Submitted by Brave Bison

BBC Doctor Who The Next (Re)Generation TikTok Creator Campaign

Influencer Marketing

Brave Bison recruited Doctor Who fans from connected TikTok communities to bring new viewers to the BBC franchise, reporting 35M reach from the campaign.

35MReach
+73%Brand Recall
68%Plan to Keep Watching

Case in 60 seconds

Doctor Who had a passionate existing fanbase, but its long history could make the show look daunting to potential new viewers, so the BBC asked Brave Bison to turn it into a cultural phenomenon for both groups.

In the fan cultures of similar franchises the fans hold the narrative through sketches, memes and fan edits, so Brave Bison reasoned that existing Whovians, rather than the broadcaster, were the most credible guides for newcomers.

The Next (Re)Generation played on the regenerative nature of the series, handing Whovians with standing in connected communities such as drag, music, fashion, comedy and pop culture the job of demystifying the show for new fans.

Brave Bison assembled Doctor Who fans from those communities on TikTok and timed their content to the Christmas specials, Ncuti Gatwa's episode premiere and Doctor Who Day, while music creators made a theme song remix that fashion influencers then used for a series of Doctor Who looks.

Brave Bison reports, from work with an unnamed AI measurement partner, 35M reach, 73% brand recall at 27% above benchmark, 68% of exposed viewers planning to keep watching, and 52% agreeing that the show was a cultural phenomenon.

Strategy Breakdown

Both loyal Doctor Who fans and potential new viewers, particularly people in diverse communities with interests connected to the show, such as drag, music, fashion, comedy and pop culture.
Doctor Who sits between a devoted fanbase and a reputation for being hard to enter, so the page frames the task as keeping loyal viewers engaged while opening the door to people put off by the show's history.
The BBC stepped back from telling the story itself and let Whovians carry it, with the broadcast calendar supplying the moments creators built their posts around rather than a brand-led message.
Other people within these communities joined the conversation once creators posted around key calendar moments, so the page treats creator posts as a prompt for community participation rather than a finished broadcast.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • TikTok

Partners

  • Brave Bison

Participation mechanic

  • Creators posted around the Christmas specials, the premiere and Doctor Who Day, which prompted other people in their communities to join the conversation, while fashion influencers built looks on a theme song remix made by music creators.

Results & Evidence

MetricValue
Reach35M
Brand Recall+73%
Plan to Keep Watching68%

Why Brave Bison's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Handing a daunting back catalogue to fans who explain it for newcomers lowers the barrier to entry, because the explanation arrives from a peer inside the fandom rather than from the broadcaster's own marketing.

  2. 2

    Casting fans whose influence sits in adjacent interests carries a franchise into communities it does not already reach, because each creator brings an audience built on a connected interest rather than on the core fanbase.

  3. 3

    Chaining formats across communities, with a music remix reused by fashion creators, lets one asset open two new audiences, because the second community builds on content the first has already made.

  4. 4

    Anchoring creator posts to scheduled broadcast moments gives newcomers a clear point of entry, because specials and premieres are conversations already under way that a curious viewer can join.

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