Is the Whoniverse always divided? Not necessarily. We’ve searched all of time and space and found four things which bring Doctor Who fans together in solidarity. Almost.
Tom Baker was a good Doctor
Doctor Who fans will always have their favourite Time Lords, and whilst some incarnations might not be to everyone’s taste, you would have to slip into a parallel pocket universe to find a fan who doesn’t find Tom Baker, at the very least, acceptable.
Interestingly, when the actor was cast as the fourth incarnation in the early 70s, not everyone was convinced. At the time, he was the youngest actor ever to play the part, and some Doctor Who fans felt that the Time Lord should have possessed a more ‘senior’ quality. This soon changed after his debut, however, and Tom Baker went on to become one of the most popular Doctors of all time, and to date he is the longest-serving Time Lord with a record-breaking seven year stint.
Moreover, Tom Baker’s Doctor achieved the series’ highest ever viewing figures in 1979 with the classic story ‘City of Death,’ which was seen by an eye-watering 16.1 million viewers. Even today, this number has never been matched – just ignore the fact that ITV was on strike at the time, and bask in the Fourth Doctor’s greatness.
Indeed, such was Tom Baker’s impact that even people who had never seen the show knew of his trademark long scarf, and penchant for jelly babies. And whilst it’s not easy to pin down why, exactly, his incarnation made such a lasting impact, there is no denying that he is almost universally loved by Doctor Who fans the world over.
The special effects don’t matter
Except when they matter, of course. Let me clarify: Most Doctor Who fans agree that there is little point in watching the classic show to see ground-breaking visuals (although there are undoubtedly some stunning moments in Classic Who.) Most Doctor Who fans are sympathetic to the fact that the old show was made on a shoestring budget and that, for the most part, the BBC was doing the best that it could.
Even today, with the budget and backing of behemoths like Disney, most Doctor Who fans would agree that they would rather have a gripping story than jaw-dropping visuals (although the visuals are much appreciated.)
The only time Doctor Who fans get a little peeved, however, is when the series looks like it isn’t even trying. We won’t list the questionable special effects moments here, but we’re sure there are one or two scenes that are already flashing before your eyes…
The hiatus was an injustice
Back in 1985, the BBC did the unthinkable and pulled Doctor Who from the airwaves. The official line was that the programme had become too violent and needed a rethink, and it was simply going to be paused for 18 months while it underwent changes. In reality, the new controller of BBC One, Michael Grade, hated the show (by his own admission) and wanted to make way for new things such as the soap opera Eastenders.
And according to superfan and continuity advisor Ian Levine, speaking in the Trials and Tribulations documentary on the Season 23 box set, the promise of an 18 month ‘hiatus’ was originally a ruse. The BBC didn’t have any intention of bringing back Doctor Who, and they only ceded to public demand when the outcry became so severe that they were forced into a back-peddle. Apparently, Doctor Who fans threatened to picket the Houses of Parliament with Daleks, and the BBC was so nervous about the repercussions that they agreed to shoot another series.
But even this proved controversial. The season was cut down to just 14 episodes, and shorter episodes at that; the previous season‘s episodes ran to 45 minutes apiece, and these new instalments would only be 25.
Whichever way you cut it, the events of 1985 simply weren’t fair, particularly for a programme which was making more money in outside revenue than it was costing to make, with strong viewing figures to boot. But to Michael Grade’s credit, in recent years he and the other individuals involved have spoken candidly about their dislike for Doctor Who, and why they decided to make an attempt on its life.
You’re allowed to celebrate when a missing episode comes back
Getting Doctor Who fans to be collectively excited about a piece of news is a challenge – and, to be fair, they’ve been burned several times. But when one of the series’ missing episodes is miraculously returned to the archive, there are few Doctor Who fans who aren’t, at the very least, cracking the smallest of smiles.
Of course, everyone has their missing episode wish list, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a Doctor Who fan who isn’t at least one per cent happier when a lost episode is returned to the BBC – even if it is ‘The Space Pirates‘ episode four (sorry, ‘The Space Pirates.’) We got a little taste of this in March 2026 when, against all the odds, two instalments from ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan‘ were found in the hands of a private collector and returned to the archive. Every Doctor Who fan walked around with a slight spring in their step that day.
These days are super rare in the Whoniverse, though, and it’s always a joy when they come around. And it had been a long wait for Doctor Who fans; it had been nearly 13 years since the last batch of missing episodes turned up. And at the time of writing, it sounds as if there may be more returns in the not-too-distant future, so there is hope for ‘The Space Pirates’ yet.
So there we are, reader – four things that Doctor Who fans agree on. Feel free to argue with us in the comments below, and make this article completely redundant…
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