As
Doctor Who
nears its 50th anniversary, it is very much a part of British popular culture, and the Doctor has become a British icon. Nevertheless, thanks to BBC America and BBC Worldwide's marketing strategy, as well as the Doctor's and his companions' recent in-person visits to the U.S., the venerable series is becoming more susceptible to an "American influence," including the possibility of becoming "Americanized."
and recent spinoffs
Torchwood
and
The Sarah Jane Adventures
offer American audiences very different insights into the Whoniverse and have met with varying degrees of success. Whereas
became a U.S.-U.K. co-production,
was largely mismarketed. To complicate matters, the interrelationships that keep the
franchise alive through radio dramas, audiobooks, comics, novels, etc., during hiatuses in television broadcasts, may give U.S. and U.K. audiences different understandings of the lead characters—the Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness, and Sarah Jane Smith. Although the past decade has been an exciting time in the Whoniverse, the Doctor—and the franchise—are poised for yet another regeneration.