Outpost Gallifrey
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| URL | http://www.gallifreyone.com<tr><th>Commercial?</th><td>No</td></tr> |
|---|---|
| Type of site | Fan site<tr><th>Registration</th><td>Free</td></tr> |
| Owner | Shaun Lyon |
| Created by | Shaun Lyon |
Outpost Gallifrey is a fan website for the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Launched on December 11 1995, the site was created and is currently administered by Shaun Lyon. The site is based in the United States, and associated with the annual Doctor Who convention Gallifrey One. In March 2006, the Los Angeles Times referred to Outpost Gallifrey as "the premier Doctor Who website" in America.<ref>Beale, Lewis. "Dr. Who Poised to Leap Through Time Again", Los Angeles Times, 2006-03-19. Retrieved on 2006-04-11.</ref> Its news page, active from its launch until 2006, was known in the Doctor Who fan community for being a generally reliable source of news for the programme. Its front page claims that the website receives over 25,000 readers every day, rising to up to 50,000 at times of peak interest in the show such as a series premiere or finale.
The site had numerous sections such as an episode guide (giving cast and crew details and story outlines), feature articles and a reviews section. Reader and member submissions were accepted by Lyon, who would usually publish them on the site within a few days.
The site's discussion forum has over 19,000 registered members. It has close contacts with the production team and writers associated with the series, several of whom have been known to post on the forums. In April 2005, when the news of Christopher Eccleston's departure from Doctor Who broke, discussion on the forum became so heated that Lyon shut the section down for two days; the closure was reported in The Daily Mirror.<ref>Robertson, Cameron. "DR WHO-HA: Eccleston row forces fans' website to shut", The Daily Mirror, 2005-04-02. Retrieved on 2006-04-11.</ref> The British news media frequently use the site to garner examples of fan reactions to Doctor Who.<ref>Williams, Tryst. "Time Lord trounces Potter in ratings", The Western Mail, 2006-04-17. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.</ref>
Current Doctor Who lead actor David Tennant admitted in a 2005 interview with Doctor Who Magazine that he had visited the Outpost Gallifrey forum shortly after his casting had been announced, to gauge fan reaction. "Well, when it was announced, I admit, I did go on Outpost Gallifrey to have a quick look, because I just couldn't help myself, and everyone was encouraging me to go on and see what the fans were saying about me," he told the magazine.<ref>Hickman, Clayton (2005-08-17). "Perfect Ten". Doctor Who Magazine (359): 18.</ref>
On 9 October 2006, Lyon announced that he would no longer be updating the news pages due to the fact that his "heart was no longer in [the constant news collection and editing] anymore." The forum, and the annual Gallifrey One convention, will continue to function, while other parts of the website will be archived.
Even after the retirement of the site's news page, an interviewer for bbc.co.uk recommended Outpost Gallifrey as a "terrific fan site", along with the BBC's official Doctor Who website.<ref>Barber, Martin (2006-11-01). Doctor Who: Ongoing adventures for Elisabeth Sladen (RealPlayer video interview). bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved on 2006-11-01. “For more on Doctor Who, log on to the programme's official website, bbc.co.uk/doctorwho, or try the terrific fan site at www.gallifreyone.com.”</ref>
On November 2, 2006, Lyon announced that the site's news page would be returning in a new form, with Lyon as editor-in-chief and a committee of reporters from the US, UK and beyond. Details have yet to be announced, though the relaunch date has been announced taking place in early December.<ref>Lyon, Shaun (2006-11-02). November 2: Back by popular demand. Outpost Gallifrey. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.</ref>
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