If you don't watch Doctor Who, tell me why

[UnquietDad]

Everyone knows that, by any measure, "Doctor Who" is doing really well. It's the biggest BBC drama after the soaps and gets, most weeks, around 8 million viewers (including the "time-shifted" ratings for those who have recorded it). In terms of raw ratings this doesn't sound huge, given that it often got 12-13 million in the 60s and 70s, but we live in a fragmented multimedia world and I can understand that, at 7pm on a Saturday some people are plugged onto their Playstations or already largeing it down at their raves with their designer downloaded drugs, or whatever they do these days.

But most people I know - the vast majority of whom are parents of children under 10 - watch it. Just about everyone seems aware it's on. Which rather begs the question not of why 8 million people should choose to watch "Doctor Who" but why 52 million don't?

Let's be charitable and assume that a) 10 million or so are babies and toddlers and so don't have control of the remote, b) another 5 million or so detest "science fiction" (not that it is sci-fi, not really) and would rather pull their own teeth out than ever watch it, and c) about 5 million people don't have access to a telly/assume it rots their brains/ chucked their TV on the skip in 1997 and never looked back. I've no idea if those figures are right, but they don't seem unreasonable...

The next important thing is the audience share - how many people who watched telly were watching a given channel. Anything over 30% is seen as good and over 35% is phenomenal. BBC1 usually gets a 37-39% share when "Doctor Who" is on. So what are the other 60-odd percent doing? Let's assume there really are, as the ratings tell us, 3-4 million ardent Vernon Kay fans in the country who actively tune in for his "Gameshow Marathon" because he is so talented and entertaining. That takes care of about 20%. Where are the rest? I just genuinely can't imagine putting the telly on at 7pm on a Saturday night and choosing to watch a "Two Ronnies" repeat on ITV4, or "Whose Line Is It Anyway" on Five US, or something called "Bridezillas" on some other crappy cable channel, instead of a brand spanking new and wonderful episode of the best thing on the telly.

If you are unmoved by Who, have never watched it, or watched it and gave up with it, or actively hate it - tell me why.

Over to you...

I remember William Hartnell

hm, ive never ever been into sci-fi.
It has never interested me TBH, and i dont watch any thing on the other channels, at 7pm its our bathtime, book reading hour and so tv is either not on or on but turned low in the background.
I know you say its the best thing on telly and it would be unfair of me to say otherwise having never watched it, but it just doesnt do any thing for me.
Sorry.

1. Because it's crap. Crap acting and crap storylines.

2. It's too scary for my ds1 who is afraid of the numberjacks.

3. I've got better things to do with my life than wonder when David Tennant is going to get his sonic screwdriver out to zap the flying daleks.

Undoubtedly some of its episodes are SF - "hard" SF like the one a couple of weeks ago with the spaceship about to crash into the sun. But that's only one element of its appeal. It's many things, like "Lost" is, or even "Desperate Housewives" if you like.

I can't remember what they have on when it isn't on? Don't they put that annoying manc supporting irish bloke or the camp one who did supermarket sweep with the lottery programme? People love all these new fangled (rubbish) quiz programmes. Bet that draws a big family audience too.

Would far rather watch Dr Who than that nonsense.

Hmmm. Fair enough. I saw a couple of the early DT episodes when Billie was still in it, and thought it consisted of a lot of running and shouting and things blowing up, and there wasn't really much of a plot. I found it boring and my attention wandered.

The 'funny' lines didn't raise a smile with me.

The definitive Dr Who is Peter Davison, with Adric, Nyssa and Tegan.

I am not into sci-fi and I have loads to do at that time in the evening, but I watch it solely because I get to ogle David Tennant.

What is the matter with so many women saying he is creepy or a turn off?

What they have on when it isn't on - "Robin Hood" in the autumn (no idea how much longer that will last), and the rest of the year I think is Lottery gameshow rubbish and "D-List Celebrity Dancing".

would rather watch d list celebrity dancing any day of the week!

I dont watch it because i like true to life stuff, and to me it looks like a load of crap tbh, not my thing at all.

we don't watch it because it's on at bath/bed time!

I expect if it was about 8pm we might have got into it but then it wouldn't have been so popular I guess. My niece loves it

UQD, of course, there are episodes with more Sci-fi elements than others. I don't watch it because it's Sci-fi, I watch it because it's Doctor Who, and I watched the Colin Baker era, so I'm like, well hardcore .

But it is still firmly in the sci-fi bracket as far as genre goes.

Ooooh Robin Hood - DG swoons. Now you are talking!

oh yes, spare me. I tell you what - people who say the acting is poor on Dr Who (I don't reckon it is) have seen nothing till they try and watch an episode of Robin Hood. Never in my life have I seen such tosh.

Thinking about it, I reckon it's the best family entertainment (as in, stuff you watch as a family) on TV at the moment (would rank Harry Hill up there if it was on). We also watch Masterchef together but it's not as entertaining!

The thing about the timeslot is interesting. One episode this year was shunted to 7.40 for some football or other and the ratings were a good bit higher. Occasionally it's gone out nearer the "old" (70s) time of 6.30-ish and has got lower ratings.

I just think "sci-fi" is a bit reductive. It transcends genre for me.

I almost come into your "c" category unquiet dad - we do have a tv, but I don't really watch it much. Dh and the dds quite often watch Vernon Kay, I'm usually pottering about doing my own thing or putting ds to bed.

However - even if it was on at a more convenient time, I really wouldn't watch it. I find most drama these days to be so low-quality, all based around sex/sexual undertones, and all the storylines very samey. I've no idea if this applies to Doctor Who, I've never watched it. But I don't watch drama or soaps for those reasons, and the odd new thing where I have watched the first episode has always disappointed me, so I tend to tar it all with the same brush. Life is too short to get bogged down watching things that don't interest me!

The only thing I do enjoy (in terms of drama) is New Tricks, but even then, I don't go out of my way to watch it, just if it happens to be on when I'm wanting to sit and veg out a bit.

Thank you DG, the voice of reason at last.

Tho Dr Who is actually Jon Pertwee (see, I am old, but not as old as Joolstoo! (sorry JT)

never watched it as a child

not interested in tv now

and iirc it is on on a saturday evening when i am eating

foxinsocks, I so agree. I couldn't even manage to get through the first ep. of Robin Hood, that Armitage fella notwithstanding. It was chronic.

I just think "sci-fi" is a bit reductive. It transcends genre for me.

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Well, it does now, for sure.

never have watched it ever, not once.

I think it is a peculiarly english thing - think you have to have watched it as a kid to see the point

It is the script writing that is at fault with Robin Hood, not the acting. And so many gorgeous men to choose from!

Where are you from PPH?
It's been sold all over the world...

... and I wasn't brought up in england (is the second half of that sentence) lol