collection. The collection was presented by [[Sophie Aldred]] and the individual stories were read by former ''Doctor Who'' stars.<ref name=cosmic1>{{Citation/make link|http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/2155/cosmicfugue.jpg|Cosmic Fugue}}</ref> |
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===''Cosmic Fugue''=== |
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{| class="wikitable" width=100% |
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! Title |
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! Writer |
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! Reader |
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! [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] |
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! [[Companion (Doctor Who)|Companion]] |
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|- |
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| '''''All Teeth and Claws''''' || [[Paul Farnsworth (writer)|Paul Farnsworth]] || [[John Leeson]] || || [[K-9 (Doctor Who)|K-9]] Mark 1B |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|[[K-9 (Doctor Who)|K-9]] wonders if robotic dogs can go mad. |
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|- |
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| '''''Cats and Bags''''' || [[Mark Jones (writer)|Mark Jones]] || [[Peter Miles (English actor)|Peter Miles]] || || [[Liz Shaw]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|Liz Shaw attends a university lecture about time travel. |
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|- |
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| '''''A Game of Sudden Death''''' || [[Jim Mortimore]] || Sophie Aldred || || [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|A tale of [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]] and the Space Corps. |
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|- |
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| '''''A New Beginning''''' || [[Steven Wickham (writer)|Steven Wickham]] || [[John Levene]] || || [[Sergeant Benton|Sgt. Benton]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|Then Cpl. Benton meets the soon to be Brigadier while being assigned to the newly formed UNIT. |
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|- |
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| '''''First Dispatches''''' || [[Mark Jones (writer)|Mark Jones]] || [[Elisabeth Sladen]] || || [[Dodo]], [[Sarah Jane Smith]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|A young [[Sarah Jane Smith]] witnesses Dodo's departure in the TARDIS. Previously published in ''Cosmic Masque'', this was one of two previously published stories in the collection, replacing a planned submission by Gary Russell. |
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|- |
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| '''''Undercurrents''''' || [[David Scott (writer)|David Scott]] || [[Brian Miller (actor)|Brian Miller]] || Unknown Doctor || |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|A series of coincidence bring about the activation of an [[Auton]]. |
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|- |
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| '''''Childhood Shows the Man''''' || [[Steven Wickham (writer)|Steven Wickham]] || [[Peter Miles (English actor)|Peter Miles]] || || [[Nyder]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|The origin of Nyder's cruelty. |
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|- |
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| '''''Graffti''''' || [[Dale Smith (writer)|Paul D. Smith]] || [[Sophie Aldred]] || || [[Ace]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|[[Ace]] gets up to a bit of mischief. |
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|- |
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| '''''RSM Benton's Memoirs''''' || [[Stephen Parsons (writer)|Stephen Parsons]] || [[John Levene]] || || [[Sergeant Benton|Sgt. Benton]], [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|Sgt. Benton remembers an anti-terrorist operation from his post-UNIT days. |
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|- |
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| '''''The Skies of Always''''' || [[Nick Setchfield (writer)|Nick Setchfield]] || [[Elisabeth Sladen]] || [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor]] || [[Sarah Jane Smith]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|[[Sarah Jane Smith]] and the [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor]] visit the Skies of Always and discuss the lives of humans and Timelords. This was one of two stories in the collection previously published in ''Cosmic Masque''. |
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|} |
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===''Cosmic Fugue 2''=== |
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In 1998, the Doctor Who Appreciation Society produced and sold a second collection of ''Doctor Who'' audio adventures entitled ''Cosmic Fugue 2'' with profits being donated to the charities HOPE for Romanian Orphans and The [[Meningitis Trust]]. The collection was presented by [[Louise Jameson]] and the individual stories were read by former ''Doctor Who'' stars with additional voices being provided by Nicola Quinn and Steven Wickham.<ref name="Cosmic">{{cite book |
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| last = Letts |
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| first = Barry |
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| authorlink = Barry Letts |
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| coauthors = [[Gary Russell|Russell, Gary]], [[Nick Walters (writer)|Walters, Nick]], Brigham, Crispin and Wickham, Steven |
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| title = Cosmic Fugue 2 |
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| publisher = Doctor Who Appreciation Society |
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| year = 1998 |
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| location = |
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| pages = |
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| url = |
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| doi = |
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| id = |
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| isbn = }} |
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</ref> |
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{| class="wikitable" width=100% |
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! Title |
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! Writer |
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! Reader |
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! [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] |
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! [[Companion (Doctor Who)|Companion]] |
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|- |
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| '''''The Lake of Possibilities''''' || [[Nick Walters (writer)|Nick Walters]] || [[Colin Baker]] || [[Sixth Doctor]] || |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|[[Sixth Doctor|The Doctor]] learns the origins of the [[Valeyard]]. |
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|- |
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| '''''The Blinovitch Link''''' || [[Barry Letts]] || [[Elisabeth Sladen]] || || [[Sarah Jane Smith]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|Sarah receives a telephone call from the future. |
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|- |
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| '''''Help At A Stroke''''' || Steven Wickham || Colin Baker || Sixth Doctor || Georges-Pierre |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|The Doctor drinks wine with Georges-Pierre, a dour [[France|French]] artist, (implied to be [[Georges-Pierre Seurat]]), in a [[café]] in [[Paris]]. |
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|- |
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| '''''The Rain Machine''''' || Nick Walters || [[Caroline John]] || || [[Liz Shaw]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|Liz Shaw investigates a scientist's rain machine, aided by the [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier]]. |
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|- |
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| '''''Slings and Arrows''''' || || Colin Baker || Sixth Doctor || |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|''[[Hamlet]]'', as written by [[William Shakespeare]] with help from the Doctor. |
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|- |
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| '''''Zoe Does It''''' || Crispin Brigham || [[Wendy Padbury]] || || [[Zoe Herriot]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|Zoe searches for part of a crashed spaceship after the [[TARDIS]] receives a distress call. |
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|- |
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| '''''Tomorrow's Times''''' || || Colin Baker || || |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|A report on the first Doctor Who Ball, attended by the likes of Meg Loss and Sir Vival. |
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|- |
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| '''''Savage''''' || [[Gary Russell]] || [[Louise Jameson]] || || [[Leela (Doctor Who)|Leela]] |
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|- |
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|- style="background-color: #FFFFFF;" |
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|colspan="5"|Leela struggles with life on [[Gallifrey]] after having left the [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor]]. |
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|} |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.dwasonline.co.uk/ ''DWAS Online''] — Official site for the Doctor Who Appreciation Society |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{Doctor Who}} |
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[[Category:Doctor Who fandom|Appreciation Society]] |
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[[Category:Fan clubs]] |
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[[Category:Organizations established in 1976]] |
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[[Category:Audio plays based on Doctor Who| ]] |
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[[Category:Westfield College]] |
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[[Category:1976 establishments in the United Kingdom]] |
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[[Category:Clubs and societies in the United Kingdom]] |
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Revision as of 13:16, 9 October 2013
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