I guess meaning is in the eye of the beholder.
Maybe yes, maybe no (I mean, I guess even I qualify as a pre-Chibnall "fan", but I did absolutely nothing to keep the show visible during the wilderness years, unless you count buying a second-hand copy of the 25th Anniversary Soundtrack LP), but even if you're right, that doesn't mean Who is under any ongoing obligation to those fans, who presumably aren't all one collective hive mind anyway, but are made up of hundreds/thousands/millions (delete where necessary) of individuals, who all have their own idea of what Who should be. For example, I subscribe to a Who podcast called "Too Hot for TV", which is dedicated to "the extended universe of Doctor Who" (i.e., everything but the series itself) and is hosted by the kind of wilderness-era fans you describe and they're quite dismissive, maybe even contemptuous of other wilderness-era fans who don't view Who the way they do. And it's not as if all those wilderness-era books, videos and fan-made whatnots don't contradict each other and the series itself six ways from Sunday. In a way, that's the beauty of them.
Not familiar with that podcast, but it is good to keep discussions of Doctor Who visible.
With respect, I think you are comparing apples and oranges.
The wilderness book series (first an independent company for the 7th Doctor, and then the BBC for the 8th Doctor)
have differences in scope, focus and tone. They are not regarded as canon in the same way that the TV series is. and therefore are more ambitious with more
room to explore other possible stories.
IE "Human Nature" with David Tennant was adapted from a book from a different Doctor - they take place in different mediums, where there are different parameters
The books expanded to include missing adventures for the previous Doctors as well, and were specifically placed between televised adventures in some cases.
Unmade scripts have been made into books.
There is more than a reasonable degree of continuity in these books, and they take place in different mediums with different parameters.
These books still, however, adhere to the basic fundamental of the series - Doctor Who?
The mystery remains intact.
Audio plays from Big Finish are not Tv continuity and are not expected to be.
If the books and audio plays are not TV continuity, IE The Celestial Toymaker encountered the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Doctor
in the Books/audios, while I don't believe these encounters were acknowledged in the Tennant episode on TV
Fan made projects are certainly not meant to be TV series continuity themed, but they also respect the basic foundation of the series
We all can agree that we want Doctor Who to be entertaining, well produced, well directed, wellacted etc
The problem is that since Chibnall. the basics of the narrative has been redone in complete defiance of the established
history of the show in a way that makes it unrecognizable as Doctor Who.
It has resulted in lower ratings, lower Appreciation Indexes, Sharp declines in the sale of merchandise,
and millions of fans leaving.
Hopefully, the new era with RTD and Gatwa can revitalize the show.
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