Doctor Who tie-in websites: Difference between revisions

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Beginning with the launch of the [[Series 1 (Doctor Who)|first series]] of the [[2005 (releases)|2005]] revival of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'', the [[BBC]] began releasing '''tie-in websites to coincide with both ''Doctor Who'' and ''[[Torchwood (series)|Torchwood]]''''',<ref name="torchwood">[https://web.archive.org/web/20061205110030/http://www.sequence.co.uk/2043.html ''Sequence develops online content for Torchwood'' on sequence.co.uk via the Wayback Machine]</ref> distinct from the [[Doctor Who website|primary ''Doctor Who'' website]]. These sites were also referred to as '''spin-off sites'''<ref name="survey">[https://web.archive.org/web/20050720004433/https://bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2005/07/06/20444.shtml ''Website survey results'' on bbc.co.uk]</ref> and '''fictional sites''' by official sources.<ref name="dwm367">[[DWM 367]] - [[Production Notes]]</ref><ref name="inside">''[[Doctor Who: The Inside Story]]''</ref> Some sites were also called '''Experiences'''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060515001343/http://www.deffryvaleschool.org.uk/disclaim.shtml Deffry Vale High School Disclaimer on deffryvaleschool.org.uk/disclaim via the Wayback Machine]</ref>
Beginning with the launch of the [[Series 1 (Doctor Who 2005)|first series]] of the [[2005 (releases)|2005]] revival of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'', the [[BBC]] began releasing '''tie-in websites to coincide with both ''Doctor Who'' and ''[[Torchwood (series)|Torchwood]]''''',<ref name="torchwood">{{cite web
|url=http://www.sequence.co.uk/2043.html
|title=''Sequence develops online content for Torchwood''
|website=[[Sequence (company)|Sequence]]
|accessdate=10 April 2024
|date of source=9 November 2006
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205110030/http://www.sequence.co.uk/2043.html
|archivedate=5 December 2006
}}</ref> distinct from the [[Doctor Who website|primary ''Doctor Who'' website]]. These sites were also referred to as '''spin-off sites'''<ref name="survey">{{cite web
|url=https://bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2005/07/06/20444.shtml
|website name=[[BBC website]]
|title=Website survey results
|accessdate=10 April 2024
|date of source=6 July 2005
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050720004433/https://bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2005/07/06/20444.shtml
|archivedate=20 July 2005
}}</ref> and '''fictional sites''' by official sources.<ref name="dwm367">[[DWM 367]] - [[Production Notes]]</ref><ref name="inside">''[[Doctor Who: The Inside Story]]''</ref> Some sites were also called '''Experiences'''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060515001343/http://www.deffryvaleschool.org.uk/disclaim.shtml Deffry Vale High School Disclaimer on deffryvaleschool.org.uk/disclaim via the Wayback Machine]</ref>


After [[Series 3 (Doctor Who)|series three]] of ''Doctor Who'', the [[BBC]] didn't make any new tie-in websites until [[2011 (releases)|2011]], where two new ones were released for the interactive experience ''[[The Crash of the Elysium (stage play)|The Crash of the Elysium]]''.<ref name="crashnews">[https://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/06/dwn070611111008-crash-of-elysium.html ''The Crash of the Elysium'' on doctorwhonews.net]</ref>
After [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|series three]] of ''Doctor Who'', the [[BBC]] didn't make any new tie-in websites until [[2011 (releases)|2011]], where two new ones were released for the interactive experience ''[[The Crash of the Elysium (stage play)|The Crash of the Elysium]]''.<ref name="crashnews">[https://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/06/dwn070611111008-crash-of-elysium.html ''The Crash of the Elysium'' on doctorwhonews.net]</ref>


== Nature and background ==
== Nature and background ==
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In the 1990s, promotion for ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'' was either broadcast or in print, with web content for ''Doctor Who'' not being concieved of in the days of the early internet. Eventually, the [[BBC Cult website]] was made home to the online [[streaming]] of ''[[Death Comes to Time (webcast)|Death Comes to Time]]'', ''[[Real Time (webcast)|Real Time]]'', ''[[Shada (webcast)|Shada]]'', and ''[[Scream of the Shalka (webcast)|Scream of the Shalka]]''. By the time ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'' came to be first broadcast, unlike in [[1996 (releases)|1996]],<ref name="brief">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2007/11/a_brief_history_of_time_travel_1.html ''A Brief History Of Time (Travel)'' on BBC Internet Blog]</ref>  
In the 1990s, promotion for ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'' was either broadcast or in print, with web content for ''Doctor Who'' not being concieved of in the days of the early internet. Eventually, the [[BBC Cult website]] was made home to the online [[streaming]] of ''[[Death Comes to Time (webcast)|Death Comes to Time]]'', ''[[Real Time (webcast)|Real Time]]'', ''[[Shada (webcast)|Shada]]'', and ''[[Scream of the Shalka (webcast)|Scream of the Shalka]]''. By the time ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'' came to be first broadcast, unlike in [[1996 (releases)|1996]],<ref name="brief">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2007/11/a_brief_history_of_time_travel_1.html ''A Brief History Of Time (Travel)'' on BBC Internet Blog]</ref>  
''Doctor Who'' was in a "whole new millennium" and, as proven by the popularity of the [[Doctor Who website|''Doctor Who'' website]], there was a thirst for "new media" web content.<ref name="inside"/> And so, the BBC created a wealth of web content to supplement their revival of ''Doctor Who''; going a step further, the BBC made "the web [... become] part of the programme", producing real life websites based upon organisations seen in the programme;<ref name="brief"/> these websites also narratively linked to the ongoing storyline and [[story arc]] of [[Series 1 (Doctor Who)|series one]], with ''[[Who is Doctor Who? (tie-in website)|Who is Doctor Who?]]'', based upon [[Clive Finch]]'s conspiracy website [[Doctor Who?]], becoming [[Mickey Smith]]'s personal blog in his determination to bring [[Rose Tyler]] safely back to Earth and away from the Doctor, whom Mickey thought would get Rose killed. While not part of the tie-in websites ''proper'',<ref name="dwm367"/> the ''[[Bad Wolf (website)|Bad Wolf]]'' website provided an out-of-universe look on the [[Bad Wolf meme|Bad Wolf]] story arc, providing many false theories and explanations.
''Doctor Who'' was in a "whole new millennium" and, as proven by the popularity of the [[Doctor Who website|''Doctor Who'' website]], there was a thirst for "new media" web content.<ref name="inside"/> And so, the BBC created a wealth of web content to supplement their revival of ''Doctor Who''; going a step further, the BBC made "the web [... become] part of the programme", producing real life websites based upon organisations seen in the programme;<ref name="brief"/> these websites also narratively linked to the ongoing storyline and [[story arc]] of [[Series 1 (Doctor Who 2005)|series one]], with ''[[Who is Doctor Who? (tie-in website)|Who is Doctor Who?]]'', based upon [[Clive Finch]]'s conspiracy website [[Doctor Who?]], becoming [[Mickey Smith]]'s personal blog in his determination to bring [[Rose Tyler]] safely back to Earth and away from the Doctor, whom Mickey thought would get Rose killed. While not part of the tie-in websites ''proper'',<ref name="dwm367"/> the ''[[Bad Wolf (website)|Bad Wolf]]'' website provided an out-of-universe look on the [[Bad Wolf meme|Bad Wolf]] story arc, providing many false theories and explanations.


[[Julie Gardner]], the [[executive producer]] of ''Doctor Who'', felt that the ''[[Tardisode]]s'', ''[[Attack of the Graske (video game)|Attack of the Graske]]'', and the tie-in websites were effective at letting the viewers immerse themselves in "additional ''Doctor Who''" but executed in a way that was coherent with the television series.<ref name="inside"/>
[[Julie Gardner]], the [[executive producer]] of ''Doctor Who'', felt that the ''[[Tardisode]]s'', ''[[Attack of the Graske (video game)|Attack of the Graske]]'', and the tie-in websites were effective at letting the viewers immerse themselves in "additional ''Doctor Who''" but executed in a way that was coherent with the television series.<ref name="inside"/>
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As the websites were launched in the mid-2000s, they commonly utilised software such as [[Adobe Flash]], {{w|Windows Media Player}} and {{w|RealPlayer}}, which are all now defunct and/or incompatible with older content, which has resulted in much of the non-prose material to become [[lost media]], as far back as 2016.<ref>[https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/the-who-is-doctor-who-conspiracy-website-still-exists-and-features-updates-from-mickey-smith/ ''The Who is Doctor Who? conspiracy website still exists and features updates from Mickey Smith'' on radiotimes.com]</ref> Furthermore, the BBC failed to pursue retaining the website domains for the majority of the tie-in websites, allowing "{{w|domain sniping|domain snipers}}" to purchase the domain and either put them up for sale or to host potentially malicious content. This Wiki advises you only visit these websites through the {{w|Wayback Machine}} or the [https://ghostarchive.org Ghost Archive].
As the websites were launched in the mid-2000s, they commonly utilised software such as [[Adobe Flash]], {{w|Windows Media Player}} and {{w|RealPlayer}}, which are all now defunct and/or incompatible with older content, which has resulted in much of the non-prose material to become [[lost media]], as far back as 2016.<ref>[https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/the-who-is-doctor-who-conspiracy-website-still-exists-and-features-updates-from-mickey-smith/ ''The Who is Doctor Who? conspiracy website still exists and features updates from Mickey Smith'' on radiotimes.com]</ref> Furthermore, the BBC failed to pursue retaining the website domains for the majority of the tie-in websites, allowing "{{w|domain sniping|domain snipers}}" to purchase the domain and either put them up for sale or to host potentially malicious content. This Wiki advises you only visit these websites through the {{w|Wayback Machine}} or the [https://ghostarchive.org Ghost Archive].


The exact date many of these sites were launched is unclear. The dates for the [[Series 1 (Doctor Who)|series one]] websites can be worked out accurately by seeing when the website was first linked to on the home page of the [[Doctor Who website|''Doctor Who'' website]], which had been archived daily on the Wayback Machine; however this practise was abandoned during [[Series 2 (Doctor Who)|series two]], thus leaving the only evidence of when the websites were launched by accessing the first archive on the Wayback Machine; however, the sites were evidently archived ''days after'' they launched, and in the case of ''[[Deffry Vale (tie-in website)|Deffry Vale]]'', around a whole year later.
The exact date many of these sites were launched is unclear. The dates for the [[Series 1 (Doctor Who 2005)|series one]] websites can be worked out accurately by seeing when the website was first linked to on the home page of the [[Doctor Who website|''Doctor Who'' website]], which had been archived daily on the Wayback Machine; however this practise was abandoned during [[Series 2 (Doctor Who 2005)|series two]], thus leaving the only evidence of when the websites were launched by accessing the first archive on the Wayback Machine; however, the sites were evidently archived ''days after'' they launched, and in the case of ''[[Deffry Vale (tie-in website)|Deffry Vale]]'', around a whole year later.


The archives of the ''[[Vote Saxon (tie-in website)|Vote Saxon]]'' website are also broke, with all of the visual content not been archived properly, resulting in anything visual becoming lost.
The archives of the ''[[Vote Saxon (tie-in website)|Vote Saxon]]'' website are also broke, with all of the visual content not been archived properly, resulting in anything visual becoming lost.
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== ''Doctor Who'' ==
== ''Doctor Who'' ==
=== Series 1 ===
=== Series 1 ===
Production on the websites that coincided with series one seem to go as far back as [[29 June (production)|29 June]] [[2004 (production)|2004]], with the registering of the domain "www.whoisdoctorwho.co.uk".<ref name="29June"/> The domain "www.unit.org.uk" was registered on [[23 November (production)|23 November]] [[2004 (production)|2004]],<ref name="23nov"/> incidentally the 51st anniversary of ''Doctor Who''. Production wise, the website created to coincide with ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'' was clearly created during the rest of the [[Series 1 (Doctor Who)|series one]] websites.
Production on the websites that coincided with series one seem to go as far back as [[29 June (production)|29 June]] [[2004 (production)|2004]], with the registering of the domain "www.whoisdoctorwho.co.uk".<ref name="29June"/> The domain "www.unit.org.uk" was registered on [[23 November (production)|23 November]] [[2004 (production)|2004]],<ref name="23nov"/> incidentally the 41st anniversary of ''Doctor Who''. Production wise, the website created to coincide with ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'' was clearly created during the rest of the [[Series 1 (Doctor Who 2005)|series one]] websites.


According to [[James Goss]], the website editor,<ref name="gossjam"/> there were four tie-in websites were created in [[2005 (production)|2005]],<ref name="dwm367"/> evidently not counting ''[[Bad Wolf (tie-in website)|Bad Wolf]]'', which contained no original fiction.
According to [[James Goss]], the website editor,<ref name="gossjam"/> there were four tie-in websites were created in [[2005 (production)|2005]],<ref name="dwm367"/> evidently not counting ''[[Bad Wolf (tie-in website)|Bad Wolf]]'', which contained no original fiction.
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In an online bonus chapter to ''[[The Black Archive]]'' reference book ''[[Dalek (reference book)|Dalek]]'' by [[Billy Seguire]], he discussed how the ''[[GEOCOMTEX (tie-in website)|GEOCOMTEX]]'' tie-in website and ''[[The Last Dalek (video game)|The Last Dalek]]'' video game formed part of the "history" that went along with the broadcast of ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'', something that in the years that passed had been not-so-metaphorically lost due to the ephemerality of the Internet. Seguire also wrote about the tie-in website's shortcomings, how it had limited interactivity given the site was mostly "static" text, and how the website had a lack of engagement with audience's given it was only narratively linked to ''Dalek'', while the ''Who is Doctor Who?'' and ''U.N.I.T.'' tie-in websites continued to interact with the ongoing narrative.<ref name="obverse"/>
In an online bonus chapter to ''[[The Black Archive]]'' reference book ''[[Dalek (reference book)|Dalek]]'' by [[Billy Seguire]], he discussed how the ''[[GEOCOMTEX (tie-in website)|GEOCOMTEX]]'' tie-in website and ''[[The Last Dalek (video game)|The Last Dalek]]'' video game formed part of the "history" that went along with the broadcast of ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'', something that in the years that passed had been not-so-metaphorically lost due to the ephemerality of the Internet. Seguire also wrote about the tie-in website's shortcomings, how it had limited interactivity given the site was mostly "static" text, and how the website had a lack of engagement with audience's given it was only narratively linked to ''Dalek'', while the ''Who is Doctor Who?'' and ''U.N.I.T.'' tie-in websites continued to interact with the ongoing narrative.<ref name="obverse"/>


{| class="wikitable five-equal-columns"
{| {{prettytable}}
|-
|-
! Image || Wiki Link || External Link || Release Date || Notes
! Image || Wiki Link || External Link || Release Date || Notes
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| [https://web.archive.org/web/20050325055117/http://www.whoisdoctorwho.co.uk/ <tt>whoisdoctorwho.co.uk<tt/> via the Wayback Machine]
| [https://web.archive.org/web/20050325055117/http://www.whoisdoctorwho.co.uk/ <tt>whoisdoctorwho.co.uk<tt/> via the Wayback Machine]
| [[24 March (releases)|24 March]] [[2005 (releases)|2005]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050324055740/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/ ''Doctor Who'' website (24/03/2005) on BBC via the Wayback Machine]</ref>
| [[24 March (releases)|24 March]] [[2005 (releases)|2005]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050324055740/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/ ''Doctor Who'' website (24/03/2005) on BBC via the Wayback Machine]</ref>
| The site was launched alongside [[TV]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]''. Over the course of the next few weeks, it was updated in tandem with [[Series 1 (Doctor Who)|series one]] of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'', often narratively tying into the other websites.
| The site was launched alongside [[TV]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]''. Over the course of the next few weeks, it was updated in tandem with [[Series 1 (Doctor Who 2005)|series one]] of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'', often narratively tying into the other websites.
|-
|-
| [[File:UNIT website.jpg|thumb|center|link=U.N.I.T. (tie-in website)]]
| [[File:UNIT website.jpg|thumb|center|link=U.N.I.T. (tie-in website)]]
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Oddly, no website for [[Ursula Blake]]'s [[My Invasion Blog]] was created, despite the obvious potential in doing so. This may have been done because ''Defending the Earth!'' essentially filled the same purpose.
Oddly, no website for [[Ursula Blake]]'s [[My Invasion Blog]] was created, despite the obvious potential in doing so. This may have been done because ''Defending the Earth!'' essentially filled the same purpose.


{| class="wikitable five-equal-columns"
{| {{prettytable}}
|-
|-
! Image || Wiki Link || External Link || Release Date || Notes
! Image || Wiki Link || External Link || Release Date || Notes
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=== Series 3 ===
=== Series 3 ===
When [[Series 3 (Doctor Who)|series three]] began broadcasting, the BBC took a different approach to web tie-ins; instead of creating a range of interconnected websites, they instead created "dozens" of social media platforms for both "[[Harold Saxon]]" and [[Martha Jones]] that ran for a span of three months. Both Saxon and Martha had [[MySpace]] pages; Saxon also had a {{w|Bebo}} account and videos about Saxon garnering thousands of views by the BBC on [[YouTube]]. There were also [[SMS]] promotions.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110517080328/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article1975159.ece ''Online world sneaks villain into No 10 for new Dr Who'' on entertainment.timesonline.co.uk via the Wayback Machine]</ref> However, the vast majority of this marketing campaign is entirely lost, and the exact scope isn't even known by this Wiki; the two websites about Harold Saxon were lost as early as [[September (production)|September]] [[2010 (production)|2010]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230615161524/https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/6991/31783062/Official-Harold-Saxon-websites-GONE ''Official Harold Saxon websites GONE'' on fanfiction.net via the Wayback Machine]</ref>
When [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|series three]] began broadcasting, the BBC took a different approach to web tie-ins; instead of creating a range of interconnected websites, they instead created "dozens" of social media platforms for both "[[Harold Saxon]]" and [[Martha Jones]] that ran for a span of three months. Both Saxon and Martha had [[MySpace]] pages; Saxon also had a {{w|Bebo}} account and videos about Saxon garnering thousands of views by the BBC on [[YouTube]]. There were also [[SMS]] promotions.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110517080328/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article1975159.ece ''Online world sneaks villain into No 10 for new Dr Who'' on entertainment.timesonline.co.uk via the Wayback Machine]</ref> However, the vast majority of this marketing campaign is entirely lost, and the exact scope isn't even known by this Wiki; the two websites about Harold Saxon were lost as early as [[September (production)|September]] [[2010 (production)|2010]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230615161524/https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/6991/31783062/Official-Harold-Saxon-websites-GONE ''Official Harold Saxon websites GONE'' on fanfiction.net via the Wayback Machine]</ref>


{| class="wikitable five-equal-columns"
{| {{prettytable}}
|-
|-
! Image || Wiki Link || External Link || Release Date || Notes
! Image || Wiki Link || External Link || Release Date || Notes
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| ''[[Martha Jones (short story)|Martha Jones]]''
| ''[[Martha Jones (short story)|Martha Jones]]''
| [https://web.archive.org/web/20080917020522/http://www.myspace.com:80/marthajonesuk <tt>myspace.com/marthajonesuk<tt/> via the Wayback Machine]
| [https://web.archive.org/web/20080917020522/http://www.myspace.com:80/marthajonesuk <tt>myspace.com/marthajonesuk<tt/> via the Wayback Machine]
| [[23 March (releases)|23 March]] - [[3 July (releases)|3 July]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]].
| [[23 March (releases)|23 March]] - [[3 July (releases)|3 July]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]]
| This tie-in website, unconventionally but not without precedent, utilised the real world blogging platform [[MySpace]] to host the prose story that depicted [[Martha Jones]]'s perspective of series three.
| This tie-in website, unconventionally but not without precedent, utilised the real world blogging platform [[MySpace]] to host the prose story that depicted [[Martha Jones]]'s perspective of series three.
|-
|-
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| [https://web.archive.org/web/20070618113443/http://www.votesaxon.co.uk:80/ <tt>votesaxon.co.uk</tt> via the Wayback Machine]
| [https://web.archive.org/web/20070618113443/http://www.votesaxon.co.uk:80/ <tt>votesaxon.co.uk</tt> via the Wayback Machine]
| [[June (releases)|June]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]]
| [[June (releases)|June]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]]
| This website was launched alongside ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]''.
| rowspan="2" | These websites were launched alongside ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]''.
|-
| [[File:Harold Saxon tie-in website.jpg|thumb|center|link=Harold Saxon (tie-in website)]]
| ''[[Harold Saxon (tie-in website)|Harold Saxon]]''
| [https://web.archive.org/web/20070625191556/http://www.haroldsaxon.co.uk/index.shtml <tt>haroldsaxon.co.uk</tt> via the Wayback Machine]
| c. [[25 June (releases)|25 June]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]]
|-
|-
|}
|}
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== ''The Crash of the Elysium'' ==
== ''The Crash of the Elysium'' ==
{{Main|The Crash of the Elysium (stage play)/Promotion}}
{{Main|The Crash of the Elysium (stage play)/Promotion}}
For the [[immersive experience]] ''[[The Crash of the Elysium (stage play)|The Crash of the Elysium]]'', two tie-in websites launched to promote it on [[27 April (releases)|27 April]] [[2011 (releases)|2011]], both giving further background detail to the titular ship ''[[Elysium (The Elysium)|Elysium]]'', linked from the show's website.<ref name="crashnews"/><ref name="DWMSE31">[[DWMSE 31]] ''[[The Crash of the Elysium (stage play)|The Crash of the Elysium]]''</ref> The BBC also released clues across the "Fourth Dimension" sections of the episode guides for the [[Series 6 (Doctor Who)|series six]] episodes of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'', akin to the [[Bad Wolf meme|Bad Wolf arc]] being hinted at on ''[[Who is Doctor Who? (tie-in website)|Who is Doctor Who?]]'', which would eventually lead the user to the mini-episode ''[[Analysis Lessons (webcast)|Analysis Lessons]]''.<ref>[https://www.unlimitedricepudding.co.uk/2011/05/analysis-lessons/ ''Analysis Lessons'' on unlimitedricepudding.co.uk]</ref> The two tie-in websites were also promoted on ''The Crash of the Elysium''{{'}}s page on the [[Manchester International Festival]]'s website.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110701094334/http://mif.co.uk/event/the-crash-of-the-elysium-a-punchdrunk-show-for-children-aged-6-12/ ''The Crash of The Elysium'' on mif.co.uk via the Wayback Machine]</ref>
For the [[immersive experience]] ''[[The Crash of the Elysium (stage play)|The Crash of the Elysium]]'', two tie-in websites launched to promote it on [[27 April (releases)|27 April]] [[2011 (releases)|2011]], both giving further background detail to the titular ship ''[[Elysium (The Elysium)|Elysium]]'', linked from the show's website.<ref name="crashnews"/><ref name="DWMSE31">[[DWMSE 31]] ''[[The Crash of the Elysium (stage play)|The Crash of the Elysium]]''</ref> The BBC also released clues across the "Fourth Dimension" sections of the episode guides for the [[Series 6 (Doctor Who 2005)|series six]] episodes of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'', akin to the [[Bad Wolf meme|Bad Wolf arc]] being hinted at on ''[[Who is Doctor Who? (tie-in website)|Who is Doctor Who?]]'', which would eventually lead the user to the mini-episode ''[[Analysis Lessons (webcast)|Analysis Lessons]]''.<ref>[https://www.unlimitedricepudding.co.uk/2011/05/analysis-lessons/ ''Analysis Lessons'' on unlimitedricepudding.co.uk]</ref> The two tie-in websites were also promoted on ''The Crash of the Elysium''{{'}}s page on the [[Manchester International Festival]]'s website.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110701094334/http://mif.co.uk/event/the-crash-of-the-elysium-a-punchdrunk-show-for-children-aged-6-12/ ''The Crash of The Elysium'' on mif.co.uk via the Wayback Machine]</ref>


{| class="wikitable five-equal-columns"
{| {{prettytable}}
|-
|-
! Image || Wiki Link || External Link || Release Date || Notes
! Image || Wiki Link || External Link || Release Date || Notes
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* [[Coal Hill School]]: [[coalhillschool.sch.uk]]
* [[Coal Hill School]]: [[coalhillschool.sch.uk]]
* [[Princes' Housing]]: [[princeshousing.com]]
* [[Princes' Housing]]: [[princeshousing.com]]
* [[Triad Technology]]: [[triad.co.org]]
''more to be added''
''more to be added''


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{{Doctor Who tie-in websites}}
{{Doctor Who tie-in websites}}


[[:Category:Tie-in websites| ]]
[[Category:Tie-in websites| *]]
[[:Category:Marketing campaigns]]
[[Category:Marketing campaigns]]

Latest revision as of 00:19, 22 October 2024

RealWorld.png

Beginning with the launch of the first series of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, the BBC began releasing tie-in websites to coincide with both Doctor Who and Torchwood,[1] distinct from the primary Doctor Who website. These sites were also referred to as spin-off sites[2] and fictional sites by official sources.[3][4] Some sites were also called Experiences.[5]

After series three of Doctor Who, the BBC didn't make any new tie-in websites until 2011, where two new ones were released for the interactive experience The Crash of the Elysium.[6]

Nature and background[[edit] | [edit source]]

The websites can be sorted into three categories: websites that are based upon counterparts within the television series; websites that have no counterpart from the television series but their respective company or group is; and those that are wholly out-of-universe websites.

In the 1990s, promotion for Doctor Who was either broadcast or in print, with web content for Doctor Who not being concieved of in the days of the early internet. Eventually, the BBC Cult website was made home to the online streaming of Death Comes to Time, Real Time, Shada, and Scream of the Shalka. By the time Rose came to be first broadcast, unlike in 1996,[7] Doctor Who was in a "whole new millennium" and, as proven by the popularity of the Doctor Who website, there was a thirst for "new media" web content.[4] And so, the BBC created a wealth of web content to supplement their revival of Doctor Who; going a step further, the BBC made "the web [... become] part of the programme", producing real life websites based upon organisations seen in the programme;[7] these websites also narratively linked to the ongoing storyline and story arc of series one, with Who is Doctor Who?, based upon Clive Finch's conspiracy website Doctor Who?, becoming Mickey Smith's personal blog in his determination to bring Rose Tyler safely back to Earth and away from the Doctor, whom Mickey thought would get Rose killed. While not part of the tie-in websites proper,[3] the Bad Wolf website provided an out-of-universe look on the Bad Wolf story arc, providing many false theories and explanations.

Julie Gardner, the executive producer of Doctor Who, felt that the Tardisodes, Attack of the Graske, and the tie-in websites were effective at letting the viewers immerse themselves in "additional Doctor Who" but executed in a way that was coherent with the television series.[4]

Not unlike alternate reality games, the tie-in websites employed "unfiction", a type of fiction that attempts to convince its readers that it is actually reality;[8] this was so effective the real world United Nations began taking legal action against the U.N.I.T. tie-in website and its creators, ultimately resulting in the UNIT acronym being changed,[9][10][11][12] and the Leamington Spa Lifeboat Museum caused much confusion to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, who posted about it on Facebook.[13] The tie-in websites also featured certain production jokes that spurred much fan speculation.[2]

As discussed in an online bonus chapter to Dalek by Billy Seguire, the ephemerality of the Internet is a "trade-off" for such a unique medium, an "infinite canvas" for artists, and the sites formed an alternate reality game for players to explore.[14]

Archiving and status in the 2020s[[edit] | [edit source]]

As the websites were launched in the mid-2000s, they commonly utilised software such as Adobe Flash, Windows Media Player and RealPlayer, which are all now defunct and/or incompatible with older content, which has resulted in much of the non-prose material to become lost media, as far back as 2016.[15] Furthermore, the BBC failed to pursue retaining the website domains for the majority of the tie-in websites, allowing "domain snipers" to purchase the domain and either put them up for sale or to host potentially malicious content. This Wiki advises you only visit these websites through the Wayback Machine or the Ghost Archive.

The exact date many of these sites were launched is unclear. The dates for the series one websites can be worked out accurately by seeing when the website was first linked to on the home page of the Doctor Who website, which had been archived daily on the Wayback Machine; however this practise was abandoned during series two, thus leaving the only evidence of when the websites were launched by accessing the first archive on the Wayback Machine; however, the sites were evidently archived days after they launched, and in the case of Deffry Vale, around a whole year later.

The archives of the Vote Saxon website are also broke, with all of the visual content not been archived properly, resulting in anything visual becoming lost.

As of 23 January 2023 (2023 -01-23), the BBC only has kept a few tie-in websites active: the BBC's ownership of the domain for Who is Doctor Who? is set to expire on 29 June 2023;[16] the domain of the U.N.I.T. website is set to expire on 23 November 2023.[17] Billy Seguire, in an online bonus chapter of the reference book Dalek, mentioned how geocomtex.net was the only website created during series one to go permanently go offline.[14]

The tie-in websites Daryl the Diver and North West Historical Society, as they are hosted by blogging platforms not reliant on the BBC's ownership of a domain, continue to be active.

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 1[[edit] | [edit source]]

Production on the websites that coincided with series one seem to go as far back as 29 June 2004, with the registering of the domain "www.whoisdoctorwho.co.uk".[16] The domain "www.unit.org.uk" was registered on 23 November 2004,[17] incidentally the 41st anniversary of Doctor Who. Production wise, the website created to coincide with The Christmas Invasion was clearly created during the rest of the series one websites.

According to James Goss, the website editor,[11] there were four tie-in websites were created in 2005,[3] evidently not counting Bad Wolf, which contained no original fiction.

Collectively, the BBC webteam was attributed for the creation of the sites,[18][19] not identifying any specific person to have written, designed, coded, etc, parts of the sites; however, James Goss, apart from being the editor of the sites as later revealed on Twitter,[11] also wrote at least UNIT Publications.[20]

In an online bonus chapter to The Black Archive reference book Dalek by Billy Seguire, he discussed how the GEOCOMTEX tie-in website and The Last Dalek video game formed part of the "history" that went along with the broadcast of Dalek, something that in the years that passed had been not-so-metaphorically lost due to the ephemerality of the Internet. Seguire also wrote about the tie-in website's shortcomings, how it had limited interactivity given the site was mostly "static" text, and how the website had a lack of engagement with audience's given it was only narratively linked to Dalek, while the Who is Doctor Who? and U.N.I.T. tie-in websites continued to interact with the ongoing narrative.[14]

Image Wiki Link External Link Release Date Notes
Who is Doctor Who?.jpg
Who is Doctor Who? whoisdoctorwho.co.uk via the Wayback Machine 24 March 2005[21] The site was launched alongside TV: Rose. Over the course of the next few weeks, it was updated in tandem with series one of Doctor Who, often narratively tying into the other websites.
UNIT website.jpg
U.N.I.T. unit.org.uk via the Wayback Machine 20 April 2005[22] This site was launched alongside Aliens of London.
GeoComTex website.jpg
GEOCOMTEX geocomtex.net via the Wayback Machine 30 April 2005[23] This site was launched alongside Dalek.
Bad Wolf website.jpg
Bad Wolf badwolf.org.uk via the Wayback Machine 4 June 2005[24] A wholly out-of-universe website based around discussion of the Bad Wolf arc.
Guinevere One website.jpg
British Rocket Group guinevere.org.uk via the Wayback Machine 18 December 2005 This website was launched alongside The Christmas Invasion.

Series 2[[edit] | [edit source]]

On 6 July 2005, the BBC released results gathered from a survey they released about Doctor Who; they received many positive responses regarding the spin-off sites with many "comments and suggestions" for the future of the sites. This official response announced that new websites were being developed.[2] One of the most positive responses about the Doctor Who website were the "games and those fictional sites", so it was decided that for 2006, the BBC would be combining the two. James Goss,[3] the website editor,[11] announced in Doctor Who Magazine that each week, readers would have a mission, being sent to "a vast online world of secret organisations, [...] hidden footage, and ice cream parlours", to help Mickey Smith. Goss billed Joseph Lidster as the writer and Rob Francis as the producer, and Sequence,[3] a leading Welsh digital agency; Sequence had been outsourced by the BBC to work with the BBC Doctor Who team on the series two websites, after the large success of the previous year's web tie-ins. Additionally, the Tardisode mini-episodes were meant to accompany the web tie-ins.[25]

The shared goal of the BBC webteam and Sequence was simple: to extend the life of each adventure past the broadcast of each episode on television through games and websites to immerse the viewers themselves in the centre of the "alternate Doctor Who reality", more complex and sophisticated than the year prior, so they could "[help their] heroes, [defend] the earth, [locate] alien artefacts, or [save] history."[25] The games were released each Saturday alongside the broadcast of each respective television episode.[26] Defending the Earth! was so successful it was shortlisted for a Y Design Award in 2006, and Sequence themselves were finalists for best game design.[27]

Oddly, no website for Ursula Blake's My Invasion Blog was created, despite the obvious potential in doing so. This may have been done because Defending the Earth! essentially filled the same purpose.

Image Wiki Link External Link Release Date Notes
Defending the Earth!.jpg
Defending the Earth! whoisdoctorwho.co.uk via the Wayback Machine March 2006 The relaunched Who is Doctor Who? website.
Leamington Spa Lifeboat Museum website.jpg
Leamington Spa Lifeboat Museum leamingtonspa
lifeboatmuseum.co.uk via the Wayback Machine 		c. 6 April 2006 These websites launched alongside New Earth, but as New Earth was set in the year 5,000,000,023, both of these websites are entirely unconnected narratively. Millingdale would also contribute information to later stories.
Millingdale Ice Cream website.jpg
Millingdale millingdaleicecream.co.uk via the Wayback Machine c. 8 April 2006
Torchwood House website.jpg
Torchwood House visittorchwood via the Wayback Machine c. 23 April 2006 This website was launched alongside Tooth and Claw.
File:Deffry Vale website.jpg
Deffry Vale deffryvale.co.uk via the Wayack Machine c. 6 May 2006[28] This website was launched alongside School Reunion. This website would also contribute information pertaining to Defending the Earth!.
Deffry Vale High School website.jpg
Deffry Vale High School deffryvaleschool.org.uk via the Wayback Machine c. 15 May 2006 This website was launched alongside School Reunion.
Cybus Industries website.jpg
Cybus cybusindustries.net via the Wayback Machine May 2006 This website was launched alongside Rise of the Cybermen.
International Electromatics website.jpg
International Electromatics internationalelectromatics.co.uk via the Wayback Machine 2006 These websites launched alongide Rise of the Cybermen and Cybus.
Henrik & Son website.jpg
Henrik & Son henriksonline.co.uk via the Wayback Machine
Ghostwatch website.jpg
Ghostwatch bbc.co.uk/entertainment/ghostwatch via the Wayback Machine c. June 2006 This website, or rather webpage, was launched alongside Army of Ghosts.

Series 3[[edit] | [edit source]]

When series three began broadcasting, the BBC took a different approach to web tie-ins; instead of creating a range of interconnected websites, they instead created "dozens" of social media platforms for both "Harold Saxon" and Martha Jones that ran for a span of three months. Both Saxon and Martha had MySpace pages; Saxon also had a Bebo account and videos about Saxon garnering thousands of views by the BBC on YouTube. There were also SMS promotions.[29] However, the vast majority of this marketing campaign is entirely lost, and the exact scope isn't even known by this Wiki; the two websites about Harold Saxon were lost as early as September 2010.[30]

Image Wiki Link External Link Release Date Notes
Myspace Martha Jones .jpg
Martha Jones myspace.com/marthajonesuk via the Wayback Machine 23 March - 3 July 2007 This tie-in website, unconventionally but not without precedent, utilised the real world blogging platform MySpace to host the prose story that depicted Martha Jones's perspective of series three.
Unknown Vote Saxon votesaxon.co.uk via the Wayback Machine June 2007 These websites were launched alongside Utopia.
Harold Saxon tie-in website.jpg
Harold Saxon haroldsaxon.co.uk via the Wayback Machine c. 25 June 2007

Torchwood[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 2[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

The Crash of the Elysium[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: The Crash of the Elysium (stage play)/Promotion

For the immersive experience The Crash of the Elysium, two tie-in websites launched to promote it on 27 April 2011, both giving further background detail to the titular ship Elysium, linked from the show's website.[6][31] The BBC also released clues across the "Fourth Dimension" sections of the episode guides for the series six episodes of Doctor Who, akin to the Bad Wolf arc being hinted at on Who is Doctor Who?, which would eventually lead the user to the mini-episode Analysis Lessons.[32] The two tie-in websites were also promoted on The Crash of the Elysium's page on the Manchester International Festival's website.[33]

Image Wiki Link External Link Release Date Notes
Nortwest Historical Society.png
North West Historical Society northwesthistoricalsociety.wordpress.com via the Wayback Machine 27 April 2011[31] These websites were launched alongside The Crash of the Elysium.
Daryl the Diver tie-in website.png
Daryl the Diver darylthediver.blogspot.com via the Wayback Machine

Others[[edit] | [edit source]]

Cancelled or unproduced websites[[edit] | [edit source]]

The existence of many of these websites can only be determined from the domains that were registered.

Image Wiki Link External Link Release Date Notes
N/A N/A cybusproperty.co.uk via the Wayback Machine N/A It appears that the BBC registered a domain for Cybus Property, however this seemed to have been abandoned.
N/A N/A cybusfinance.co.uk via the Wayback Machine N/A It appears that the BBC registered a domain for Cybus Finance, however this seemed to have been abandoned.
N/A N/A adiposeindustries.com via the Wayback Machine N/A It appears that the BBC registered a domain for Adipose Industries, however this seemed to have been abandoned.
It appears if something was developed with this website, as there two other webpages created under this domain, but they too are empty.
According to the now-deleted Wikipedia page, it was possible to email Miss Foster and there was an animated .gif of the Tenth Doctor.

Fan-made websites[[edit] | [edit source]]

The following websites are fan made and thus cannot be covered on this Wiki. They are listed here so no errors in their coverage can be made.

Other notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who and Torchwood aren't unique about the many tie-in websites created to coincide with it, with a lot of non-DWU television series and movies getting their own tie-in websites. For example, AMC's Breaking Bad received the tie-in website Save Walter White, based upon Walter White Jr.'s website in the episode Phoenix to raise money for his father's cancer treatments and medical expenses, and HBO's True Blood received Babyvamp Jessica, an online video blog of vampire Jessica Hamby, very similar in format to Torchwood's Dark Talk. More recently, the 2023 film The Super Mario Bros. Movie received the tie-in website Super Mario Bros. Plumbing, acting a website for the Mario Brothers' plumbing business in Brooklyn, New York City.

Generally speaking, if you see a website in a prominent television series or movie, it has likely been created by the production company in the real world as part of the marketing for the television series or movie.

DWU websites[[edit] | [edit source]]

In some sources, fictional business and organisations are established to exist in-universe, often including a website url. Below are a list of these urls, none of which have received tie-in websites.

more to be added

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Sequence develops online content for Torchwood (9 November 2006). Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. Retrieved on 10 April 2024.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Website survey results. BBC website (6 July 2005). Archived from the original on 20 July 2005. Retrieved on 10 April 2024.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 DWM 367 - Production Notes
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Doctor Who: The Inside Story
  5. ↑ Deffry Vale High School Disclaimer on deffryvaleschool.org.uk/disclaim via the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Crash of the Elysium on doctorwhonews.net
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 A Brief History Of Time (Travel) on BBC Internet Blog
  8. ↑ The Mysterious World of Unfiction and Immersive Storytelling on The Emerald
  9. ↑ Privacy Policy, Disclaimer and Terms of Use (original) on unit.org.uk via the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ A History of the Universe in 100 Objects
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 James Goss on Twitter via the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ DWM 360 - Production Notes
  13. ↑ RNLI on Facebook via the Ghost Archive
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Dalek: A Lost Experience on obversobooks.co.uk
  15. ↑ The Who is Doctor Who? conspiracy website still exists and features updates from Mickey Smith on radiotimes.com
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 whoisdoctorwho.co.uk on whois.com via the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 unit.org.uk on whois.com via the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on whoisdoctorwho.co.uk via the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ GEOCOMTEX - Disclaimer on geocomtex.net via the Wayback Machine
  20. ↑ @gossjam on Twitter via the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ Doctor Who website (24/03/2005) on BBC via the Wayback Machine
  22. ↑ Doctor Who website (20/04/2005) on BBC via the Wayback Machine
  23. ↑ Geocomtex on the web on currybet.net via the Wayback Machine
  24. ↑ Doctor Who website (04/06/2005) on BBC via the Wayback Machine
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Extending the life of Doctor Who on sequence.co.uk via the Wayback Machine
  26. ↑ Doctor Who on sequence.co.uk via the Wayback Machine
  27. ↑ Doctor Who Game impresses the judges at the Y Design Awards on sequence.co.uk
  28. ↑ Evidenced by the earliest archive of PROSE: Local Wins Lottery; there are no archives of the home page from when the website was first launched.
  29. ↑ Online world sneaks villain into No 10 for new Dr Who on entertainment.timesonline.co.uk via the Wayback Machine
  30. ↑ Official Harold Saxon websites GONE on fanfiction.net via the Wayback Machine
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 DWMSE 31 The Crash of the Elysium
  32. ↑ Analysis Lessons on unlimitedricepudding.co.uk
  33. ↑ The Crash of The Elysium on mif.co.uk via the Wayback Machine
  34. ↑ Doctor Who Fans Have Brought Cybus Industries To Life In Mock Campaign on The Gamer
  35. ↑ ‘Doctor Who’ Might Bring Back Cybus Industries, Here’s How on Fangirlish
  36. ↑ Cybus Industries (parody) on Twitter
v • e
Doctor Who tie-in websites
2005
Who is Doctor Who? (aka Defending the Earth!) • U.N.I.T. • GEOCOMTEX • Bad Wolf • British Rocket Group (aka Guinevere One)
2006
2007
2011
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