Doctor Who Megathread

[Mr. Smith]

If true, then that's okay. Would've liked another season and would've preferred Chibnall to call it in instead, but this is fine.

I hope Jo Martin gets promoted to take over for good, but I'm not entirely sure who they'll get as a contrast.

[Mr. Smith]

Good riddance for Chibs, though I admit I may be eating those words depending on the quality of the next bloke or lass.

Also, last thing the series needs is another Moffatt or JNT, both of whom arguably stayed on far too long and were clearly burned out.

My feelings for Whittaker are mixed, like Peter Davison, in that the direction chosen was probably the only course to follow after a behemoth like Peter Capaldi [like Tom Baker, kinda remarkable he's still alive huh]...but it was just so bland most of the time...not helped by the companion barrage.

I do wonder though, who'll do the 60th now? I do hope Eccleston returns for this one. Can't let Smith and Tennant have all the fun...maybe the ancient Doctors will get bit parts this time!

[Mr. Smith]

RTD...back?

Ugh. This is like when Al Jean came back to The Simpsons around...Season 13! [And it's still that same guy!]. Tell me, did The Simpsons ever match up to the 3rd and 4th seasons when he was last in charge? Did it even match up to The Critic?

It's time for someone new, I would've gone with Mark Gatiss...but honestly, maybe a complete outsider, who can take what made the show work, and keep it going.

Hopefully this is just an interim year and he doesn't stay too long.

[Mr. Smith]

I am honestly legit ecstatic that RTD is returning. Ultimately, his tenure is what got me into the show in the first place. The Eccleston/Tennant Era will always be my favourite. I've written so much here about how I've felt about Doctor Who over the years. I've always felt RTD is by far the best showrunner. With that said, the occasional two-parter from Moffat wouldn't be a bad idea. I don't think Moffat was a strong showrunner, but he was a strong writer under a different showrunner. His stuff under RTD was some of the absolute best. I could start rambling on about the best episodes during his tenure, but I won't right now.

100% agreed. Moffat was best writing-wise when he got an individual story that he's excited to tell, whereas RTD is better at continuously coming up with stories in order to put a cohesive narrative arc together without getting bogged down.

It got bogged down with melodrama [especially Series 2 and 3] and cop-out endings instead.

Moffatt's era had a bit more variety, good [good of which I might add, easily outshown both RTD and Chibnall] and bad [though still not as bad as Chibnall]. In retrospect, so did Chibnall.

RTD was more consistent with a good run, but he wasn't without flaws, and those aren't flaws I was hoping to see again.

[Mr. Smith]

TIL people still watch Dr Who

It's not The Simpsons mate, the premise is infinite and open. New Doctor = new show.

Can’t wait for the same folks to now start to re-hate Davies and everything done again.

One of the bedrock principles of Doctor Who fandom since its inception has been hatred of the current showrunner and the direction he's taking the show. The organized fandom itself was founded specifically to drag some Hinchcliffe-era retcon of Gallifreyan history. Sound familiar?

Ironic given how revered [rightfully I might add] he is now...still I thought it wasn't until JNT took over that things went crazy with the fandom.

[Mr. Smith]

The final part was good, but not great. But then again, endings are rarely great. I think the only exception to that was the Heaven Sent/Hell Bent two-parter at the end of Series 9. I thought Hell Bent was better than its first part. I wasn't disappointed though.

I do hope we can keep at least one companion between this Doctor and the next. That's probably one of the biggest reasons I found it so jarring going from Series 4 to Series 5. It was too much change all in one go. While I do think Matt Smith was a really good Doctor, I felt so many of the stories were rather underwhelming. As soon as Moffat was at his best (imo, 12th Doctor and Bill), he left. I would've loved another season with those two. It reminded me of the 10th Doctor and Donna.

We’ve already got confirmation that Mandip Gil (Yaz) is leaving, and John Bishop (Dan) is starting a new evening standup show, as well as continuing to tour, so I doubt it will happen this time.

The jarring change is just one of the unfortunate side effects of changing showrunners I think.

Every time the showrunner has shifted, they’ve thrown out the old Doctor, companion(s), and Tardis for a fresh start.

I do agree though - inter-Doctor companions make for some good drama. I was lukewarm on Series 8 at first, but Clara adjusting to a radically different Doctor was one of the things that pulled me back into the show.

Tom Baker went through many showrunners before landing on the infamous one.

[Mr. Smith]

We’ve already got confirmation that Mandip Gil (Yaz) is leaving, and John Bishop (Dan) is starting a new evening standup show, as well as continuing to tour, so I doubt it will happen this time.

The jarring change is just one of the unfortunate side effects of changing showrunners I think.

Every time the showrunner has shifted, they’ve thrown out the old Doctor, companion(s), and Tardis for a fresh start.

I do agree though - inter-Doctor companions make for some good drama. I was lukewarm on Series 8 at first, but Clara adjusting to a radically different Doctor was one of the things that pulled me back into the show.

Aw, that's disappointing. It's not that I'm even necessarily too attached to these companions. I've felt it sort of smoothes things over. Obviously, I'm not against change. I don't think you can be and still be a fan of Doctor Who. But it's like too much change if you change both the Doctor and companion. Keeping a companion can sort of distract from other changes, just as you said with Clara and the change from the 11th to 12th Doctor. I was sort of lukewarm with Clara from the start, but she really endeared herself to me with the 12th Doctor. The ending of Face the Raven left me stone-faced.

Ah, I was talking post-revival Who, which seems like the best context to work in.

The BBC, and TV at large was wildly different in the 70s/80s, and run in quite different circumstances. The official showrunner/head-writer position itself is a post-2005 innovation, replacing the more general producer credit held by everyone from the OG, Verity Lambert, all the way through to the ever-controversial JNT.

I'm familiar with Classic Doctor Who, but I've never watched it in order. I do wonder if it'll be different with a previous showrunner returning. I think the most exciting aspect of the next series is that RTD will be returning.

This is not a positive.

Davies had his time, and while it was decent under Eccleston...it really was rather lacking until almost the end of his run.

It's time for someone truly new.

[Mr. Smith]

Ncuti Gatwa is the new Doctor. Black and gay, going to piss off the usual.

Da#n right.  We want our gingers!

[Mr. Smith]

I may try to start watching again now that Chibnall will be gone. Hope that the new season won't need knowledge of the last few to understand it.

I'll give Davies that credit, he was good at making something consistently accessible, if not necessarily good all the time. [Eccleston > Tennant]

As long as the Barrowman gags aren't played up again, and this Doc is less kissy-kissy than Mr. Barty Crouch Jr, I think this will be tolerable...but nonetheless I may pass this up if it doesn't pass muster [quickly] and wait for the 15th or 16th and a true fresh face

[Mr. Smith]

Now bring back Smith and join in Capaldi...not expecting the Antigone duo, since 9 is still angry and 13 just quit.

Oh and if we see the JNT docs, that's cool too. I liked Five-Ish Doctors, but I'd love to see the JNT Docs make an appearance [maybe not Baker, unless he really wants, he's no spring chicken anymore and 4 has done enough]

[Mr. Smith]

No regrets for the display name at all.  Barring just going to Ncuti Gatwa, Matt Smith would've been vastly more interesting.

This was just awful.  I'm skipping 60 and hoping Dr. 15 (the rightful 14) ends up being alright.

[Mr. Smith]

So the new logo is a retread of the Tom Baker Era.

I guess that's one bright spot after the big insult.

[Mr. Smith]

I do like the new Sonic Screwdriver.

[Mr. Smith]

So the new logo is a retread of the Tom Baker Era.

I guess that's one bright spot after the big insult.

I assume we're building up to a rather overt "stop looking backwards, time for something new" message. Old logo, old Doctor, old companions back for the 60th specials  - with everything burnt down at the end. RTD has never exactly been one for subtly, so that may happen literally.

Presumably ending with Ncuti at the wheel, a new Tardis interior, new logo, new music etc.
Soft reboot territory.

Now that it's being renumbered, it seems this is exactly what happened.

[Mr. Smith]

Finally caught up.

It's a step down from any of the 2022 Specials, the very stale theme remix certainly is, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but Chibs was more subtle regarding the social commentary

That said, the vibe, characterizations, and pacing still feel more like the height of RTD, if muted, rather than that of the excesses [by which I mean the melodrama].

Donna is fun as ever, and for what RTD & Co. wanted, Tennant does good. The villain for the episode is quite good, and I like the build up to The Celestial Toymaker. Also the TARDIS inside is amazing.

Star Beast B-

[Mr. Smith]

Not gonna say much about last week's episode, 'cuz there's really not much to say for it until Old Man Wilfred returns. It was just there really.

But this week's episode, now this is the one we deserve, even if I'm still not quite sure I like the ending, or maybe I should say, I don't believe Tennant's Doctor deserves it...would've been much happier if this had been Smith's part or Capaldi's [but especially Smith]...but like I said before, for what the aim was, RTD & Co. "understood the assignment".

I appreciate that regeneration used some musical touches from the very first modern regeneration, which brought forth Tennant in the first place.


Hmmm,

Wild Blue Yonder: C
The Giggle: B

[Mr. Smith]

Finally watched the special and I have to ask:  Why did we have all this David Tennant nonsense, when Gatwa is already more interesting than anyone since Eccleston?!...at least Matt Smith at a minimum.

It's just amazing how quickly he slipped into it.

[Mr. Smith]

Finally watched the special and I have to ask:  Why did we have all this David Tennant nonsense, when Gatwa is already more interesting than anyone since Eccleston?!...at least Matt Smith at a minimum.

It's just amazing how quickly he slipped into it.

He practically bubbles over with energy and charisma.  And Ruby is adorable.  I'm really interested to see how the upcoming season goes.

Me too, which is not what I would've said when I initially heard Davies was coming back, and especially not after hearing it wouldn't immediately follow Whittaker.

[Mr. Smith]

the wife just had to show me something from the newest episode before I left for work tonight.  There was some sort of big monster eating stuff (babies?) off of a conveyor belt and a bunch of smaller monsters were watching another small monster sing a song, and there was like call and responses and other clearly choreographed things.  I had no context and thought it was insane, my wife had context and also found it insane.  WTF was that?

Just another Dr. Who episode ofc.

[Mr. Smith]

Oh yeah, it's all out there innit. I guess I'll get to it, given how much I liked Gatwa. Ideally he isn't let down the same way so many Modern Whos have been.

[Mr. Smith]

Oh yeah, it's all out there innit. I guess I'll get to it, given how much I liked Gatwa. Ideally he isn't let down the same way so many Modern Whos have been.

Next week is a Moffat episode so that will help tremendously.

The Moff isn't without fault. Yes, he's usually really good, but when does miss, he really misses. Cautiously optimistic.