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While websites are still mainly information-based, Trish Lorenz looks at how an interactive Web presence will be integral to programme-making in the future
With a whir of lights and narrowly avoiding some flying Daleks, Dr Who and his Tardis returned to our TV screens last Saturday. The souped-up special effects are a welcome change, but the series has another first to offer.
Over two hours of specially shot programmes (even the Daleks have a video diary) and the entire BBC 3 'Making Of...' will be available on-demand on the Web - the first time a non-news TV show has been streamed in this way by the BBC.
The commitment to a Web presence doesn't end there. User interaction is firmly on the agenda and the site includes the BBC's first multi-player on-line game, hidden sites that are referenced in the show, along with MP3 music downloads and clips from original 1960s and 1970s programmes. What's noteworthy is not so much the activity itself as the rarity of such an approach in the broadcast medium. Take a look at most broadcasters' websites and you'll find they go no further than fact sheets and text-based interviews.
There is little emphasis on interaction or dialogue and few opportunities to engage loyal viewers, and designers believe broadcasters are missing an opportunity. According to All of Us partner Nick Cristea, the problem is that most still perceive the Web...