New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club - Fan Organisations

Fan Organisations

Doctor Who fans in Britain have had a formally recognised organisation – the Doctor Who Appreciation Society (or DWAS) – since the late 70s. It has thousands of members and enjoyed an ongoing relationship with the classic series and later with BBC Worldwide.

The Australasian Doctor Who Fan Club was founded soon after DWAS, in 1976, to galvanise resistance to the decision of the Australian Broadcasting Commission to cease broadcasting the Doctor Who series (and was ultimately successful in having the decision overturned). The club President also edited Zerinza the club fanzine, until 1986. In the 1990s the club was renamed several times, today being the Doctor Who Club of Australia (or DWCA) which publishes a newsletter, "Data Extract".

In the 1980s, some US fans staged "Save Doctor Who" publicity campaigns, trying to urge their local television stations to keep airing the show.

The North American Doctor Who Appreciation Society was founded in the 1980s and served as an umbrella organisation for dozens of local fan groups throughout the country. Its demise in the early 1980s led to the foundation of the Doctor Who Fan Club of America, and later the Friends of Doctor Who. FDW ended unceremoniously in the mid-1990s, and since then, American Doctor Who fandom has been served mostly through local fan clubs.

The Doctor Who Information Network (DWIN) was founded in Canada in 1980 and continues to serve fans in North America. It was one of the first Doctor Who clubs in North America, and is the longest running Doctor Who club on the continent. DWIN supports the monthly Toronto Tavern fan gatherings. DWIN also sponsored several local chapters throughout Canada.

Also in Canada is the Doctor Who Society of Canada (DWSC), a social network for Whovians of all ages whose community focuses on social interaction, intelligent exchange and commonality. The DWSC launched in 2011 and provides monthly social gatherings, online community forums and have been featured prominently at Toronto area Fan Conventions including Fan Expo and Wizard World. The DWSC has launched its own Doctor Who Festival on November 17, 2012 - REGENERATION - and is branching out into local chapters across the country including Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax and Kitchener/Waterloo.

The New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club (NZDWFC) was founded in 1988 and continues to remain the country's major fan support group. They publish a fanzine, Time Space Visualiser (TSV), twice-yearly.

In 2012, The Doctor Who Fan Groups Google Map project was set up with the aim of making it easier for UK based Doctor Who fans to find a local fan group and, in turn, to help local fan groups to find new members. At the time of writing, the project contains details of local groups in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Tayside, The Isle of Man, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Cardiff, Gloucester, London, Guildford and Bournemouth.