Dr Who: Mainstream TV, Not Cult-ish Genre TV

I'm often struck that people outside the UK don't realise the cultural impact of Dr Who. It's not a cult-ish, obscure sci-fi show, it's a hugely popular mainstream TV show. This morning, that became very clear:

The BBC's decision to revive Doctor Who was vindicated last night when it swept the board at the National Television Awards.

The 13-part, £10m series was crowned most popular drama at the award ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which is voted for by viewers.

It saw off competition from Desperate Housewives, The Bill and the ITV prison drama Bad Girls.

Christopher Eccleston, who played the Time Lord, was named best actor. Billie Piper, who played his assistant Rose Tyler, won best actress.

More here.