A brutally honest thread about #DoctorWho fandom.

Buckle up.

So, I had a bit of an epiphany yesterday when chatting with my gf who noted that even though she hardly follows 'Doctor Who' social media accounts or fans, her timeline gets flooded with wholly...

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...negative coverage of the show. To the point where she's completely baffled by people taking the show *that* seriously.

Obviously fans can be passionate in their love for something and sometimes we can be critical out of love, but that's not what she was referring to.

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It was more the idea that even supposed fans of the show completely hate it and that hatred is so visibly unhinged, so obviously lacking a basis in reality that it actually has started to turn her off the programme.

I thought about this viewpoint overnight and...

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...it made me also consider the relatively low viewing figures when compared to previous seasons.

Now, I think there are multiple factors to the viewing figures decreasing. Like having a Series Opener on NYD, the utter lack of marketing to mainstream audiences etc.

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But I think one factor we have to consider is that as a fanbase...Whovians have become utterly repulsive to the uninitiated.

Think about it.

You search YouTube for "Doctor Who" or get some DW videos in your recommended feed, what do you find up the ranks?

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You find blatant white supremacy (Bowlestrek), fake news that would make a UK Tabloid call for an intervention (Nerdrotic), horrific racism, the list goes on.

And on Twitter? Search "Doctor Who" on Twitter right now.

Go on, I'll wait.

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Yeah, it's bloody ugly, isn't it?

I don't know specifically what you found, but I found death threats against Jo Martin, racism, transphobia, the odd positive tweet but not enough to stop the flagrant bigotry that's front-and-centre in the fandom.

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And it's completely insane some of the things I've seen on public social media boards. I saw fans yelling at Chris Chibnall because of altered Cybermen designs from the Series 10 finale.

Chris Chibnall...being blamed for a design decision in Series 10...

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And then there's tabloid outlets, decrying "PC" Doctor Who without ever defining what they mean by "PC", posting racism and sexism using Doctor Who as a trojan horse so the writers or editors can just be as horrible as they want under the guise of fandom (JeremyClarkson).

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And of course "news" outlets posting about the viewing figures in a negative way and just lying about them.

Just flat-out lying about objective numbers.

This is all pushed to the surface and is right in front of any potential new fan's face when they get engaged.

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I'm reminded of a piece written on Birth.Movies.Death talking about the backlash to 2016's 'Ghostbusters', how "Ghostbros" screamed "They ruined my childhood!" to which the writer retorts that witnissing how much hatred & sexism & racism existed in the GB fandom...

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...that they actually did make him re-evaluate HIS childhood and how something he enjoyed and loved watching growing up now has this horrible bigotry attached to its legacy.

That's how I feel about 'Doctor Who' now.

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I got into a dumb Twitter argument with a guy on Twitter this morning who was utterly CONVINCED that the new Doctor Who creative team were anti-male. How they were destroying the show and scheming Doctor Strangelove style in an evil lair to bring down the white man.

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He presented this completely without irony and, of course, without a shred of evidence or proof.

When I pointed out that even I, someone who is a bit cold on S12 so far and gave legit reasons as to why, thought he was being ridiculous, he called me "brainwashed".

Wut?

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This guy, who had no reason to believe what he believed, just pushing this utterly insane narrative (once again, he believes in a scenario like one pictured below) thought that I was the "brainwashed" one.

And he's a prominent face of the DW fandom on Twitter. For real.

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Yes, there are great and hugely positive and lovely corners of the fandom. But in an internet, algorithmic age where the most extreme, toxic content rises to the top, that's not the FACE of the fandom. It's not the first thing newcomers see.

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I think it's time that this fandom takes a long hard look at itself, at how repulsive a fandom we look from the outside. How inaccessible a community we must look to any POTENTIAL fans, despite the morals and messages that the show has always preached for 57ish years.

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This negativity is not sustainable for a fandom. It's grotesque and it not only drives current fans away, but prevents any new and hopeful fans from even bothering to get involved.

The ultimate irony here is that these supposed "fans" who claim to love the show...

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...who have decided to play victim & express that love with bigotry, exclusion, gate-keeping & just general vile behaviour, might be the reason for its eventual decline.

But at this point, it might be what this fandom actually deserves. The show deserves better than us.

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By all means, be critical, present your arguments and critiques in good faith. If you're not liking the show, that's fine. If you really hate the show, then don't watch it and come back when the team changes.

But don't pretend for a single second that...

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...death threats, sexism, racism, transphobia & every other "ism" under the sun that you scream into the ether is not on the same wavelength as "valid critique" or "legit concerns".

Think of how alienating a community you make us look.

The show is better than YOU.

End thread.

Nope, sorry back for an epilogue.

I personally know someone who was part of the cast in 'Doctor Who' Series 11. I won't name them here (for obvious reasons) but they're an actor who works very hard and it was a lifelong dream to be in 'Doctor Who'.

Their lifelong dream's result? The end product of being in 'Doctor Who' Series 11?

Harassment. Spammed social media posts decrying their mere PRESENCE in the series. A hit to their self-esteem and mental health.

How. Fucking. Dare. This Fandom?

Treating a supporting actor in a single episode with open hostility solely due to their proximity to a series they were cast in.

You want to dream about replacing Chibnall? Or which actor will replace the "Evil" Jodie when she regenerates?

Well, ask yourself, why the fuck would any creator or actor want to be associated with a show when they can be bombarded with harassment sight unseen? And never for actual reasons, never with legit critiques but with superficial comments and bigotry.

In a way, I'm glad you (specifically talking about "that" corner of the fandom) hate the current run of the show.

Because it's what you deserve. You don't deserve a show that makes you happy. You CHOSE misery and misery is what you deserve.