The Times They Are A-Changin'

If you want evidence of the different regard that Doctor Who is held in these days, you only need to look at Radio times covers through the decades.

For the first eleven seasons, Doctor Who gets one cover per year, to remind people that it's on again and they should watch it. And then... one cover, to celebrate the 20th anniversary special, and that's it till 1993. One cover in all the final 15 years of old Who's run! The show had become a fixture, completely taken for granted.

After the cancellation, of course, everyone kind of missed it now that it was gone, and there are 4 nostalgic covers over the 16 year period that the show is off air. Then the show comes back and in its first year gets 3 generic TARDIS or Dalek covers, presumably because actually showing Chris Eccleston's ugly mug might put people off.

And then David Tennant comes on board, the show is pronounced a smash success, a phenomenon, the nation's favourite programme. By my quick calculation there have been more Radio Times covers in the Tennant era than there have been in the entire rest of the history of the show put together.

The ratings and the AI figures these days are of course astonishingly good. One wonders if the enthusiasm with which the Great British Public has taken this once-so-neglected genre television programme to its heart will endure, or if the fickle winds of fashion will change direction once again. Obviously I'm hoping that the show's current awesome popularity remains constant into the Moffat era and beyond, but hmm, can Matt Smith possibly compete with his photogenic predecessor in the monopolizing the RT cover stakes? Time will tell.