Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction show in the history of television. In 2013, the series’ 50th Anniversary episode was simulcast in 94 countries to snare a worldwide audience of 80 million — making it the largest simulcast of a TV drama ever to bounce around the stratosphere.
But who exactly was watching? Yes. Who indeed? For while Star Wars mania infects the world like some insatiable zombie-triffid, and Star Trek reboots capitalize on the indiscriminatory appetites of cinema audiences, the Doctor’s acolytes await their due.
Where’s the Whovian fan film? Answer: It is (almost) here.
Doctor Who Am I is a documentary that focuses specifically on the American Doctor Who fan. Directed by SB4MC friend, screenwriter, director, and writer/co-producer of the 1996 American Doctor Who TV movie, Matthew Jacobs, this is a project that bridges the multiverse between fans and creators.
Or it will, once it’s finished. Jacobs and co-director Vanessa Yuille are going the Indiegogo route to raise funds for post-production. Perhaps you’d care to pitch in? Or at least investigate further?
Doctor Who Am I explores Whovian life from the grand convention scale to the intimate arena of individual enthusiasts’ homes, seeking the essence that unites series fans. It is a story of identity that asks the simple question: Who are you? Who who?
Guided by Matthew Jacobs — an Doctor Who insider who, for decades, avoided all things Who-ey — it is a film of personal discovery. This, I say, is fitting for a project built around a character of shifting appearances and singular identity.
The documentary includes interviews with cos players and key personnel from the TV show including Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook, Philip Segal, and Nicholas Briggs. It may or may not help save you from Cybermen. It certainly couldn’t hurt?
Because Doctor Who Am I has earned non-profit arts funding, all donations to the project are tax-deductible. Consider maxing out your yearly charitable giving in exchange for perks like a genuine hand-knitted Tom Baker scarf. Also consider maxing out your yearly charitable giving and then giving me your Tom Baker scarf for being such a swell fellow.
I always liked Tom Baker’s Doctor the best. And his scarf.