Agree? Disagree? Both?
by Mark Lawson
Doctor Who and Sherlock are linked by inspiration – Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss write for both – and by impact: the shows were awarded the prime seasonal drama slots on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day respectively. But those special editions also demonstrated another connection between them: these series are significantly redefining the relationship between television programmes and fans.
For most of the history of TV drama, fans have been on the outside looking in. New episodes or series were released by the creators for consumption by the audience, whose only possible effect on the product was to raise or lower the ratings figures that might influence whether a new series was commissioned. More recently, websites and social media have changed beyond recognition the way in which a show is watched, through preview, real-time and review discussion between viewers. But again, this had relatively little impact on the product, apart from recent cases such as Arrested Development and Ripper Street, in which digital petitions won a streamed reprieve for a franchise cancelled by a network.