Ruminations on History, 2013

With all of the discussions in the press and the internet as of late about Canadian history, its value, its interpretation, and of course calls of history wars, I have had cause to think about what history actually is and why it is important. This is a complex question, of course, particularly as I am a trained historian, and make my living researching and disseminating it to a larger public.

I will begin with a journey back in time:

It is 1918 on a crowded street in a part of Birmingham, England. A young man is visiting with his mother, who owns a haberdashery shop there. He spots in the distance, a lovely young woman dressed in black. He goes to introduce himself. This was a pivotal moment in history.

This was a time of great change for all coming out of a World War, for both the soldier who was that young man visiting his mother, and for his mother, who had run her business there since 1913. The economy was changing, society was changing. For the young woman wearing black it was not only the coping with a pre-War Britain, but with the impact of the recent death of her mother in the Influenza epidemic. These people lived and were influenced by the greater historical moments of their times, but were themselves actors in their own history. Like the great waves of history, they were themselves making ripples in time, which can be felt today.

It was in that moment that my Grandfather met my Grandmother. They married had my aunt, and then my mother, and so goes my own history. ‘So what?’ you ask. This is not important at all, except to you. Yes and no. You are reading this aren’t you? Without that moment these reflections would not have been possible. Everything is interconnected, and the ripples, large and small somehow touch us, through time, to shape us today.

The study of history is not just about the great men and women, the conflicts and the great inventions, but the people who lived around them. The great moments that we commemorate in our statues and national narratives are but a small part of the greater whole. They are certainly important, impactful, and deserve to be studied, but they did not happen in a vacuum, and cannot account for the whole of the human experience.

If we take the twentieth century as an example, World War One lasted four years (1914-1918), the Second World War six years (1939-1945), the Korean Conflict three years (1950-1953) and the First Gulf War one (1990-1991), for a total of fourteen years. Narrowing your focus to only on this aspect, and such a limited amount of time, is not realistic.

Historians study not only the big moments but the smaller ones too, for in the end their impact is just as important. I understand that my grandparents were a part of a larger group of people, adjusting to a new world after the war, dealing with the economic and social impacts of the war, and the influenza epidemic. The war itself marked them all, my Grandfather as a soldier, and his family as people living through the pain and uncertainty of war. My Grandfather survived the war, and commemorated the passing of his friends who were not as fortunate. But his history did not end with the war, he built a life, got a job, married, had children, participated in society as a citizen (voting in elections, paying taxes), as a member of voluntary societies such as social clubs, raising money for charities, as a participant and observer in the cultural landscape (television, music, theatre) and as a consumer, keeping up with the new technological developments. The war was only a part of his life, as with others. History is the large and the small, which ripples through our lived experience to make us what we are today. Even when we are not aware of these moments they touch us. In studying these details, we understand more about ourselves and the society in which we live.

The press has lately been featuring discussions about the teaching and interpretation of Canadian history, as the current federal government has instituted policies and financed specific interpretations of history, while restricting the budgets and mandates of those institutions which are held to preserve the fabric of Canada’s history. It has become a debate as to what value we as Canadians place on history, and to whom do we allow to interpret it.

History belongs to all of us. The ripples of time of which I spoke came from all, not just the heads of governments. As citizens of this country, we have the right to access not just these pre-selected moments of time, valued by politicians as identity-defining and thus important, but those other aspects which shaped us, our institutions (large and small), our culture (popular and highbrow), and our ancestors.

Many interpret the actions of the government as an attack on those who actually make a living in the historically-based industries, academics, librarians and archivists. But this is merely smoke and mirrors, hiding that through these appointed professionals history, large and small, is disseminated to a wider public, hiding that the wider public also is invested in these institutions. There are no signs above the doors of the Library and Archives Canada that state that access is limited to professionals. It is a public institution, open to all. And the visitors our institutions understand this, for not only do academics comb its depths, but ‘amateurs’ interested in their own stories, and stories of moments and events in time, not already uncovered. These are not necessarily the sign posts of identity promoted by the government, but important nonetheless to the understanding of Canada’s history.

If these history ‘wars’ can have any impact, perhaps it is that through them we realise the value of our history, the understanding Canada’s story is a complex and amazing thing, worthy of investment by our society, and of benefit to our society.

CFP: Companions in Doctor Who

Call for Papers
Companions in Doctor Who: Roles, Characters and Themes

On introducing the new companion Clara in March 2013, Steven Moffat, Doctor Who’s Executive Producer stated that:
“Doctor Who is always more the story of the companion. It’s her [sic] take on the Doctor, her [sic] adventure that she [sic] goes on with the Doctor that’s the story we tell.”
Agree or disagree with this view, it is clear that the companion has become an integral part of the series Doctor Who. Rarely has the Doctor travelled without a companion since the show began in 1963.
This volume of collected essays will examine the Doctor’s companions both as individuals and as a whole. The editors welcome chapter proposals which deal with the companions as individuals, thematic groupings of companions by era/Doctor, gender and sexuality, feminism and its many permutations, or other related treatments dealing with the Companions’ roles in the series. With over forty characters travelling with the Doctor over the life of the series, there are many options available. Proposals are due the 31 October 2013.
The final article/chapter should be around 20-25 pages (Double spaced, Times New Roman 12)
Important dates: Proposals due 31 October 2013; papers 30 September 2014; final edit 15 March 2015.

Editors: Dr Sherry Ginn & Dr Gillian Leitch
Please email your proposals to gilliandoctor@gmail.com

Coffee and How to Make it, Montreal, 1911

Montreal Standard, 28 October 1911, page 17

Coffee and How to Make it
By Mrs Stanley Wrench

Coffee should be freshly ground at home if possible, if not procure it from a grocer who will get it roasted and ground for each customer.
There are two or three little coffee shops in Soho where most delicious coffee is sold thus, and one may rest assured that the powder is unadulterated but absolutely fresh from the bean. If liked, the best French chicory will be mixed with it, but one should be careful to remember the proportions and to add only two teaspoonfuls of it to a pound of pure coffee.
It must also be remembered that a perfectly made coffee should have generous proportions allowed for it; in fact, there is little doubt but that a too niggardly allowance to the pot is often the reason why the coveted cup of fragrant coffee turns out to be a failure.
A Frenchwoman whose café au lait was the most exquisite I have ever tasted , confided to me that she allowed a generous tablespoonful of ground coffee to every person, so that the proportions ran – a tablespoon of coffee for every large breakfast-cupful of coffee made.
Freshly boiled water should be used when making coffee. As in making tea, the water should be used in the instant that it becomes to the boil. If it has been boiling even for a few minutes, it should not be used, as it will have lost some of its gases, and the coffee made with such water will taste flat and insipid. It is such a little thing; and many housewives may deem it unimportant yet really it makes a veritable world of difference.
First make the coffee pot very hot, by pouring in some of the boiling water, and if possible, put the powder in the oven or before the fire, so that it may get hot too. Another minor point, maybe, but this serves to bring out all the flavour and aroma of the berries. Place the hot powder in the upper part of the coffee pot, together with a pinch of salt, the latter also serving to bring out the full flavor.
Press the coffee down rather than tightly, and pour over the required quantity of boiling water very slowly. A saucepan or bain-marie containing boiling water should be at hand, and the coffee pot should be stood in this whilst the process of filtration is going on. This keeps the coffee at the right heat, and as tepid coffee is not a pleasant drink, therefore try to achieve the more perfect condition.
Coffee roasting machines may be bought, but the homely frying pan will quite well serve the purpose. Very great care must be taken; however, that the berries do not burn as one burnt berry will spoil a whole brew of coffee. Hence, it is wiser to roast only a few at a time. Three tablespoonfuls of berries will be found amply sufficient for the amateur to cook. A tiny piece of butter should be placed in the pan, which must be held over a clear but slow fire, and the berries should be shaken about. The butter tends to lubricate the beans and prevents the escape of much of their fragrance, so that before the roasting is complete this is absorbed. The berries should be of a rich dark brown, when the roasting process is complete.
Hot milk should always accompany coffee, and this too, needs delicate preparation. First-rinse out the milk saucepan with cold water, as this tends to prevent the milk from burning, of course making sure that the pan is perfectly clean. Pour in the milk, and slowly heat it until it reaches the boiling point.
Milk which comes to a boil very rapidly is never so good as the casein or albumen of milk hardens, mixes with the cream, forms a skin, which thus carries off the best products of the milk, leaving the remainder poor and thin instead of rich and creamy. Milk which comes slowly to the boil has a far more delicious flavour.
Heat the cups by rinsing them with hot water before the coffee is poured out. The milk jug should also be heated before the hot milk is poured in.

Montreal gossip by Mdme Bavarde, 1911

Montreal Standard, 16 December 1911, page 14

By Madame La Bavarde

With the arrival of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and her Royal Highness Princess Patricia on Tuesday, the past week has been most brilliant. While the presence of Royalty was sufficient to make the week notable, there were numerous entertainments of note in honour of the distinguished out-of-town visitors. Quite the most important event was the civic reception in honour of Their Royal Highnesses, the Governor General and Duchess of Connaught, which was held on Tuesday evening at the City Hall, and for which many invitations were issued.
On Wednesday Lady Shaughnessey gave a luncheon in honor of Mrs RB Borden and the following evening Premier and Mrs Borden were the guests of honour at a dinner given by Senator and Mrs T Chase Casgrain at the Mount Royal Club. On Thursday, Mrs Henry Joseph gave a large luncheon for Mrs JD Hazen, of Ottawa; and on Friday, Mrs D Lorne McGibbon gave a tea in honour of Miss Pelly, lady in waiting to her Royal Highness,
The St Andrew’s Ball at the Windsor Hotel on Tuesday evening, which was graced by the presence of Their Royal Highnesses, the Governor General and the Duchess of Connaught, and Princess Patricia, was a brilliant success, and the attendance was record-breaking. The ballroom presented a most unusual aspect, and the brilliancy of the handsome gowns, officers’ uniforms and the elaborate decorations presented a picturesque and memorable spectacle.
The merry whirl of debutante parties continues to crowd the days and nights with excitement. Each year the formula for bringing out a debutante includes more entertaining. Now the first step is a luncheon usually given by some relative or friend; then the reception proper, followed by a dinner, a party to the play and a dance. Already a large number of the attractive young ‘buds’ have made their formal bow, and during December there is a brilliant array of young girls to be presented.

Conference notes- “A Celebration of Fifty Years of Doctor Who,” 2013

First of all I would like to thank all of the organisers of the conference in Chicago yesterday, specially Paul Booth. Thanks also to all of the panelists and to all of the audience. It was a great moment, and very informative.

Notes made in anticipation of my participation in the conference “A Celebration of Fifty Years of Doctor Who” in the panels on Fandom and the Longevity of the series.
Naturally not everything I wrote down was said, as it was a panel, and fluid, but I thought some of my insights worth saving.

Fandom
It was the fall of 1984 when I first became aware of Doctor Who fandom. I saw an advertisement for the inaugural meeting of a Doctor Who club in Edmonton. We met in the back room of a stained glass studio, and watched the episode “Pyramid of Mars”. The club was affiliated with the Doctor Who Information Network, and I joined both.
It was a revelatory experience! People coming together to enjoy Doctor Who! There was a whole world of fan magazines, books and toys- and, sigh- conventions where you could meet those we saw on our tvs! It was a network of inter-related things which fuelled interest in the show.
Fandom has evolved a great deal since the mid-1980s.
With the cancellation of the series in 1989, fans had to create an even more sophisticated resource network to fill the void. The fans not only facilitated the viewing of old episodes- trading VHS tapes, but created their own adventures on video and in books. The internet has allowed fans to communicate and to disseminate their fan-fic. Doctor Who fans created a new universe to replace the one that had been controlled by the BBC.
While other science fiction series have strong fan bases, and indeed, like Star Trek, through the years following cancellation built up similar worlds using the series as a starting point, Doctor Who stands out as special.
These Doctor Who fans were the source of its rebirth. Russell T Davies, Stephen Moffatt and Paul Cornell, among some, were a part of its fan base, and participated within its community during the “wilderness” years. Davies was able to put Doctor Who back on the air, satisfy its following, more or less, and attract new viewers.
In simplistic terms, the old fans kept the flame, brought it back, and are able to exert a major influence on its performance and production.

[During the fandom panel, the discussion was turned specifically to our own experiences of fandom, and we were asked to talk about the oddest experience in fandom. I had none to offer. I feel like I must have missed out on the best/worst of the fan experience. While I did meet some very odd people, I didn’t have anything bad happen, or seriously funny. Man, what a sheltered life!]

Doctor Who’s Longevity
[I had first signed up for this panel with the title New vs Old so my thoughts are more geared to comparison]
It is a hard comparion to make new versus old Doctor Who. I like both old and new, but for different reasons.
So let’s start with the original series, which I started watching in the mid 1970s, when TVOntario broadcast it every Saturday night.
A lot of the appeal for old who comes from the fact that it was a ‘childhood’ favourite. But it differs from many series I watched as a child because I still watch it.
I bought the DVD for the first season of the Hardy Boys, a series of similar vintage which I used to watch. While I could still appreciate that Shaun Cassidy was cute, the show itself was lame. Doctor Who stood the test of time.
Nostalgia for the ‘Childhood’ Doctor Who moments play a role, as does a more general nostalgia for the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Doctor Who is a product of its time, and the modern eye picks out easily the dated costumes, the contemporary references, and the unsophisticated technology like rotary dial telephones.
As a historian, of course, these dated references are great, and are viewed with historical context- giving the stories an added complexity.
As you can imagine the time travel aspect is also a draw. The BBC has always been good at getting down the historical details. And because this is science fiction, I don’t get nearly as critical or upset when they get something wrong, like I do when I watch ordinary historical dramas. The presence of aliens helps suspend my disbelief.
Sure the special effects were rather cheap, even in their day, and the melting of Styrofoam doors with ‘lasers’ is a bit much, but the stories were generally well written, fast paced and carried over several half hour episodes. Your attention was kept, and you were often made to think.
New who is a lot like the old, keeping the faith with the old series- using familiar foes, etc., but it is also different. The stories are shorter, more contained, the production budget is more the special effects are more believable.
The writing is good, and I think there is more of a respect for the concept and its viewers.
So far the choice of stories, writers, and cast have been quite good. The character of the Doctor has been allowed to be more complex. He can be good, bad, sad, funny or in love, and often in the same episodes.
I have not always liked his companions in new Who, but then I cheered when they killed off Adric in the old series.
Long appeal:
-British stubbornness
-timeliness- relevant stories
-nostalgia- in terms of watching old episodes
-old Doctor Who- special effects part of appeal
-time travel- flexibility and imagination
-historical element
-sense of humour

Society Notes by Madame La Bavarde, Montreal, 1911

Montreal Standard, 16 December 1911, page 14

 

By Madame La Bavarde

 

With the arrival of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and her Royal Highness Princess Patricia on Tuesday, the past week has been most brilliant.  While the presence of Royalty was sufficient to make the week notable, there were numerous entertainments of note in honour of the distinguished out-of-town visitors.  Quite the most important event was the civic reception in honour of Their Royal Highnesses, the Governor General and Duchess of Connaught, which was held on Tuesday evening at the City Hall, and for which many invitations were issued.

On Wednesday Lady Shaughnessey gave a luncheon in honor of Mrs RB Borden and the following evening Premier and Mrs Borden were the guests of honour at a dinner given by Senator and Mrs T Chase Casgrain at the Mount Royal Club. On Thursday, Mrs Henry Joseph gave a large luncheon for Mrs JD Hazen, of Ottawa; and on Friday, Mrs D Lorne McGibbon gave a tea in honour of Miss Pelly, lady in waiting to her Royal Highness,

The St Andrew’s Ball at the Windsor Hotel on Tuesday evening, which was graced by the presence of Their Royal Highnesses, the Governor General and the Duchess of Connaught, and Princess Patricia, was a brilliant success, and the attendance was record-breaking.  The ballroom presented a most unusual aspect, and the brilliancy of the handsome gowns, officers’ uniforms and the elaborate decorations presented a picturesque and memorable spectacle.

The merry whirl of debutante parties continues to crowd the days and nights with excitement. Each year the formula for bringing out a debutante includes more entertaining. Now the first step is a luncheon usually given by some relative or friend; then the reception proper, followed by a dinner, a party to the play and a dance. Already a large number of the attractive young ‘buds’ have made their formal bow, and during December there is a brilliant array of young girls to be presented. 

CFP: Out and About in Time and Space: Travelling Time on Television

Call for Papers
Out and About in Time and Space: Traveling Time on Television
Time travel as a plot device has been used frequently in television for a variety of reasons. It offers the storyteller the opportunity to show alternate realities, use historical characters in new and interesting ways, and create ethical or moral dilemmas for the hero of the story. For many series, time travel acts as the primary mover of action; others use time travel in individual episodes, but don’t rely on it for the series’ theme. This project seeks to present the history and uses of time travel in television, and consequently time travellers. The deadline for chapter proposals will be the 30th of September.
The editors will entertain proposals which deal with time travel thematically, and also on specific television series, or specials, which employ time travel in their storylines. The editors have compiled a list of series, which could be the subject of a chapter, These include, but are not limited to, Time Tunnel, Sliders, Quantum Leap, Doctor Who, Voyageurs, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Ashes to Ashes, Life on Mars, Star Trek (singularly by series or as a whole), Continuum, Being Erica, Babylon 5, and Primeval. Do not feel constrained by this list. The aim of this project is to present a wide and varied look at time travel in television, and we welcome differing analyses of this topic.
The final article/chapter should be around 20-25 pages (Double spaced, Times New Roman 12)
Important dates: Proposals due 30 September 2013; papers 31 July 2014; final edit 15 January 2015. Note that we have discussed the project with a publisher and have every confidence that a contract will be extended.

Editors: Dr Sherry Ginn & Dr Gillian Leitch
Proposals should be sent to gilliandoctor@gmail.com

Why you need a professional historian!

I have been wrestling with a question that as a professional historian, and researcher for hire, I face on a regular basis. Why do you need to hire a professional historian, or more importantly why should I pay that much for the services of a professional historian. It is a matter of justification. After all lots of people do history, it is a pastime or hobby as well as a profession. if you can do it for free, why shouldn’t others do it for free for you.

I get a lot of requests for research assistance for work at Library and Archives Canada. In this time of increasing fiscal restraint- closing of archival services, hour cuts, and the cancellation of interlibrary loan, the services of private researchers has become important for those wishing to access the collections at LAC. It is not always economical to come to Ottawa for research purposes, and so instead many have decided to hire someone to do it for them. Which is great. But the experience only is positive for them until they hear how much we charge. Actually it is quite reasonable, and for that price they get not only the researcher in the Archives for them, but they also get the benefit of the years of historical research experience accumulated at LAC and other repositories. Professional historians work faster, and more efficiently than someone not familiar with the records. Potential clients don’t see it that way. Sticker shock often sees the project dropped. Often they just fail to answer the email with the quoted price, other times they just say- changed my mind. I am guessing that a lot of the companies in Ottawa offering research services have the same problem.

So how do we justify our expertise? I found this image in the archives yesterday, and for me it summed it up. It was a letter written in 1817. It is not unusual to see the letter writer first write from left to right, then up and down, in order to maximize the amount of things they can say in the penny post. Wouldn’t you rather have someone who knows what they are doing going through this kind of stuff?

St George’s Snowshoe Club Celebrate St Andrew’s Day, Montreal, 1911

Montreal
Daily Star, 1 December 1911, page 4

St George’s Had a Most Delightful Dinner

Speeches, Reminiscences and Musical Numbers Comprised the Jolly Programme

St Andrew’s Day was celebrated in right royal fashion last night by the St George’s Snowshoe Club. By a happy coincidence, yesterday was also the date fixed for the annual dinner and smoker, so that there was a double excuse for the evening’s enjoyment. Over 100 members sat down to the banquet in the club house. The President, Mr Geo J Sheppard announced the only toast of the evening. The King, which was drunk with musical honors, and in the course of a brief speech, referred to the fact that they were celebrating the twenty-sixth anniversary of the club’s occupation of its present quarters. Although many changes had taken place in the neighbourhood, he hoped the club would still maintain the reputation it had acquired as the home of winter sports. It was felt, said Mr Sheppard, that the coming winter should mark a renewal of all the activities which had marked the club in its early years, and for the one twould promise to take his share in any tramps that might be arranged. Mayor Rutherford of Westmount, in thanking the Club for its hospitality, spoke of the memories he had, through his long residence in Westmount of the name of the Club had always maintained for keeping up the spirit of true sportsmanship, and referred to the beauty of clubhouse’s site, which in his opinion was actually the finest in the city. Dr. Finnie was the next speaker and urged the members not to lose sight of the traditions which were inseperable from the history of the club, and to take up again the long tramps which had given rise to its foundation. He himself hoped to come down from Quebec and attend the first tramp that might be held. Mr. Guthrie and Mr. Sinck briefly addressed the company and the excellent musical entertainment which had been prepared was then gone through. A pianoforte selection by Mr. Eichhorn started the ball rolling and number after number succeeded to the great enjoyment of the club members. Among other items on the programme was one which delighted the audience because of its somewhat unusual features. The concertina, when played by such an expert as Mr Richardson, of Toronto, reveals unexpected beauties. Mr Richardson was encored time after time, and each time responded by giving fresh proof of his talent. Mr H Rees was also heard to great advantage in a number of songs and Mr R McGlaughlin added the necessary touch of humor with some amusing recitations. Nor was St Andrew’s day forgotten, for such choruses as “Annie Laurie”, “the Banks of Loch Lomond,” and many others made the rafters ring.
Before the evening came to an end, the President, Mr Sheppard, announced that open house would be kept for the Scottish curlers during their approaching visit to Montreal. A special tramp would be arranged in order to initiate them into this form of typical Canadian sport, after which a dinner and a smoker would be given in honour of the visitors. As a fitting wind-up to the occasion, Captain Sully, the first President of the Club in 1874, called upon all members present to pledge themselves once more to the taking of the long tramps, in which, despite his age, he would be only too glad to participate.

Doctor Who Survey Presentation, PCA 2013

What of Doctor Who?

Presentation at the 2013 PCA/ACA Conference, Science Fiction Fantasy Area

Gillian I Leitch

I decided to do a survey of Doctor Who fans in order to better understand their connection to the series, its characters, other fans, and perhaps to better understand its popularity.

In 1995 John Tulloch and Henry Jenkins published their studies on Doctor Who and Star Trek Fans entitled “Science Fiction Audiences: Watching Doctor Who and Star Trek” [London, Routledge, 1995: http://www.amazon.com/Science-Fiction-Audiences-Watching-Fictions/dp/0415061415%5D Their focus was principally on the reactions of fans to specific episodes of Doctor Who: “Monsters of Peladon,” “City of Death,” and “Kinda.”  The bulk of their interviews took place in Australia and the UK in 1982. Already Doctor Who had a long lived broadcast life, and was still enjoying the thrill of new episodes, although there are references to the later period, after its cancellation in 1989.

A more recent look at fans and their relationship to Doctor Who by Andrew O’Day in “Doctor Who in Time and Space: Essays in Themes, Characters, History and Fandom, 1963-2012” [edited by Gillian I Leitch, McFarland, 2013: http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Time-Space-Explorations/dp/0786465492/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364503586&sr=1-1&keywords=doctor+who+in+time+and+space] deals with British fans of the original series, mostly through interviews, their relationships as fans of the series, with the series, with other fans, and how they consumed Doctor Who.  SHAMELESS PLUG! How Doctor Who was broadcast, replayed, and shared, informed the relationships the fans had with the series.

 

I will begin this presentation by describing my methodology.  I published/ distributed my survey online through my blog www.gilliandr.wordpress.com [http://gilliandr.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/doctor-who-survey-2012/ ], Twitter, and Facebook.  I also emailed it out to as many as possible, hoping to elicit responses from a wide variety of sources. My questions were grouped mostly around the ideas of firsts and favourites, with room left for comments.  I wanted qualitative and quantitative data.  I also did a lot of research online, looking for more comments and fan surveys to round out the information I was presenting.  Not all questions were expected to receive answers, but there was room for comments which often explained the absences.

My first conclusion from the responses I received was that Doctor Who fans don’t like surveys. At first I took this lack of response as a personal critique, but after researching fan sites and other surveys, I realized that actually I did quite well.  One site had posted a survey in 2011, but after a while added a not stating that the deadline posted was being extended as only two responses had been received.  That survey is still open. 

Doctor Who fans are not a homogenous group, but there are some divisions which can be made.  The first comes from the country of origin.  Of the 20 responses I received where residence was stated, 13 were from the United States and 4 from Canada. I am assuming the rest also come from these two countries as well. 

I could go into the cultural differences between the two countries, but rather than explain  this, I will take it as a given, I will instead explain the different broadcast histories of Doctor Who which contributes to the differences between the two fan groups- particularly when they became fans, and the opportunities they had to watch the series to cement this relationship. It helps explain which episodes that they watched, and which characters and actors they were attracted to.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation had purchased and broadcast Doctor Who in the 1960s- Hartnell and Troughton episodes, but it wasn’t a huge success, and at the time the CBC produced its own slate of programming.  While it did purchase material from the BBC, particularly Coronation Street (which it still broadcasts), it did not rely on them for their main content.

In 1975 TV Ontario, an educational channel which broadcasts only in Ontario (currently 38.8% of the Canadian population). Coincidentally, it was aired on Saturday evenings, a similar time to the British broadcast.  They broadcast the episodes in the original half hour format, and followed it with a short “educational” analysis, first by Dr Jim Dator, then author Judith Merrill. [Ed Conroy, “That Time When the Doctor Educated Ontario,” www.blogto.com/city/2012/09/that_time_when_doctor_who_educated_ontario/ (24/03/2013)] TVO aired the series until 1990, when the national cable network YTV (geared to children’s television programming) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YTV_(TV_channel)] purchased the rights to broadcast.  They did so for a few years.

The rest of Canada got their fixt of Doctor Who the same way and time as American viewers, on PBS. In the late 1970s early 1980s individual PBS stations purchased episodes of Doctor Who as part of local programming.  They dictated air times and format. Some showed the half hour episodes complete with cliffhangers, others broadcast them in their entire story arc.  Canadians accessed PBS through cable.

In 2005, faced with a hockey strike and no programming, the CBC entered into a partnership with the BBC to finance and broadcast Doctor Who to great ratings.  The US SciFi (now Syfy) Channel purchased it a few months later. The strike ended and the next season was aired, but not in the same way, with the same support.  The Christmas Specials did not air at Christmas, and “Voyage of the Damned” never aired. The CBC ended this relationship four years later, and the series moved to Space Channel.  The series is now aired on the same day in both countries, with an hour difference in the US’ favour.

So now it comes to the fans, and the survey.  There is a marked difference of what was the first episode  they remember watching- the Canadians all list the original series as their first, and also are more likely to list the older doctors as their favourite (although this is mixed- see further).

In general though, those who list older episodes as either their first or favourite episodes prefer Jon Pertwee as their favourite Doctor.  There exists a bit of a divide between those who started watching Doctor Who in its newest incarnation and those who started watching during its original run.  Fans of the original series have watched most, if not all of the original series.  Fans who began to watch during the new series have not necessarily watched the old series. This is despite the availability of these episodes on DVD and Netflix.  In fact, fans of the old series don’t dwell on their memories of the old series, but are more likely to purchase those DVDs or to watch them again on Netflix or other streaming services.

Another question I asked in the survey was whether or not they watched other science fiction series.  In this I received multiple answers.  Star Trek was the most popular answer- and in this I include all versions of Star Trek, although the original was the most mentioned. Battlestar Galactica was second.  I assumed the respondents meant the new series and not the one from the 1970s, but they did not specify. Firefly was third, followed by Stargate SG-1 and Babylon 5.  Only two respondents stated that they weren’t heavily into Science Fiction television, and each qualified this with a science fiction series that they did watch.

Oddly enough, only a few mentioned that they watched other British science fiction: Torchwood, Being Human, Primeval and Red Dwarf.  Clearly there is a lack of Anglophilia among Doctor Who fans.  They are not necessarily watching it because it is British.

As to what attracted fans to the series in the first place- most express a connection with the characters, mostly the Doctor, and the humour. And while some were not immediately captivated, they did come around to watching.

As to the choice of favourite episodes, the new series wins hands down.  The divide is not present here.  “Blink,” “the Girl in the Fireplace” and “Journey’s End” were the most favoured of episodes. And likewise, David Tennant was the most popular Doctor. The fans of the older series often stated more than one choice, and this is how Pertwee was the most popular of the older Doctors. This is also reflected in other surveys found online. Tom Baker was neither universally loved or hated, despite being the longest running doctor, and the doctor that most of the older Doctor Who fans saw first.

Christopher Eccleston was the least liked, followed by Colin Baker and Peter Davison.

As to the choice of companion, things get more complicated.  Yes there were more options available- over 40 different companions over the run of the series but there was little variation in the two lists of favourite/ least favourite.

Donna was the most favoured of companions in the survey.  She was chosen mostly because of the humour and chemistry she had with the Doctor. She is followed by Amy, then Rose. 

Rose was the least favourite companion, followed by Martha and then Amy.  Rose was not liked because of her personality- whiney, and the romantic relationship she had with the Doctor. Martha was considered hard to understand, especially as she had an unrequited love with the Doctor.  Adric got only one vote.  This is hard to understand, remembering the utter joy expressed by fans when his character was killed off in the early 1980s. 

I then asked about favourite episodes- here not all respondents answered, as many were unfamiliar with the older Doctors.

Top Hartnell: Space Museum

Top Troughton: War Games; Tomb of the Cybermen

Top Pertwee: Terror of the Autons; Green Death

Top Tom Baker: City of Death; Deadly Assassin

Top Davison: Caves of Androzani

Top Colin Baker: Two Doctors

Top McCoy: Silver Nemesis; Survival

Top Eccleston: Empty Child; Doctor Dances

Top Tennant: Girl in the Fireplace, Unicorn and the Wasp

Top Smith: Vincent and the Doctor; The Girl Who Waited; Eleventh Hour

 This is clearly a work in progress, and asks many more questions than I have answers for right now.

After such amazing questions and discussions I have decided to keep the survey open, and hopefully there will be more input about Doctor Who and its fans through the survey, and correspondence with me, to enable more solid conclusions to be reached about fans and their likes and dislikes, and where they began to be fans, watching, consuming Doctor Who.