45 Weeks to 50: Poll-of-Polls Countdown: The Fires of Vulcan

[hammard]

Continuing my 50th Anniversary countdown of aggregated poll results for Doctor Who Books, TV Serials & Audio Dramas, with number 45:

Comments

[akashasheiress]

Where can one vote in these polls?

[jjpor]

As far as I'm aware, they're polls that have already been conducted, in DWM and similar places. Hammard has kept track of a wide range of such polls, including TV stories, novels and audios, for a period of several years, and aggregated the results together to get an overview that isn't as subject to the sort of short-term factors that are likely to skew a single poll. I'm no statistician, but I understand that the more data sources you combine in this way, the more accurate the overall result. But yeah, as far as I'm aware the results are all already in. Although...I suppose I could have an active poll or two at the top of the comm... Hmm, let me think on that...

[akashasheiress]

Gotcha, thanks! :)

[hammard]

Yes got it exactly right! DWM is one of the main ones.
Quite a lot of them came out around the time of the 40th Anniversary which was what inspired it.
Unfortunately a lot of the older ones (like DWRG or DWIN) have closed off. Even Digitalspy doesn't release the figures in the same way. This means that the more recent figures mostly just come from the DWM polls, which means that the figures from the last couple of years are likely to be less reliable (in particular last year's one where the TV episode ratings are depressed because they had polls for Torchwood and SJA at the same time).

About the only place still running which does continuous online polling is Timelash:
http://www.timelash.com/tardis/

[jjpor]

there was really no bad line-ups, only bad stories

And ain't that just the plain truth? Again, this isn't one I'm personally familiar with, as for some reason I've never been as into the audios as I am into the TV stories and books (and I know I've missed out on some really good stuff as a result) - another one for my list of things to check out this year, then. And thanks again for posting these here - keep 'em coming. :)

[hammard]

Keep an eye out for the Big Finish sales. A lot of the time they try to get rid of the early ones quite cheap.

I enjoy doing them. I had planned it ages ago. :)

[lyssie]

Seriously??? I just. I am so out of step with larger Who fandom, it's laughable. Yeah, this was an all right story, but Flip-Flop and Bang Bang a Boom were a thousand times more entertaining. Even Red was better.

(I've felt the same way for most of the entries--hence, feeling deeply out of step with whats "popular")

damn, I miss multiple icons.

[jjpor]

I know what you mean. I couldn't believe it when I first learned that The Creature from the Pit is not as generally well-liked in fandom as it is by me...

I'm expecting a few more surprises as these go on, because you know, fans...

[hammard]

Definately a few more surprises I'd say. A lot in the top 40 which surprise me and, even more, what's missing. Only 9 of my top 20 TV episodes make it into the 50.

[jjpor]

Well yes, that's often the way with these things. The unusual results that can come from asking a large number of individuals sometimes do make you shake your head. I think that's the interesting thing about these, though - the view they give of fandom and the trends within it - rather than finding any encouragement/disappointment in the actual results.

I'm sort of wondering right now, on no evidence whatsoever, if the top-rated stories will be more skewed toward the new series TV stories (on a vague feeling that more recent stuff always does well in polls), or if the aggregation will counteract that? Don't tell me, I want it to be a surprise. :)

[a_phoenixdragon]

Yet another reminder that I seriously need to get these audios!

*HUGS*

[jjpor]

There is some good stuff out there waiting to be discovered, that's for sure. :)