Doctor Who: Industry and Audience blog tasks

Audience

1) Who is the target audience for Doctor Who? Has it changed since 1963?

The target audience for Doctor Who are predominately women and men at the ages of 12-40. It hasn’t really changed since 1963 since some adults go back and watch it for nostalgia.

2) What audience psychographic groups might particularly enjoy Doctor Who?

The audience psychographic groups that would enjoy Doctor Who are people who are interested in science fiction genres that involves advanced technology and futuristic concepts such as space, time travel, out of world creatures and parallel universes.

3) What audience pleasures are offered by An Unearthly Child? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

The audience pleasures offered by An Unearthly Child using Blumler and Katz’s and Gratifications theory is surveillance/information. This is because the audience are learning information that they didn’t already know. Doctor Who offers educational concept behind space travel, history and science.

 A second audience pleasure is diversion/entertainment. This is because the audience are experiencing entertainment away from their normal life. Science Fiction is a very good example because it’s exciting and very unrealistic.

4) What additional Uses and Gratifications would this episode provide to a modern 2020 audience?

Additional Uses andGratifications of this episode would provide a more wider reach and diverse audience in a modern 2020 audience. This is because it has a more diverse representation over recent years such as gay characters, black central characters and strong female characters. 

5) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to An Unearthly Child?

Visceral: When the teachers are searching for the student

Vicarious: When Doctor Who tells the teachers they have to be his sidekicks

Voyeuristic: When everyone was inside the TARDIS

Industries

1) What was the television industry like in 1963? How many channels were there?

The television industry in 1963 wasn't as good as it is now. There was only one channel.

2) Why is Doctor Who such an important franchise for the BBC?

Doctor Who is such an important franchise for the BBC because it is one of the most well known franchise of the BBC and has been streamed globally by thousands of people.

3) How does Doctor Who meet the BBC's mission statement to 'inform, educate and entertain'?

Inform- To provide information 

Educate- To reflect the United Kingdom, it’s culture and values of the world 

Entertain- To produce creative output / to have diverse content 

4) How is the BBC funded?

The BBC is funded by their daily viewers- BBC licence fee payers.

5) Who regulates the BBC and what is the watershed?

The BBC is regulated by OfCOM. The watershed is if whatever themes are shown in this show is appropriate to put on tv before 9pm.