New Doctor Who animated series announced but...

[Rich Watson]

... it's going to be for pre-schoolers. I hope this wasn't the news about the series future that was being rumoured for this week...

Edit: Yup, it was. But I think it would be odd to have this but not the actual series.

Doctor Who - The Tardis is set to land on CBeebies

The BBC is looking for a production company to create and produce the series, which will run independently from the main show

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Starkers]

As I said in the other thread I think this is a great idea, hook 'em early!

Kinda surprised they hadn't thought of it before!

 

[Rich Watson]

It's where the big merchandising money is too. Bluey's made well over a billion.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I agree with Starkers. Get them while they're young. Besides, if the show is done well enough and isn't too infantilizing, the show has the potential to appeal to non-parent adults.

I'm also curious to see who they get to play The Doctor. I was going to suggest a couple of animation voice acting giants, Cree Summer and Tara Strong, but then I remembered they're not British (although Strong is Canadian...).

I hope this wasn't the news about the series future that was being rumoured for this week...

Edit: Yup, it was.

Can you elaborate on why you came to that conclusion?

 

[Rich Watson]

Because the person who said news was coming confirmed that was it.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Fair enough. Thanks.

...and shame. But at least now we know we shouldn't continue to wait for some other news to come out.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

It reminded me when the news of Class was out. The days before the announcement had it be the "biggest news yet" and a lot of us for some reasons thought we were getting an Eighth Doctor mini-series (must've been ahead of the Capaldi gap year). So that was that.

 

[BillJ]

Besides, if the show is done well enough and isn't too infantilizing, the show has the potential to appeal to non-parent adults.

I have a hard time seeing a show aimed at pre-schoolers having much adult appeal. If they had said "pre-teen", I could see the possible crossover appeal.

Seems a bit early for an announcement, if they don't even have a production company yet.

 

[Starkers]

I agree with Starkers. Get them while they're young. Besides, if the show is done well enough and isn't too infantilizing, the show has the potential to appeal to non-parent adults.

I'm also curious to see who they get to play The Doctor. I was going to suggest a couple of animation voice acting giants, Cree Summer and Tara Strong, but then I remembered they're not British (although Strong is Canadian...).


Can you elaborate on why you came to that conclusion?

As I said elsewhere, I'd be tempted to get Jodie (if she'd do it).

I think there are three options.

1. You use the incumbent and either get he/she to do the voice or someone who can sound like them (the way the MCU does What It...?) I guess the trouble is if the main doctor regenerates your animated one should do as well.

2. You get a past Doctor and either get the actor or someone who sounds like them. (The ideal would be an almost anthology show that rotated classic and modern Doctors - it's animation so there's no reason you couldn't have Peter Davison one season and Ncuti the next)

3. You create a CBeebies Doctor who bears no relation to an existing Doctor (kids aren't going to care where this Doctor sits in the timeline and it'll annoy older fans which is always good!)

Honestly option 2 would be brilliant, but I suspect it'll be 1 or 3.

 

[Rich Watson]

I have a hard time seeing a show aimed at pre-schoolers having much adult appeal. If they had said "pre-teen", I could see the possible crossover appeal.

It's not supposed to have adult appeal, that's what the actual show is for.

 

[BillJ]

It's not supposed to have adult appeal, that's what the actual show is for.

I was responding to the comment about possible crossover appeal. I quoted it in my response.

 

[Guy Gardener]

"Hey kids! Can you see who it is over there? It's our friend Caligula! Can you spell Caligula?"

 

[Starkers]

Admittedly it was made for a slightly older age group, but I know I wasn't alone in really enjoying the Sarah Jane Adventures - heck other than Children of Earth I'd take the SJA over Torchwood any day of the week!

 

[Samurai8472]

3. You create a CBeebies Doctor who bears no relation to an existing Doctor (kids aren't going to care where this Doctor sits in the timeline and it'll annoy older fans which is always good!)

Just watch the inevitable comments to RTD's

"Will the CBeebies Doctor make an appearance in the new series? Is the CBeebies Doctor canon?"

Flash foward twenty years to the next reboot of Doctor Who

"They canonized the CBeebies Doctor!!!!"



Hey if they can canonize the Richard E. Grant doctor why not the CBeebies Doctor?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I have a hard time seeing a show aimed at pre-schoolers having much adult appeal. If they had said "pre-teen", I could see the possible crossover appeal.

Seems a bit early for an announcement, if they don't even have a production company yet.

I can see that being the case as a kneejerk reaction but different adults have different tastes. There are plenty of animated kids shows that have adult appeal, so I don't think it would be too much of a stretch for it working for preschool, too.

To be clear, I'm not asking or even expecting the show to be inherently appealing for adults. I'm just arguing that it's a possibility.

As I said elsewhere, I'd be tempted to get Jodie (if she'd do it).

I would love that, too. She immediately jumped on the Big Finish bandwagon, as oppose to all of the other modern Doctors (even Tennant took awhile to return). She's definitely the most likely one of the modern Doctors to do this show.

I think there are three options.

1. You use the incumbent and either get he/she to do the voice or someone who can sound like them (the way the MCU does What It...?) I guess the trouble is if the main doctor regenerates your animated one should do as well.

2. You get a past Doctor and either get the actor or someone who sounds like them. (The ideal would be an almost anthology show that rotated classic and modern Doctors - it's animation so there's no reason you couldn't have Peter Davison one season and Ncuti the next)

3. You create a CBeebies Doctor who bears no relation to an existing Doctor (kids aren't going to care where this Doctor sits in the timeline and it'll annoy older fans which is always good!)

Honestly option 2 would be brilliant, but I suspect it'll be 1 or 3.

I like all three options and I agree that while the second option is the most appealing, options one and three are the most likely. That said, I'm all for annoying older fans!

Admittedly it was made for a slightly older age group, but I know I wasn't alone in really enjoying the Sarah Jane Adventures - heck other than Children of Earth I'd take the SJA over Torchwood any day of the week!

Agreed 100%. There were times I enjoyed Sarah Jane Adventures more than the main show, which I commented on at time more than a few times!

Just watch the inevitable comments to RTD's

"Will the CBeebies Doctor make an appearance in the new series? Is the CBeebies Doctor canon?"

Flash foward twenty years to the next reboot of Doctor Who

"They canonized the CBeebies Doctor!!!!"

Hey if they can canonize the Richard E. Grant doctor why not the CBeebies Doctor?

Works for me!

...and this just reminds me, I still want my Shalka Doctor special!

 

[Rich Watson]

The actual pitch document for the series is publicly available to read. So don't trust anyone claiming to know what it's about since it's being left wide open.

Doctor Who pre-school animation: invitation to pitch

Deadline for initial responses: 10 July 2025

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I completely agree that Jodie would be the perfect Doctor for this series. My second, or equal choice would've been Ncuti, but...well.

 

[The Wormhole]

You create a CBeebies Doctor who bears no relation to an existing Doctor (kids aren't going to care where this Doctor sits in the timeline and it'll annoy older fans which is always good!)

I want them to do this one. The arguments from the adult fans over where CBeebies Doctor fits into the timeline are going to be glorious.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I want them to do this one. The arguments from the adult fans over where CBeebies Doctor fits into the timeline are going to be glorious.

Their tears will be delicious.

 

[ATimson]

I would love that, too. She immediately jumped on the Big Finish bandwagon, as oppose to all of the other modern Doctors (even Tennant took awhile to return).

Tennant only took a while to return because Big Finish didn't have the post-2005 license.