Almost 50 years ago, a sci-fi program premiered on British TV that would become the focus of MU’s newest club: Doctor Who at Mizzou.

President Hayden Ponsar, an MU junior, formed the group with two other students, Elizabeth Bauer and Brad Herdman. Bauer is the organization’s current vice president and it was through a post she made on Facebook that the idea for the club formed, Ponsar said.

“I had been involved with student orgs before so I could help get through the bureaucracy,” Ponsar said. “It was something I wanted to make happen, but I knew it was complicated.”

The organization has had a page on Facebook for about a month, Ponsar said, but it was approved through OrgSync less than a week ago.

“We wanted to see if it was something people would be interested in, and thus far, it has been,” Ponsar said.

Ponsar said he was surprised by the amount of interest the group received.

“I was shockingly surprised,” Ponsar said. “We are around 60 likes on Facebook, we had upwards of 20 people sign the constitution, and it only required ten. That’s a lot of people.”

The group emphasizes the unique nature of the fans and small amount of people it appeals to, according to the group’s constitution. Their stated purpose is to bring students together in a mutual appreciation of British culture.

The show “Doctor Who” is referred to as a “British phenomena,” with members that may only have small numbers in other groups, according to the constitution.

The organization provides a good way to meet other people that wouldn’t have been brought together originally, Ponsar said.

“It is a very niche population, even though you know more and more about it every day,” Ponsar said. “It is a good way to meet people outside of your standard circles. Now I have met people in band, engineers – a bunch of people I wouldn’t have met before.”

Ponsar said he has been a fan of the show for about a year now after some friends originally urged him to watch it.

“Some of my really close friends in (UM-Rolla) had me sit down and watch it – force me to sit down and watch it because I wasn’t looking forward to it,” Ponsar said.

Ponsar said now he is a big fan of the themes in the show.

“The doctor has a very fond feeling for people,” Ponsar said. “He sees the value in everyone, and I really like that. I really like that it is a show about looking at the value in the little things.”

Friends of sophomore Taylor Green insisted she start watching the show a year and a half ago.

“Friends were telling me to watch it,” Green said. “And I was like, ‘This is awesome.’”

Green said she had never heard of the new group on campus but would consider joining it. She said she thinks the show’s following has increased because Netflix has made it easier to see episodes.

“Everything has been kind of going British for a while now with Downton Abbey and Sherlock and Doctor Who, and it’s kind of what’s getting big right now,” Green said.

Green said she likes the show for a variety of reasons.

“David Tennant’s hair, Matt Smith’s hair,” Green joked. “But seriously, it’s pretty good acting and it’s always a good story line. There’s a big hiatus between seasons and it gives you something to look forward to.”

Doctor Who has had a long history. The first episode aired in 1963 and the show is into its seventh season of the new series, and it is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary in the fall.

Ponsar said the group is already excited about the show’s anniversary.

“We have been posting updates on the page,” Ponsar said. “We have to watch more episodes as friends and discuss them as an organization.”