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Joe and Mark are joined this week by D.G. Valdron, a Canadian writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. (And author of one of Joe’s favorite books, The Mermaid’s Tale.)
The topic of this week’s discussion is Doctor Who, in particular the expansive, creative and fascinating world of fan-produced films, plays and fiction that honor the Doctor.
D.G. talks about this fandom with great affection and knowledge, something that he’s been a part of as a fan, but also as a writer. He’s written about the first female Doctor – not Jodi Whittaker, but Barbara Benedetti, the first woman to play the Doctor, through a series of four, unlicensed half-hour adventures in the 80s – plus many of the other hundreds of loving fan takes on the BBC series.
Writ large, the discussion is a history of fandom; D.G. also explains why it’s worthy of our time and attention.
They discuss what implications fandom has for professional creators of original art, and how fandom can interact with those creators, whether they’re writers, producers, actors, or directors.
A fascinating discussion for fans of Doctor Who in particular, but for those who stan fandom in general!
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D.G. Valdron is a wayward Maritimer and denizen of the Canadian prairie. Growing up he spent his youth working at a drive-in theatre and was raised on a steady diet of B-movies and pop culture. Valdron has had the usual assortment of quirky writers jobs: mechanic, carpenter, bricklayer, projectionist, cook, waiter, woodcutter, ditch-digger, journalist, school teacher, and for many years now a lawyer specializing in the field of aboriginal rights.
If you want to learn more about Doctor Who, then definitely check out his pirate’s histories of the show, the first volume of which is A Pirate’s History of Doctor Who.
Joe recommends (heartily) D.G.’s fantasy noir, A Mermaid’s Tale!
You can find all of D.G.’s books at Amazon via his page there. And if you want to learn more about him, or you’d like to check out his blog, you can go to his website at denvaldron.com
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