This archive article from 1998 contains several out of date links. It is presented here in its original form as a historical document.
1997 CHANGE OF IDENTITY SURVEY
Results compiled by Bruce Robinson (robinsba@ozemail.com.au)
with additional material by Robert Franks (TelesnapGuy@compuserve.com)
1 FEBRUARY 1998
Hello again, and welcome to the results for the 1997 ‘Change of Identity’ survey! The survey was distributed as part of issue #9 of the COI newsletter. Respondents were presented with two major options for completing the survey – (a) by replying automatically to the E-mail message accompanying issue #9, or (b) by completing the on-line survey form. Further details on the response types are provided below.
For questions which asked respondents to select their three favourite stories, points were awarded on the traditional 3-2-1 basis (i.e. three points for the first selection, two points for second, etc). A few E-mail respondents awarded joint “winners” in some of the categories. In this case, the points were apportioned fairly so that no one person had an increased “say” into the results. Because of this, it was possible for an option to end up with unusual results (e.g. 46.83 points). For the sake of simplicity, these results have been rounded off to the nearest whole value.
A few E-mail respondents selected more than three choices for some of the questions. In this case, only the first three were taken into account. Some respondents also selected three choices without actually specifying which was their first, second or third choice. In this case, each choice was awarded two points.
Due to the enormous number of comments received, it is only possible to publish a small portion of comments in these results. However, the remainder of the comments have been saved for future use in the newsletter.
So without further ado, let’s have a closer look at the results …
PRELIMINARY
A total of 272 people replied to the survey. A handful of anonymous responses received via the on-line survey form were not included due to insufficient details provided by the respondent. Breaking down the response type, we have:
1. On-line survey form (165)
2. E-mail response (103)
3. Postal response (4)
If nothing else, this just highlights how reliant all of us involved with the reconstructions are on the internet! It’s fair to say that if you don’t have a ’net connection, you probably know very little about the world of missing episode reconstructions.
As for countries, the following responses were received:
1. USA (111)
2. UK (95)
3. Australia (48)
4. Canada (12)
5. New Zealand (5)
6. Other (1)
For those interested, the “Other” response came from Sweden (hello Joachim!).
And finally, we had the following responses in regard to how you wish to receive the newsletter:
1. Plain Text (141)
2. Microsoft Word 6 (44)
3. HTML (33)
4. Don’t add to the mailing list (22)
5. Posted copy (17)
6. Don’t know/don’t care (15)
It was interesting to note that many of the people who didn’t wish to be placed on the mailing list, qualified their response by stating that they still regularly read the newsletter via a web-site. Therefore, we may consider a “notification only” mailing list in the future (as suggested by a few respondents). In other words, recipients on that mailing list would receive a short E-mail message indicating that a new issue was now available. And then, they would be free to download the HTML issue at their leisure. This option will probably be included as part of the next survey.
SECTION A : THE MISSING EPISODES
A1) Currently, there are 110 missing episodes of Doctor Who. How many do you think still exist, whether they be temporarily misplaced, or in the hands of private collectors?
1. A Handful [6 to 15 episodes] (75)
2. A Few [16 to 30] (53)
3. The Odd Episode [1 to 5] (45)
4. About Half [31 to 70] (36)
5. Most [71 to 100] (26)
6. All or Nearly All [101 to 110] (21)
7. Don’t know / Don’t care (13)
8. None (3)
These results highlight that the majority of fans are fairly pessimistic when it comes to locating missing episodes of Doctor Who. Approximately 64% believe that 30 or less missing episodes still exist. However, there’s still a fair few optimists out there who consider most of the episodes (or even all of them) to exist. While we all live in hope, the facts tend to point to a not-so-healthy situation…A few respondents also specified exactly where they thought the missing episodes still remained. “Private collectors” was a popular option, followed by “foreign TV stations”. Quite a few respondents queried whether the “big” TV stations (the BBC being the most obvious) really knew what material was contained within their own vaults. And Canada still seems to be the most popular country for missing episode rumours!
A2) Which three stories would you most like to see recovered IN FULL?
1. The Daleks’ Master Plan (231)
2. The Power of the Daleks (188)
3. Marco Polo (177)
4. The Tenth Planet (176)
= The Evil of the Daleks (176)
6. The Web of Fear (126)
7. Fury From the Deep (69)
= The Celestial Toymaker (69)
9. The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve (64)
10. The Highlanders (45)
11. The Faceless Ones (33)
12. The Abominable Snowmen (32)
13. The Crusade (30)
14. The Wheel in Space (25)
15. The Invasion (23)
16. The Myth Makers (21)
17. The Macra Terror (18)
= Galaxy 4 (18)
19. The Enemy of the World (16)
20. Dalek Cutaway/Mission to the Unknown (15)
21. The Moonbase (14)
22. The Smugglers (8)
= The Underwater Menace (8)
24. The Reign of Terror (7)
= The Ice Warriors (7)
26. The Savages (4)
27. The Space Pirates (3)
This was definitely the most popular question on the entire survey. Only a handful of people out of the 272 didn’t respond to this question at all (mainly because they mentioned that the choice was too difficult!).
Glancing at the top five stories, there aren’t too many surprises. The Daleks’ Master Plan was always going to a strong contender for the top spot, for the simple reason that we have a hefty 10 missing episodes to recover! This, of course, is more than any other story. The Power of the Daleks and The Tenth Planet are obvious candidates due to the contribution they make to the mythology of Doctor Who (despite the fact that only one episode needs to be recovered for the latter).
It was also encouraging to see three historical stories make the top ten (Marco Polo, The Massacre and The Highlanders). Because of their gross under-representation in the archives, it is not surprising that people would like to experience more of them. It is also fair to say that many of the existing historical serials (such as The Romans and The Gunfighters) don’t adequately provide a complete picture on how good the historicals can be. Fortunately, we still have The Aztecs!
It is interesting to note that after The Web of Fear (in 6th place), there is a significant drop to the rest of the pack. So as a general rule, fans tend to agree that there are six “classic” stories from this era that they would most like to see recovered. However, it may come as a surprise to many that Fury from the Deep is not included as part of this “classic six”.
With the obvious exception of The Tenth Planet, the stories where only one or two episodes need to be recovered, didn’t fare well at all. Stories such as The Ice Warriors and The Reign of Terror languish towards the bottom of the pack (although The Invasion polled relatively strongly). And even in the case of The Tenth Planet, one has to wonder how different the results would have looked if it were, say episode 2, that we had to recover …
And finally, it is also interesting to note that EVERY story received at least one vote. So it just goes to show that no matter how unpopular a Doctor Who story may appear to be, there is always someone out there willing to keep an open mind…A3) Do you have any additional comments on the missing episodes?“In a way, the hunt for the episodes is like assembling a huge puzzle bit by bit. Unfortunately, it seems as if the newly found puzzle pieces are getting smaller each year!” (LOUIS NIEBUR)
“It is a crying shame for the least known stories, as they will never feature prominently in the Whoniverse without a dedicated effort like the reconstruction projects. For instance, while we all know about the classic The Celestial Toymaker, I have no idea what The Space Pirates is about, and bet that most other Who fans don’t know either.” (CHRIS FOGARTY)
“The Evil Of The Daleks is my favourite story. We would be getting back some wonderful moments – the Doctor and Jamie fleeing after their stolen TARDIS, the Doctor and Jamie’s falling out, the Emperor Dalek, the great Dalek battle at the end, etc. Yes, there’s plenty to savour there.” (DAVID MAY)
“International fandom should put a bounty or reward up (perhaps with the Beeb) for the recovery of episodes. This could be a combination of money and/or fame.” (PAUL McDERMOTT)
“I would love to think that collectors are still jealously guarding hoards of missing episodes, but realism or pessimism tells me this is unlikely now. Diverting attention and effort into making the best of what we do have (such as the generally excellent reconstructions) seems to be the best way forward.” (MATTHEW LAWSON)
“What a choice to have to make! Should you go for ones that you have vague memories of, or ones that you have not seen? There are some magnificent stories on that list. What a shame.” (MICHAEL KING)
“I would like to see the BBC doing more with the serials that are partly complete (either with telesnap reconstructions, or by linking them with spoken summaries).” (RICHARD PALMER)
“I never saw much of Troughton when I was young, but thanks to guest appearances, the odd episode and some precious audio recordings, I now regard him as one of my favorite Doctors of all time, and an inspired choice for the role.” (CHRIS EMARCORA)
“Only the good die young …” (TIM ALDWINCKLE)
“I’m just glad that the BBC stopped before they were ALL destroyed!” (JASON ROSS)
“I simply cannot believe that EVERY SINGLE COPY the BBC made of a story could be destroyed. Some stories had up to THIRTY COPIES made.” (TERRY FRANCIS)
“These stories are a link to my childhood and one I never thought I would see anyway. So all those that still exist, I’m thankful for. I’m also thankful for the efforts of people like yourselves at doing what they can to bring as much of the classic Dr Who’s back to us.” (ALEX MIDDLETON)
“I would love to see some material appear, but if it did, I think it would more likely be another episode of The Faceless Ones, rather than one of the classics.” (RICHARD BERRY)
“There probably aren’t any whole episodes surviving any more. Any further discoveries will most likely be in the form of clips removed for censorship or insertion in other show (eg BBC’s ‘Blue Peter’).” (MATTHEW CHILD)
“I believe the majority of the missing episodes rest in the hands of private collectors. But some are probably in someone’s archive somewhere as not all past customers of the BBC have been helpful, and the episodes were known to be shipped from one country to another to another …” (JASON GARBER)
SECTION B : THE RECONSTRUCTIONS
B1) How many reconstructions have you seen in total? (approx 20 have been released to date)
1. A Few (104)
2. None (77)
3. All or Nearly All (40)
4. About Half (31)
5. Most (19)
6. Don’t know / Don’t care (1)
A positive result for those involved in the reconstructions! Hopefully, as the source material improves (e.g. telesnaps), the word will spread that this really is the best way (at the moment) to experience the missing episodes.
B2) What are your three favourite reconstructions?
1. Marco Polo (189)
2. The Power of the Daleks – COI version (134)
3. The Tenth Planet (123)
4. The Ice Warriors (102)
5. The Web of Fear (81)
6. The Savages (56)
7. The Reign of Terror (52)
8. Fury From the Deep (44)
9. The Moonbase – COI version (41)
10. The Power of the Daleks – Richard Develyn version (40)
11. The Invasion (34)
12. The Moonbase – Richard Develyn version (23)
13. The Wheel in Space (19)
14. The Smugglers (18)
= The Daleks’ Master Plan episode 1 (18)
16. Dalek Cutaway / Mission to the Unknown (15)
17. The Abominable Snowmen (11)
18. The Underwater Menace (6)
19. The Highlanders (4)Once again, the top 5 are obvious leaders of the pack. However, Marco Polo stands out head and shoulders above the rest. Perhaps this is because Mark Eden’s narration makes it a very easy story to follow audio-wise. Then again, maybe it’s just a damn good story! Another interesting surprise is the high placing of The Tenth Planet. Many people can’t seem to decide if they like all the moving footage, but this shows that the majority do. This section also gives a clear indication that most people prefer the scripted reconstructions. As the new Develyn reconstructions start appearing with stage direction included, one wonders how this section might change.
B3) Which three stories would you most like to see reconstructed?
1. The Daleks’ Master Plan (309)
2. The Evil of the Daleks (308***)
3. The Celestial Toymaker (210)
4. The Faceless Ones (175)
5. The Enemy of the World (133)
6. The Crusade (130)
7. The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve (129)
8. Galaxy 4 (98)
9. The Macra Terror (84)
10. The Myth Makers (57)
11. The Space Pirates (39)There was a slight problem with this question, in that The Evil of the Daleks was only provided as a choice on the E-mail version of the survey. Therefore, the results have been modified so that Evil receives an adjusted score based on the number of people who did have Evil as a choice.Nevertheless, Master Plan and Evil were always going to be the two most popular choices. Fortunately, with the latter, the Richard Develyn version of the reconstruction should be with us very shortly. As for Master Plan though, who knows?
There are no real surprises with the remainder of the stories – even The Space Pirates has its fair share of supporters with 39 points! Many people indicated that they’re aware that very little material exists for some of the stories (The Massacre and The Myth Makers being the two obvious examples). However, it’s apparent that some reconstruction would be better than none at all.
B4) What do you consider to be the most important element in a successful reconstruction?
1. Clear Soundtrack (90)
2. Clear Telesnaps (46)
3. Video Footage (32)
4. On-screen Script (23)
5. Variety in Photographs (22)
6. Animation (9)
7. Other (8)
8. Authentic Credits (3)
As many people pointed out, this question was difficult to answer due to respondents only being entitled to select one response. More meaningful response would have been obtained by the ranking system. In fact, the problems are perfectly summarised by Graham Nelson…“I feel this question is unfortunately worded. It might be more enlightening to ask questions like: should there be subtitles (a) giving the whole script? (b) just clarifying action sequences? or (c) never? Should video always be at the correct position? Should telesnaps from ‘the wrong episode’ ever be used? Question B4 as it stands won’t clarify what people think about any of these points, I’m afraid, because of the way it asks for priorities. An unclear soundtrack will ruin any reconstruction, so everyone’s in favour of a clear one. But saying so prevents me from expression any opinion where the reconstructors can make a choice, e.g. on the subtitling issue.” (GRAHAM NELSON)
This is definitely something we’ll keep in mind for the next survey!
However, the question could be looked at in this way. Say that one of the reconstruction creators had the choice of improving the telesnaps or improving the soundtrack, but due to the limited resources available, could only do one. Which improvement should therefore be made? It’s obvious from the responses above, that the soundtrack is considered the most vital ingredient in the reconstruction. And why shouldn’t it be? One can get by without telesnaps or video footage, but no soundtrack would be a different problem altogether (and fortunately one we don’t have to face!).
It was interesting that just about every respondent who selected the “video footage” option, had not seen a great number of reconstructions. Maybe this indicates that once you’ve seen the reconstructions, you realise that there is a depressingly small amount of video footage to start with. So in other words, it doesn’t make that much of a difference to the overall production!
B5) The BBC is planning a release of The Ice Warriors in 1998 with a brief summary of missing episodes 2 & 3. How would you prefer the missing episodes to be represented on future BBC releases?
1. Full reconstruction (162)
2. Mini-reconstruction (49)
3. Summary of missing episode (46)
4. Don’t know/Don’t care (7)
5. Nothing (1)
= Brief talking head summary (1)
No real surprises here. Considering the sample population of this survey, a full reconstruction was always going to be the most popular option. However, quite a few people pointed out that even though they were personally in favour of a full reconstruction, they realised that there was little chance of the BBC actually doing this. Another problem with the full reconstructions was highlighted by the following young chap…
“As a video has a fast forward button, it doesn’t matter if people skip past the missing episode. The problem is that some punters will think the video is faulty, others will want a summary as well so they can skip past the missing episode and continue watching while still knowing what’s going on.” (DAVID HOWE)
B6) Do you have any additional comments on the reconstructions?
“The BBC is missing out on a good thing by ignoring the great work that you and others are doing. The reconstructions are the only way to bring missing episodes back to life.” (JEFF SIMS)
“Reconstructions should be of the same kind, not using different styles from one to the other – that is, one with plain telesnaps, another with video reconstruction / CGI effects. This is a feature I like with the COI reconstructions – they are always on the same, more conservative pattern.” (DOMINIQUE BOIES)
“The Space Pirates – you say you won’t even reconstruct it. It should be your mission in life to bring this little known obscure story to light!!” (CHRIS FOGARTY)
“I think the reconstructions work best as fan produced items. The BBC are expected to work to quality standards which simply don’t allow the concept of recons (i.e. they must appeal to everyone, not just the fan base).” (MALCOLM MORRIS)
“They are SPOILERS though – if the originals turn up, it won’t be quite like seeing them afresh after so long. But I’m not complaining – I might be dead before that ever happens!” (GRAHAM EAST)
“Certainly, having read a script (or a ‘faithful’ novelization) helps. Every story has some parts that are difficult to follow from just the audio and stills – some more so than others. I found The Underwater Menace, The Smugglers, and The Abominable Snowmen fairly easy to follow. On the other hand, episode one of The Wheel in Space had me totally confused. And The Web of Fear may be a classic, but all the non-dialogue scenes of people wandering around the London Underground do get a bit tedious.” (WILLIAM BREHM)
“I hate to be banal, but I think it might be very helpful to number the versions somehow (like software updates) because it is getting a little confusing to remember which version is the latest and which is the latest I have.” (JERRY GREFENSTETTE)
“I think that as many stills from the story should be used to illustrate the story and if possible, a small amount of clips from other stories when similar. I like the use of scene details of the unseen action (i.e. COI) though I do question the need for the printed script on clear audios.” (LEE MOONE)
“Some of Michael Palmer’s reconstructions work very well in relating the action through use of video manipulation or simple animation. I think it is acceptable to use photos or footage from other stories to convey what is happening in the reconstruction. For example, Daleks in a control room from The Chase could be used in almost any Dalek reconstruction.” (DEREK HANDLEY)
“I have loved all of the reconstructions that I have seen to date. It is not as good as seeing the originals, but it is close. It must be an extreme amount of work to produce these, and my hat is off to those who do. I hope that they all realize how grateful the rest of us are!” (ALAN COOK)
“Keep up the good work. You’re the best thing going on in fandom at the moment.” (JAMES BOW)
“I’m not keen on the idea of running subtitles along the bottom of the screen, although where the audio track is particularly unclear, I understand that this is a necessary intrusion. I much prefer straight telesnap reconstructions such as those completed by Richard Develyn.” (RICHARD WILLIAMS)
“The Power of the Daleks (original version) also gets a vote because it was my first exposure to this great story.” (TONY BLIESNER)
“The reconstructions are an excellent way to fill in the gaps. The BBC would never fully reconstruct a missing episode, nor would they do it properly if they did (something would still be wrong). Nor do I see the casual fan interested in such an item. This is a project done by fans for fans, and I thank everyone who spends the time working on these things. They provide an invaluable service for those of us who are interested in this sort of thing.” (STEPHEN WOLTERSTORFF)
“I enjoy watching the reconstructions more than the BBC releases.” (BEN ELLIS)
“The reconstruction projects are currently the most forward thinking preservation project for classic television around. I would never had thought that I would ever get to experience these episodes again. The high degree of professionalism should not be surrendered to the need for a quick release of more material. I’m willing to wait for the best possible product. The world’s been waiting 30 years already!” (STEPHEN COOK)
“I didn’t start watching Who until 1970. I was just knocked out by the quality of Web, Fury and Polo as stories – some of the best writing for television there has ever been.” (PAUL EBBS)
“The use of different coloured text to distinguish action sequences from talking is a fantastic move.” (TREVOR GENSCH)
“As my main language is not English, I must say I like Bruce Robinson’s on-screen script, since it helps me tremendously in following the action. This is especially the case in scenes where either the audio quality is poor, or the pictures are of lesser quality.” (JOACHIM ANDERSSON)
“Please continue to print the script in future COI reconstructions. It makes all the difference between a good reconstruction and a superior one.” (MICHAEL LAFFERTY)
“They are quite simply mini-masterpieces and I for one will be forever in the debt of everyone involved in their making.” (ADAM WESTWOOD)
“I applaud the time and effort being taken to bring these new stories to new viewers.” (ANDREW PIXLEY)
“My only criticism is with the reconstructions that are joint US/UK ventures. Although excellently reconstructed, there seems to be such a drop in quality of the telesnaps by the time the final version is distributed in the UK.” (DEAN ROSE)
“The scripts make it so much easier to tell what is happening. I realize that is a lot more work, but they make the story just as watchable as the broadcast ones. Otherwise, you are left to wonder during the action sequences just what is happening.” (KEITH BRADBURY)
“I have found that many missing episode reconstructions reveal very surprising stylistic elements of the episodes that are quite unexpected (e.g. the Doctor’s conversation with himself in The Moonbase Episode 3).” (ANTHONY MARTIN)
“I just want to say a huge thank you to every one involved – from the reconstructors right through to the distributors, for all their wonderful work. Whatever it takes, however we can all help, please keep it going.” (JAMES GUTHRIE)
“I *really* like the authentic credit sequences in some of the Develyn TRs, though I don’t consider it the single most important part of a reconstruction.” (JESSE SMITH)
“The best thing about them, is that I have come to appreciate stories that I had previously dismissed on the basis of the surviving episodes – The Wheel in Space and The Moonbase in particular. The UK distribution is excellent and I am extremely grateful to all those involved in the making and copying of the reconstructions.” (NEIL SANDERSON)
“I think the missing episodes should be animated – all the audios are ready and waiting. Of course, I have no idea how big a project this would be or how much it would cost. I think such a project would prove profitable for the BBC.” (SANDRA WILEY)
SECTION C : THE AUDIOS
C1) How many of the missing episode audios have you heard?
1. None (96)
2. A Few (92)
3. All or Nearly All (53)
4. About Half (15)
5. Most (12)
6. Don’t know/Don’t care (4)
It appears that listening to missing episode audios is much more of an acquired taste! However, a few people pointed out that with the increasing number of reconstructions, the audios, as stand-alone products, are becoming a little redundant.
C2) What are your three favourite audio stories?
1. The Evil of the Daleks (176)
2. The Power of the Daleks (112)
3. Fury From the Deep (70)
4. Marco Polo (67)
= The Macra Terror (67)
6. The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve (63)
7. The Daleks’ Master Plan (51)
8. Galaxy 4 (45)
9. The Myth Makers (33)
10. The Celestial Toymaker (27)
= The Crusade (27)
12. The Smugglers (26)
13. The Highlanders (19)
14. The Web of Fear (15)
15. The Abominable Snowmen (12)
= The Faceless Ones (12)
17. Dalek Cutaway / Mission to the Unknown (8)
18. The Enemy of the World (7)
= The Invasion (7)
20. The Moonbase (6)
= The Tenth Planet (6)
22. The Reign of Terror (4)
= The Savages (4)
= The Underwater Menace (4)
25. The Wheel in Space (3)
= The Space Pirates (3)
The Evil of the Daleks is the run-away winner in this category, with Power also polling strongly. Obviously, the BBC releases were always going to be the top contenders for this question, so perhaps of greater interest is where the non-BBC releases appear. Marco Polo appears on top in this category, followed by The Massacre. At first glance, the high position of The Massacre may surprise some people. But those who have listened to the story will probably agree that it is the type of story well suited to the audio format.
Galaxy 4 and The Crusade also polled strongly due to the fact that for many years, these two stories were unavailable in audio format. Therefore, when they did appear, fans were very keen to hear them.
Interestingly, the only story that received no votes was The Ice Warriors. The Tenth Planet also polled poorly, especially considering its strong position in question A2. This clearly indicates that people are mainly interested in the episode due to its historical significance, as opposed to finding Episode 4 an absolute ripping yarn!
C3) Do you believe the BBC should release more of the missing stories on audio?
1. Yes (204)
2. Don’t know/Don’t care (61)
3. No (7)
A simple question, and one which produced a predictable response! Not much more can really be said …
C4) Do you have any additional comments on the audios?
“Thank God they exist! At least the BBC couldn’t stop us preserving these! With good sales for the previous ones, and great copies now available for their use, they’ve really got no excuse at all for not proceeding with any more.” (DAVID MAY)
“More, produced by Eric Saward, narrated by any of the surviving Doctors. Long live radio!” (DANIEL CALLAHAN)
“The ONE thing that would encourage me to buy the BBC audio tapes would be significantly improved sound quality. To this end, I would prefer CDs over tape.” (WILLIAM BREHM)
“I was amazed by the clarity of many of the stories, and the fun of hearing presenters’ voices from the sixties.” (MICHAEL PIELOOR)
“I was rather disappointed with the Beeb releases. Fury from the Deep is fairly hard to listen to and Macra Terror :4 either needs slowing down or shifting down in pitch. Pat Troughton sounds as if he’s been inhaling helium for it.” (SCOTT MORRIS)
“They seem a little redundant for stories which reconstructions exist, but they are great nonetheless.” (CHRIS SMITH)
“I obviously prefer the idea of reconstructions. But the quality of writing in Myth and Crusade make them almost radio plays in their own right.” (PAUL EBBS)
“It would be nice (although I doubt they would ever consider it), if the BBC offered purchasers the option of buying the recordings with or without narration. A CD release of the higher quality recordings would also be appreciated.” (MIKE IVY)
“Really, I just want the BBC to release more stories on audio. Why won’t they do it? Don’t they remember how popular the 1993 releases were? They made the Top 75 album charts in the UK, for crying out loud! I always support official releases and will continue to do so, as long as they release ’em!” (JAMES GUTHRIE)
“Some episodes work very well on pure audio. Others (notably The Daleks’ Master Plan episode 12) are almost completely incomprehensible without visuals.” (NATHANAEL NERODE)
“I don’t know about other people’s copies of the previously circulated audio tapes, but mine sound like they were recorded underwater with a cat sitting on the microphone.” (SIMON TAYLOR)
SECTION D : THE NEWSLETTER
D1) What do you think about the current size of the newsletter?
1. Right Size (153)
2. Never Read Newsletter (74)
3. Bit Small (27)
4. Bit Large (7)
5. Way Too Small (5)
This question basically arose because one of your editors was becoming a bit paranoid that the newsletter was too large. Fortunately, most people didn’t agree with this editor, which means he can now return to editing the newsletter with the pleasing thought that it’s fairly much the right size as it is!
D2) What is your favourite part of the newsletter?
1. Love it All! (63)
2. Reconstructions Updates (61)
3. News Items (32)
4. Interviews (8)
5. Memory Cheats (5)
6. Short Articles (4)
= Reviews/Comments (4)
8. Story Guides (3)
9. Requests (1)
Robert and I were both surprised to see the ‘Reconstruction Updates’ poll so strongly. Lately, there hasn’t been an awful lot of news to report, so we were surprised that people still considered this to be the most interesting part of the newsletter. Hopefully, we’ll be able to include more reconstruction news in future issues.
The position of ‘News Items’ was also intriguing. Even though we describe the publication as a “newsletter”, it doesn’t really report all that much news, for the simple reason that its topic is something that happened thirty years ago! Having said that though, we do try to include us much current material as possible.
D3) Do you have any additional comments on the newsletter?
“I enjoy the interviews, because they are the sort of thing not likely to appear anywhere else. I also enjoy the thorough story guides for the same reason.” (LOUIS NIEBUR)
“A section dedicated to the real work involved in missing episode hunting, both at the BBC level and the amateur or fan level, would be a good addition to the newsletter. It might also help in the co-ordination of existing searches.” (ROB STICKLES)
“Great stuff. It is of professional standard – equally as enjoyable as DWM.” (MALCOLM MORRIS)
“Because of DWM archives, David Howe’s Doctor Handbooks, etc, the newsletter story guides are nothing new, and could be replaced by more interesting sixties-oriented material, such as more ‘Memory Cheats’ segments.” (MARK PARMERTER)
“I enjoy it. I look forward to the day when it has an in depth article on a newly recovered episode!” (MICHAEL KING)
“Congratulations! It’s refreshing to see a group of dedicated fans giving their all for no greater reward or motivation than the love of the series itself. Thank you so much for sharing your limitless enthusiasm.” (RICHARD WILLIAMS)
“I think that the newsletter is the perfect example of how the internet should be ‘sold’ to the public. To be able to receive, for the cost of a local phone call, a high quality, informative, FREE magazine, is in my opinion, nothing short of a miracle. Never mind all the rubbish spoken about the information superhighway, this is the best part of the net for me. Thanks to yourself, and all the people who help make it possible.” (RICHARD PALMER)
“The newsletter makes for great reading (especially in lunch hours at work!!!). It is great to see that exciting news can still be drawn from Dr Who episodes made over 30 years ago. If only the future could hold such a steady stream of interest to report!” (CHRIS EMARCORA)
“It’s great hearing about other fans who enjoy the older episodes and wish they were all back as well.” (STEPHEN WOLTERSTORFF)
“I worship the newsletter!” (EDDY BARNETT)
AND IN CLOSING …
That finally brings us to the end of the 1997 survey. It’s been a lot of fun compiling the results, even if a tad time-consuming! I’d once again like to thank everyone for their enthusiasm in responding to the survey. Your support of both the reconstructions and the newsletter is the main thing that keeps us going …
BORING STUFF
The DOCTOR WHO reconstructions are fan-produced endeavours completed without the consent of BBC Worldwide, BBC Television, or any holders of the DOCTOR WHO licence. No infringement on any such copyright holder is intended nor are the tapes produced for any sort of monetary compensation. Tapes are distributed through the worldwide DOCTOR WHO fan network. Support the BBC releases!
All material published in this newsletter is copyright Change of Identity Productions. Please do not reprint any of the contents in another publication (whether electronic or print) without obtaining the prior permission from the editors.
The newsletter is available in three formats – plain text, Word 6, and HTML. There is also an “announcement” mailing list which simply announces the release of a new issue, and provides details on how the issue can be downloaded from a web-site. Send an E-mail to Bruce if you wish to be added to any of these lists. The back-issues (in HTML format) can be located at the following web-site:
