The fandom of the show has to be led by what we’re doing as opposed to us being led by them.

—Actor Martin Freeman, speaking about the storylines on the TV show Sherlock (buzzfeed.com)

Most people are a fan of at least one thing. Some people might support a certain sports team or be fans of a musical artist or group. Others might be fans of a book series, like Harry Potter, or a TV show, like Game of Thrones. However, there are different degrees of being a fan. For example, if you watch Game of Thrones every time it is on, you’re probably a casual fan. But if you dressed up as Daenerys Targaryen for Halloween, named your dog after one of her dragons, and constantly comment on online message boards about the show, you are a member of the Game of Thrones fandom.

A fandom is an online community for fans of a certain thing. People in a fandom usually spend a lot of time talking to each other about the thing they like. If they are fans of a person, like Beyoncé, they might check her Instagram many times every day. If they are fans of a book, movie, or TV show, they might share theories about what will happen next in the series. They might write stories called “fanfiction” about the characters.

Actor Martin Freeman plays John Watson on the TV show Sherlock. This show has a huge fandom, but Martin Freeman thinks that the writers of the show should come up with their own ideas rather than using suggestions from the fans.

Are you a member of any fandoms?