Great interview with Doctor Who Executive Producer Caro Skinner about the show’s connection to the U.S. and the “big” episodes of Series 7…
Q. In years past, “Doctor Who” attracted a devoted cult following in the United States, but now the show seems to be breaking into mainstream consciousness. What does success in America mean to the health and profile of the franchise back at home?
A. Well, it’s a thrill, for a start: Last year we were top of the U.S. iTunes, which Steven and I were so delighted by. “Doctor Who” is one of the most quintessentially British ideas; for anyone in the U.K., you’re kind of born with “Doctor Who” in your DNA, to a certain extent. Obviously we work very hard to reach out to the U.K. mainstream audience, but the fact that it’s cutting through in the U.S., where there isn’t that context, is just phenomenal.
One of the things that was so exciting about shooting over here was that you very much felt from the reaction that we were getting – and from the viewing figures and the download figures – that it’s not “‘Doctor Who,’ that quintessentially British show that we import”; it’s just “Doctor Who,” and everybody knows what it is as a show in its own right.
Our favorite bit from the NYTimes writeup on the WHOyorkcity premiere:
That “Doctor Who” has outgrown its cult-classic status since its 2005 reboot has been increasingly evident, not least in post-broadcast sales: According to a BBC America spokeswoman, the show was the most-downloaded series on iTunes in 2011, eclipsing popular favorites like “Mad Men” and “Glee.” Its devoted fandom was evident in the delighted shrieks that greeted the sight of David Tennant, Mr. Smith’s predecessor as the Doctor, and Burn Gorman, a star of the “Doctor Who” spinoff series “Torchwood,” in a preview trailer for the BBC mini-series “Spies of Warsaw.”
