Doctor Who Appreciation Society

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society or DWAS was a non-profit making body formed in 1976 with 70 members. By 1982, it had some 1,700 members.

It was the only Doctor Who fan club officially recognised by the BBC. The BBC's support was largely a way of channelling fan interest; it even required John Nathan-Turner, the then producer, to have two secretaries (Jane Judge and Fiona ?).

A twelve member executive committee governed the society, which had a co-ordinator.

Writers David Saunders and David J. Howe have both been co-ordinators for the Society.

The Society ran the PanoptiCon series of conventions for at least twenty-five years.

Following Nicholas Courtney's death in 2011, Colin Baker succeeded Courtney as Honorary President of the Society.

Membership
For an annual fee, members received a membership card and a monthly newsletter entitled The Celestial Toyroom.

Other publications
The Society also produced a bi-monthly magazine called Tardis that featured articles and photographs and Cosmic Masque that contained fan fiction.