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Because sometimes I just *heart* fandom so very much!
If I’d had time, I’d have written/posted this on ‘More Joy Day’, but I was too rushed. But it is something that has brought a huge smile to my face, and I felt I had to share it! :)
At Christmas my father-in-law (goodness knows where) found three issues of ‘Tardis’ (The Quarterly Magazine of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society - DWAS for short) from the late Fifth Doctor era, and they are wonderful! There’s reviews and articles and interviews and comics etc - but best of all are the letters pages. Because nothing has changed - at all. Fans are fans and substitute *any* fandom of today and you get *exactly* the same arguments. I sadly don’t have the time to reproduce them all, so I’ll just give you the example that made me giggle uncontrollably. This is from Volume 7, Number 5. Now clearly in Number 4 a fan wrote one of *those* letters. I’m sure you’ll know what I mean when I give you a few snippets from the (numerous) replies (still laughing as I type this, and remembering the letters in the Buffy comic...):
‘So T. Noonan strikes again. I’m starting to wonder why he likes “Doctor Who” at all, as he seems to do nothing but knock the programme and the DWAS as well. His letter in the last issue of “Tardis” was no exception, either, and most of it was utter rubbish! I have not enjoyed a Season of “Doctor Who” as much as I did the 19th for years and years and from what I’ve heard the 20th sounds even better. ...’
‘Did you really have to print another letter from Noonan? He really gets on my nerves, mainly because of his total arrogance. He smugly preaches to the DWAS as if we were a gang of naughty children. [...] If Noonan doesn’t like “Doctor Who” he should leave the DWAS. The only sensible ting he’s come out with is his objection to the weekday time-slot. I do not care about the audience in his university. I do know that the audience in my obscure, unimportant comprehensive school has been boosted enormously by JNT and Peter Davidson.’
‘Although I would agree that some - not all - of last season’s stories [specifics follow] were ‘flimsy’ and ‘cliche-ridden’, I think the adjective ‘pompous’ can be far more readily applied to T. Noonan, together with ‘obnoxious’ and ‘rude’. [...] ...but even any extreme disapointment with last season would not move me to the sort of all-out character assassination which Noonan has attempted.’
‘I would just like to add a short note on the subject of the latest offering from Mr T. Noonan whom I am sure you have invented to initiate greater responses to the letters page. Needless to say, I disagree with just about everything he says. [...] Mr Noonan’s lack of specification as to how the ‘exploiting’ of the ‘cult’ of “Doctor Who” is related to the last season being ‘utter rubbish’ leaves me unable to fully argue the point. ...’
‘T Noonan has done it again, by my reckoning. Do you employ him to maintain an interesting letters column? Only joking. By God, this time he really takes the biscuit. What a waste of an obvious talent. At least that “first” letter was well constructed and executed (I didn’t agree with him then, either) but this time his offering seems controversial for the sake of being controversial. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next letter concentrated on personal insults. Turning to his specific objections it would have been helpful for the explanations to be readily forthcoming. What was wrong with the continuity? [...] At least Mr Noonan excuses John-Nathan Turner for the new timeslot. But he can’t criticise success. Would we have been guaranteed another season if the viewing figures were around the 6 million mark? Looking at “Blake’s 7” I think not. What would T Noonan have to say then? But I do concede one point made by T; I don’t even begin to understand what he’s getting at, but then I’ve never had the benefit of a University education, have I?’
Editor’s note: Well, there you have it, T, not one of the letters received agreed with your viewpoint; and just to clear up the suggestion that Mr Noonan is an invention of mine to cause controversy - not so! Many of you who went to PanoptiCon V this year will have seen T as one of the attendees. ...
Dear Mr Noonan - if you ever come across this little post, I feel owe you huge thanks for bringing much joy and happiness to my life! :)
At Christmas my father-in-law (goodness knows where) found three issues of ‘Tardis’ (The Quarterly Magazine of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society - DWAS for short) from the late Fifth Doctor era, and they are wonderful! There’s reviews and articles and interviews and comics etc - but best of all are the letters pages. Because nothing has changed - at all. Fans are fans and substitute *any* fandom of today and you get *exactly* the same arguments. I sadly don’t have the time to reproduce them all, so I’ll just give you the example that made me giggle uncontrollably. This is from Volume 7, Number 5. Now clearly in Number 4 a fan wrote one of *those* letters. I’m sure you’ll know what I mean when I give you a few snippets from the (numerous) replies (still laughing as I type this, and remembering the letters in the Buffy comic...):
‘So T. Noonan strikes again. I’m starting to wonder why he likes “Doctor Who” at all, as he seems to do nothing but knock the programme and the DWAS as well. His letter in the last issue of “Tardis” was no exception, either, and most of it was utter rubbish! I have not enjoyed a Season of “Doctor Who” as much as I did the 19th for years and years and from what I’ve heard the 20th sounds even better. ...’
‘Did you really have to print another letter from Noonan? He really gets on my nerves, mainly because of his total arrogance. He smugly preaches to the DWAS as if we were a gang of naughty children. [...] If Noonan doesn’t like “Doctor Who” he should leave the DWAS. The only sensible ting he’s come out with is his objection to the weekday time-slot. I do not care about the audience in his university. I do know that the audience in my obscure, unimportant comprehensive school has been boosted enormously by JNT and Peter Davidson.’
‘Although I would agree that some - not all - of last season’s stories [specifics follow] were ‘flimsy’ and ‘cliche-ridden’, I think the adjective ‘pompous’ can be far more readily applied to T. Noonan, together with ‘obnoxious’ and ‘rude’. [...] ...but even any extreme disapointment with last season would not move me to the sort of all-out character assassination which Noonan has attempted.’
‘I would just like to add a short note on the subject of the latest offering from Mr T. Noonan whom I am sure you have invented to initiate greater responses to the letters page. Needless to say, I disagree with just about everything he says. [...] Mr Noonan’s lack of specification as to how the ‘exploiting’ of the ‘cult’ of “Doctor Who” is related to the last season being ‘utter rubbish’ leaves me unable to fully argue the point. ...’
‘T Noonan has done it again, by my reckoning. Do you employ him to maintain an interesting letters column? Only joking. By God, this time he really takes the biscuit. What a waste of an obvious talent. At least that “first” letter was well constructed and executed (I didn’t agree with him then, either) but this time his offering seems controversial for the sake of being controversial. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next letter concentrated on personal insults. Turning to his specific objections it would have been helpful for the explanations to be readily forthcoming. What was wrong with the continuity? [...] At least Mr Noonan excuses John-Nathan Turner for the new timeslot. But he can’t criticise success. Would we have been guaranteed another season if the viewing figures were around the 6 million mark? Looking at “Blake’s 7” I think not. What would T Noonan have to say then? But I do concede one point made by T; I don’t even begin to understand what he’s getting at, but then I’ve never had the benefit of a University education, have I?’
Editor’s note: Well, there you have it, T, not one of the letters received agreed with your viewpoint; and just to clear up the suggestion that Mr Noonan is an invention of mine to cause controversy - not so! Many of you who went to PanoptiCon V this year will have seen T as one of the attendees. ...
Dear Mr Noonan - if you ever come across this little post, I feel owe you huge thanks for bringing much joy and happiness to my life! :)