FANtastic Friday: An Interview with Jake Mancuso

By: Theodore Powers

Part of a series of interviews with Doctor Who community members! This time I spoke with Jake Mancuso about The Bohemian Doctor Adventures as well as Doctor Who as a whole.

These will eventually be added to a fandom community zine for charity!

Originally posted on Quantum Rhythm.

Theodore Powers: So, Jake...when did you first join the Doctor Who fandom and what sparked your interest in it?

Jake Mancuso: I’ve been a Doctor Who fan for over a decade now but I properly joined the fandom in 2023. I was getting really into Doctor Who fan audio dramas and felt inspired to make an art account online where I still share my Doctor Who artwork today.

Theodore Powers: You have your own audio drama series, correct? Can you tell us a little about it and how it all got started?

Jake Mancuso: My audio drama series is Doctor Who: The Bohemian Doctor Adventures. It stars me as the “bohemian” Doctor, a very artsy version of the iconic timelord and Lucy Spencer as Morgan Davis, a young fantasy writer. It mainly started during that 2023 period when I first got involved in the fandom. I start organizing old ideas I had for stories together and create cover artwork, later I was encouraged by others to start converting them into an audio format.

Theodore Powers: You do art, what kind of art do you do? And is it just for your series or also for the main show?

Jake Mancuso: My artwork is mainly digital based but also love to do traditional sketches. I do much more than just art for my own series. I’ve been lucky enough to get to make artwork for other projects in the fandom, participate in different challenges, and even get to make posters for comic con. I have not been officially commissioned to do any art for Doctor Who but alongside other artist I follow the trend of making posters based on different episodes.

Theodore Powers: Tell us about the Enchanted Universe! What made you come up with that name for it? Is it based on a current timeline or completely its own thing?

Jake Mancuso: As I started expanding my ideas more like many others, I decided to create a universe branding where my stories take place. I original came up with many ideas, one of the other possibilities was the "pandora" universe. I ended up settling with "enchanted" to portray more of a magical, charming, and bewitched feeling for the world, but also the name was inspired by the name of a previous project I had worked on called Enchanted Future.

Theodore Powers: Trans rights. What are your views of trans rights in regard to Doctor Who in general? Why did you decide to help regarding these interviews for trans charities?

Jake Mancuso: Trans rights are human rights. Doctor Who has always been about transformation, identity, and the power of becoming who you truly are, so it feels natural for the show and its fandom to embrace and uplift trans voices. The Doctor themself is a character who regenerates, changes form, and redefines who they are over time, which speaks so powerfully to the trans experience. Supporting these interviews and trans charities felt important to me because I care deeply about my friends in the trans community. Too often, trans people are underrepresented or face harm, even in fandom spaces that should be welcoming. This was an opportunity to help platform voices that deserve to be heard and celebrated. I wanted to be part of something that not only showcases talent and perspective but also gives back in a real tangible way.

Theodore Powers: What makes fan audio content so exciting to you? To you is it more interesting than the actual show at the moment?

Jake Mancuso: I don’t think it’s fair to compare fan content and the official show as both have different perimeters that they work around, they are both great in their own way. What makes fan content so exciting is that it’s such a fun form of artistic expression. There are infinite styles of stories you can tell, especially in the realm of Doctor Who. Doctor Who is such wacky world and I believe it is a “what if” story. What if this person was the Doctor, what if they went to this place, and what if they encountered this thing. You can make it horror story, a comedy, base it off of an old novel, or even cross it over with one of your favorite games. You can really push the boundaries so far with fan content.

Theodore Powers: Now we are to the obligatory question! Who was your first Doctor? And which Doctors (one of classic and modern who) are your favorites?

Jake Mancuso: My earliest memory I have was seeing my sister and a friend watching Matt Smith on the television, but I went back like many other and started watching the 2005 run with Christopher Eccleston. As for favorites it’s a very basic answer but I would have to say 11 and 10. For me is all about nostalgia. When it comes down to it, I love every Doctor, but 11 and 10 are the Doctors I grew up with. Memories of getting to watch them live on tv as a kid or getting to see Day of The Doctor in movie theaters. It’s hard to replace that.

Theodore Powers: And finally, is there anything you’d like to leave off this interview with? Something to tell the viewers and readers of this interview!

Jake Mancuso: One, I would like to thank Theo for the opportunity to be interviewed. Two I know the world is in a scary place right now but keep your head up and keep fighting. It very easy to feel alone in all this but remember there are people feeling exactly what you’re feeling right now. It won’t be easy but together we can get through it, together we can do anything. The future is ours.

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