1 Keeping the Elite Powerless: Fan-Producer Relations in the ‘Nu Who’ (and new YOU) Era Leora Hadas & Limor Shifman Hebrew University, Jerusalem This article explores fandom in an age of transition. The main process it tracks is the mainstreaming of fandom in the advent of the new technological and cultural affordances commonly labeled “participatory culture” (Jenkins, 2006). In this era, practices of involvement and amateur creation, previously reserved for a small “powerless elite” (Tulloch, 1995), have become prevalent cultural logics shared by many millions. The blurring of the borders between consumers and producers, as well as growing awareness of the added value of fan labor (Ross, 2008; Baym & Burnett, 2008), have led to a perception of unprecedented power held by audiences over production companies. While various scholars (e.g. Hills, 2010a) have conducted in- depth investigations of the production discourses surrounding these circumstances, here we aspire to examine the discourse of media fandom itself: how fans negotiate their position and identity in light of their new status. We examine these issues through the tale of one fandom: that of the British science fiction classic Doctor Who, a show that has experienced a number of transitions between cult and mainstream status. First conceived as an educational children’s show, it had over time become a cultural icon, before rating troubles and eventual cancellation turned it into a niche interest kept alive by fan-produced-and- consumed texts. The revival of the series in 2005 was inevitably accompanied by concerns regarding the possible dangers of fans influencing the production, especially with the new landscape of online activity now at the fingertips of every viewer.