When the BBC axed Doctor Who in 1989, the men in the suits doubtless expected all those who had watched it over the years to quietly turn over and watch Baywatch instead.
By 1989, Doctor Who had become an embarrassment to the BBC. Yet, despite all their attempts at a mercy-less killing, the show refused to expire. So in the end, the BBC pulled the plug.
When they finally axed Doctor Who, the men in the suits doubtless expected it's viewers to quietly turn over and ogle Baywatch -or something equally banal- instead.
They should have been warned, by the refusal of the show's viewers to give up before.
Many of us did quietly consign it to the dustbin of oblivion. I'd never recovered from the departure of Sarah-Jane, so to me it's final axing was almost irrelevant.
But then an odd thing happened; over the next few years, I would catch sight of an occasional book, in the library, or a second-hand shop. An inveterate checker of publication dates, I'd discover that these were new books.
What had happened was that many of the fans had decided that if no one else would entertain them, they would entertain themselves. The fans began to write new stories, and many who had earned a livelihood from the show were happy to help out.
Soon, there was a whole new set of Who adventures, much to the surprise of the BBC.
