Anniversary II

Here are some thoughts I put together today. I was going to reorganise them into something a bit less crap but reading it back I think it has a certain raw attraction. It certainly isn’t that I’m tired and want to go to bed rather than do any actual editing. Oh no. Heaven forefend. So this is it as written.

This footling website - on whose green and pleasant lands you are currently e-treading - was born two years ago today. That's a long time for something m'love thought wouldn't last six months. In that time we've had over thirty writers, the site has grown from a few episode guide entries into almost three thousand pages of stuff. I've been slagged off by an Australian audio producer, a fairly well known Doctor Who novelist, a minor member of the Restoration Team and numerous message board posters. I've also had thanks from a slightly better known Doctor Who novelist, I've caused the owner of a famous website to (metaphorically one hopes) “laugh his ass off”, I've had German Paul Temple fans asking me where they can buy a CD of "Paul Temple and the Dennis Affair", I've had unsolicited (but welcome) contributions from complete strangers and run across old chums who know everything I've been doing because they've read my blog. That last one is weird. Like new teeth.

I started the site at a time when work was winding down and we all faced an uncertain new year. Now, two years on, I'm elsewhere and no more certain about anything than I was then.

It's been a pretty good year for the site. We had had 30,000 visitors this time last year and it is now up past 110,000. The once regular daily updates have been replaced by two or three bigger updates each week because daily updates really do require more energy than I have these days. Plus we no longer have the daily delights of Si's "Big Column" or Ant's "Growing Up with the Doctor" so daily updates only matter during December and the unparalleled excitement that is "Brenty Four".

Because I tend to start things and then leave them for yonks before going back, I can't be entirely sure what new treasures have debuted in Year Two (if I may be a little Space 1999 for a moment). Safar*e*bay is certainly new, as is Little Skaro. They were both the product of sitting next to ShirtGuy for the past year. If I ever get a BBC2 series (transferable to BBC1 when it becomes a big hit) he is one of the three people I'd want on my team. The other two are both called Dave - Funky Dave and Benny Dave. But I digress (slightly).

The year's main loss has been Si Hunt's contributions. Technically I've probably scribbled or cobbled together more actually stuff than Si but he's been by far the most consistently brilliant contributor over the past two years. I mean no disrespect to any of the others when I say that but with around four hundred articles to his name he is da man. If I was sad enough to misquote William Hartnell at this point I'd say "one day he will come back…yes, he will come back. But until then there must be no tears, no regrets, no anxieties."

Oh, apparently I am sad enough to misquote William Hartnell at this point.

Like you're surprised.

It's always difficult to thank everyone because the risks inherent in accidentally missing anyone outweigh the warm feeling of having done something nice but I'm going to risk it and hope I don't step in a can of worms by forgetting anyone. These are the fine people who have contributed over the past twelve months.

Ian Cragg
Secretive Bus
Andrew Curnow
Logo
Jonno Simmons
Benny/Dave
Angry Dave
Ant Cox
Si Hunt
P-Bal
Chris Wake
Rob McCow
Carol Baynes
Nathan Cooke
Heather Lawrence

And of course our patron saint, Peter Purves.

I'm not the world's best planner for the future and I have no idea what lies ahead for this footling website. If there is anything you like but which seems a bit cobwebby and hasn't been updated for ages then let me know. Nothing acts as effectively as praise. Witness the revival (an unfortunate choice of word) of the "Peter is Dead" conspiracy simply because young Bendy was kind enough to be kind enough about it. I have stupid amounts of webspace and bandwidth at my disposal and no real idea of what to do with them. One thought was to turn the photonovel-tastic "Reduced Who Company" (a name that is no longer appropriate since I long since moved from the original idea) into Flash movies. The main drawbacks being (a) I don't know how to use Flash and (2) I'm not big on redoing old stuff so would want to use a new story and I haven't been able to come up with anything in months.

New blood is important to a site like this and the open door policy which began on 12th October 2003 still stands two years later. If you want to write or like to write or do write but are afraid to do anything with it then this could be the right place for you. As an editor I'm as hands on as you want me to be. If you'd prefer I leave you alone, alone you will be left. If on the other hand you want to discuss stuff then discuss away. Those alumni still talking to me would I'm sure say mostly nice things about their time here.