This Article Full Text (PDF) Free References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Google Scholar Articles by Perryman, N. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Doctor Who and the Convergence of Media

A Case Study in `Transmedia Storytelling'

University of Sunderland, UK, neil.perryman{at}sunderland.ac.uk

The British science fiction series Doctor Who embraces convergence culture on an unprecedented scale, with the BBC currently using the series to trial a plethora of new technologies, including: mini-episodes on mobile phones, podcast commentaries, interactive red-button adventures, video blogs, companion programming, and `fake' metatextual websites. In 2006 the BBC launched two spin-off series, Torchwood (aimed at an exclusively adult audience) and The Sarah Jane Smith Adventures (for 11—15-year-olds), and what was once regarded as an embarrassment to the Corporation now spans the media landscape as a multi-format colossus. This article critically explores many of the transmedia strategies the BBC has employed in relaunching this property. Has it resulted in a richer and more entertaining experience, or is it merely an economic exercise in merchandising and branding? Can these media really work together to create a coherent and satisfying whole?

Key Words: convergence culture • cultural memes • interactive television • mobile media • participatory culture • transmedia storytelling

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?