Talk:Doctor Who

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U.S. broadcasts of classic Doctor Who

"By the late 1970s, however, the series was firmly entrenched in the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which would air the show repeatedly over the next three decades and air the revived series after 2004."

I'd argue that this is incorrect. As an American who spent the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s living next to several large, metropolitan areas in California and New York, I don't think I saw any Doctor Who episodes aired on PBS except for during the era of the Fourth Doctor in the 1970s. I grew up viewing a lot of public broadcasting and I don't recall seeing any other incarnation of The Doctor. And PBS definitely didn't air the revived series (which should say 2005, not 2004). Of course, every U.S. PBS TV station is somewhat independent and can devise their own schedules from a selection of programs. But I don't think it can be said that the show was "firmly entrenched" in the U.S. and definitely didn't air solidly for three decades.Liz99 ☎ 18:21, April 14, 2013 (UTC)

I agree with the poster who questions how widespread the show was in America. I do recall my parents turning it on when I was around 5 (1980's) in Montana. And, in the late 1990's I saw it on Iowa PBS, but the Nebraska Station did not carry it.

PBS is very piecemeal. It is a very loose set of affiliates. Programs can vary widely between states and stations. I can see the argument that it was one, somewhere, in the States for 30 years. That seems reasonable, but it is not the same thing as saying it was widespread for 30 years. I am sure some areas were very loyal supporters of the show.

A quick glance looked like the words hadn't really been changed.

For me personally, I didn't have a sense of the show until Sci-Fi/BBC America put a more traditional ad campaign out. I will admit that my experience can't be assumed to be the norm, I am not sure that the show was everywhere in the states prior to the internet and social media.

As someone who is also a fan of Red Dwarf, I always felt as a kid more like an anime collector than someone just watching shows. Before the internet, streaming, and social media apps begin a fan of a foreign show could be a fairly lonely process. It is so much easier to get access to episodes and fandoms now. Danatblair ☎ 09:23, July 17, 2013 (UTC)

In the wiki article it says that the 2005 revival is 'the more popular' major production period. This is not true. In the 70's, the classic series had very similar (in some cases higher) viewing figures.