Helen wrote:
Which brings me to the point that I know quite a few women who do actually watch (etc.) Doctor Who to a degree that I would consider
fannish,
but who don't get involved in organised fandom because they feel a bit excluded by the overwhelmingly male-centred character thereof.
While I've watched DW certainly to a fannish degree, the series just never inspired me to get involved in organised fandom. I attended the Who's 7 conventions to meet teh people I knew from B7 fandom and wouldn't attend a pure DW convention.
That has nothing to do with the fact that the Doctor is male,or that the fandom is male-dominated (I get the impression) and not even anything to do with the fact that most of the female characters were incapable of picking up a heavy object and bashing the alien over the head with it, but just stood in a corner screaming. Doctor Who just didn't interest me enough to want to get involved and debate it. With a few notable exceptions, the morality is clear-cut black and white, the aliens evil killers with no conscience and no motivation other than to rule for the sake of it, the Doctor the guy in the right who saves the planet. It's fun to watch for 25 minutes, but what's to discuss?
Louise