I have been a Doctor Who fan for over 20 years now and I have met and spoken with thousands of fellow fans over the years. From this, I have established that there are four types of Doctor Who fans and I am going to try and explain each of them.
Obsessed with Rose Tinted Glasses
This type of fan is obsessed with everything Doctor Who and thinks that everything to do with the show or anyone linked to the show is AMAZING and just BRILLIANT. This is the type of fan who follows everyone on twitter who even mentions the shows Doctor Who, Torchwood or SJA; they ‘Friend’ everyone on Facebook and always feel the need to tell everyone how ace everything is all the time.
This is the type of fan who is constantly worried about upsetting anyone to do with the ‘Who Scene’. To them, every podcast is amazing, every blog is amazing, every writer of the show is amazing and this type of fan has to tell them ALL THE TIME.
The Obsessed with Rose Tinted Glasses fan doesn’t really have any real opinion themselves because as far as they are concerned its all amazing with no criticism at all.
The Negative Obsessive
This type of Who fan is a type that we all know. There is one in ALL of our Twitter timelines. They are NEVER happy; the companions are always rubbish; the story was too dark/silly/lighthearted; the writing is terrible now; they are never happy with the Doctor no matter which one it is; the other fans annoy them for being positive.
This is the type of fan who, like The Obsessed with Rose Tinted Glasses fan, doesn’t really have any of their own opinions because as far as they are concerned it’s all rubbish and they have no specific criticisms. Sometimes you wonder why they are even a fan at all.
The Positive Obsessive
This is the type of fan I would like to class myself as and also most of the people I usually talk too about the show. We are obsessed with the show too; are usually upbeat and positive; we will watch and listen to EVERY episode of classic and new Who no matter who the Doctor is; and we want the show to be great, but at the same time we are still able to be honest and say whether we like something or not without worrying about upsetting anyone. We are grown up enough to have an opinion on what works for us or what we like.
We follow and are friends with loads of people on Twitter and Facebook, but if we don’t like someone or a podcast, etc. we won’t stay friends with them just because they like the show. We don’t feel the need to keep telling the writers, Moffatt and Gold, how amazing they are all the time (we reserve that for when there is actually an outstanding episode).
The Normal Fan
This is where I would class my partner. She is a big fan of the show and Torchwood; she can’t wait for when they are on; she likes most of the actors, but unlike me doesn’t feel the need for it to be in every part of her life. She doesn’t need to listen to the podcasts or audio stories, she doesn’t need to search car boot sales for toys and books and she certainly doesn’t feel the need to tweet any writer or fan, etc. in the little hope of some kind of retweet.
She isn’t obsessed with Doctor Who, she is just a fan who likes the show and spin off.
I like to think I am and always have been a Positive Obsessive Fan. Which type are you?
Regards,
Alex “Muldwych” Giles <>
