2 million fewer viewers

[StCoop]

One thing I wonder in all of this, do the BBC run focus groups/polling/whatever you want to call it. Is the AI just a single rating or is it broken down? I'd just be interested to see whether the BBC have data on what particular elements the viewers do/don't like. i.e. "I really like Capaldi but the episode sucked." or "The episode was really clever, shame about Peter Capaldi" that kind of thing.

They do detailed audience research that goes beyond I liked this / I didn't like this but obviously it's not made public.

There have been claims that it was this research that was behind the radical change in Capaldi's Doctor between this series and last, but there's nothing to back them up. (It's certainly believable, however.)

 

[Starkers]

Be interesting to see what the views are on Capaldi this year. I much prefer him this series, they've managed to polish off some of the edges without completely eradicating the "she cares so I don't have to" persona.

Of course if all the people who were put off last year have already jumped ship...

 

[RoJoHen]

Unfortunately I'm finding myself a lot more put off this year than I was last year. I really don't like the changes that were made to either Capaldi's Doctor or Clara.

 

[Squiggy]

But I just don't think Clara and Capaldi have meshed well. I don't blame the actors. I think they're both extremely talented. I just don't believe their relationship, and I believe it less and less as the show wears on.

100% agreement. They've taken someone made for 11 and crammed her into the same role for someone who's different.

Just listen to her theme. It's sweet and innocent and dripping with sugar and twinklebells.

Next scene: Doctor in a hoodie playing a guitar.

 

[RoJoHen]

But I just don't think Clara and Capaldi have meshed well. I don't blame the actors. I think they're both extremely talented. I just don't believe their relationship, and I believe it less and less as the show wears on.

100% agreement. They've taken someone made for 11 and crammed her into the same role for someone who's different.

Just listen to her theme. It's sweet and innocent and dripping with sugar and twinklebells.

Next scene: Doctor in a hoodie playing a guitar.

I know! And I absolutely love Clara's theme, but it just doesn't fit anymore. Having rewatched the show a few times, I've come to really appreciate her relationship with Matt Smith's Doctor. Short-lived as it was, those two really did have great chemistry.

She will end up having been with Capaldi for twice as long as she was with Smith, and it still won't work.

And as for the Doctor's new look with the hoodie and the guitar and the sunglasses...it really just makes him look like he's going through a mid-life crisis.

 

[The Wormhole]

Okay, why are we complaining Clara's theme no longer fits the show? It's no longer used in the show. Or rather, the only time in all of season 9 so far it was used was one scene in The Zygon Invasion. Indeed, it stood out like a sore thumb that they instead used the Doctor's theme for Clara's scenes in The Magician's Apprentice.

 

[Stevil2001]

I didn't give a crap about Clara when she was paired with Matt Smith's Doctor. Series 8 turned her into my second-favorite companion of the revival! She went from being a mystery for the Doctor to solve to a complex person with an interesting story.

 

[StCoop]

I didn't give a crap about Clara when she was paired with Matt Smith's Doctor. Series 8 turned her into my second-favorite companion of the revival! She went from being a mystery for the Doctor to solve to a complex person with an interesting story.

And then to a barely-there-half-the-time generic companion this year.

 

[Squiggy]

Okay, why are we complaining Clara's theme no longer fits the show?

Because its indicative that Clara no longer fits with the Doctor.

 

[The Wormhole]

Okay, why are we complaining Clara's theme no longer fits the show?

Because its indicative that Clara no longer fits with the Doctor.

But as I said, it's no longer used, so all this is irrelevant.

 

[Stevil2001]

I didn't give a crap about Clara when she was paired with Matt Smith's Doctor. Series 8 turned her into my second-favorite companion of the revival! She went from being a mystery for the Doctor to solve to a complex person with an interesting story.

And then to a barely-there-half-the-time generic companion this year.

Yeah, I thought "Death in Heaven" was a perfect ending for her and the Doctor. I'll reserve judgement until the series is over, but thus far she hasn't really been used well enough to justify undoing that ending.

 

[Squiggy]

Okay, why are we complaining Clara's theme no longer fits the show?

Because its indicative that Clara no longer fits with the Doctor.

But as I said, it's no longer used, so all this is irrelevant.

Except where it was used, and it "stood out like a sore thumb".

 

[C.E. Evans]

And as for the Doctor's new look with the hoodie and the guitar and the sunglasses...it really just makes him look like he's going through a mid-life crisis.

Conversely, though, one could say that the Eleventh Doctor tried very hard to look more mature by dressing like an older man.

The Doctor's sense of style has always been off.

 

[The Wormhole]

Because its indicative that Clara no longer fits with the Doctor.

But as I said, it's no longer used, so all this is irrelevant.

Except where it was used, and it "stood out like a sore thumb".

Take a moment to re-read my post:

Okay, why are we complaining Clara's theme no longer fits the show? It's no longer used in the show. Or rather, the only time in all of season 9 so far it was used was one scene in The Zygon Invasion. Indeed, it stood out like a sore thumb that they instead used the Doctor's theme for Clara's scenes in The Magician's Apprentice.

I specifically said it stood out like a sore thumb that they used the Doctor's theme for Clara's scenes in The Magician's Apprentice and not Clara's own theme. Aside from one scene in one episode, Clara's theme is effectively out of circulation in the show's soundtrack. Complaining about it now makes as much sense as complaining about I am the Doctor during season 8 or All the Strange, Strange Monsters during season 5.

 

[Newspaper Taxi]

...stroppy...

I'd never encountered this word before; I rather like it.

 

[RoJoHen]

But as I said, it's no longer used, so all this is irrelevant.

Except where it was used, and it "stood out like a sore thumb".

Take a moment to re-read my post:

Okay, why are we complaining Clara's theme no longer fits the show? It's no longer used in the show. Or rather, the only time in all of season 9 so far it was used was one scene in The Zygon Invasion. Indeed, it stood out like a sore thumb that they instead used the Doctor's theme for Clara's scenes in The Magician's Apprentice.

I specifically said it stood out like a sore thumb that they used the Doctor's theme for Clara's scenes in The Magician's Apprentice and not Clara's own theme. Aside from one scene in one episode, Clara's theme is effectively out of circulation in the show's soundtrack. Complaining about it now makes as much sense as complaining about I am the Doctor during season 8 or All the Strange, Strange Monsters during season 5.

It's not the theme itself that's the problem; it's what it represents for Clara as a character. She was introduced as a much more bubbly, fun person to interact with Matt Smith's Doctor. Her character has changed -- and that's fine; character growth is important -- but now she feels out of place.

Granted, I think much of that has to do with Jenna's original intention to leave the show at the end of last year. This year feels like it was re-written to shove her back into stories where she doesn't really belong.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Except where it was used, and it "stood out like a sore thumb".

Take a moment to re-read my post:

Okay, why are we complaining Clara's theme no longer fits the show? It's no longer used in the show. Or rather, the only time in all of season 9 so far it was used was one scene in The Zygon Invasion. Indeed, it stood out like a sore thumb that they instead used the Doctor's theme for Clara's scenes in The Magician's Apprentice.

I specifically said it stood out like a sore thumb that they used the Doctor's theme for Clara's scenes in The Magician's Apprentice and not Clara's own theme. Aside from one scene in one episode, Clara's theme is effectively out of circulation in the show's soundtrack. Complaining about it now makes as much sense as complaining about I am the Doctor during season 8 or All the Strange, Strange Monsters during season 5.

It's not the theme itself that's the problem; it's what it represents for Clara as a character. She was introduced as a much more bubbly, fun person to interact with Matt Smith's Doctor. Her character has changed -- and that's fine; character growth is important -- but now she feels out of place.

Granted, I think much of that has to do with Jenna's original intention to leave the show at the end of last year. This year feels like it was re-written to shove her back into stories where she doesn't really belong.

I agree with this. I thought Clara was so much more interesting with Doctor 12 last season than she ever was with Doctor 11. But, yeah, her story would have had a great ending with the Christmas special.

 

[StCoop]

Updated with Episode 9:

The Magician's Apprentice 6.54m 8th
The Witch's Familiar 5.71m 17th
Under The Lake 5.63m 17th
Before The Flood 6.05m 14th
The Girl Who Died 6.56m 13th
The Woman Who Lived 6.11m 15th
The Zygon Invasion 5.76m 20th
The Zygon Inversion 6.03m 15th
Sleep No More 5.61 21st

So congratulations to Mark Gatiss for the lowest final rating, the lowest timeshift and the lowest chart position of the series! (Not forgetting the lowest AI in nearly 10 years.) And the great news is he'll be back again and again and again.

Face The Raven has 4.42 overnights, following the BBC's last minute publicity efforts and an AI of 84; neither of which we'll compare to other Companion's final episodes to spare Moffat the blushes.

 

[Starkers]

wow it's almost like you have some kind of ulterior motive?

Face the Raven's overnights and AI are amongst the best this series, be interesting to see what the final figure is.

Thing is, as you yourself have said, Gatiss isn't a terrible writer, but An Adventure in space and Time might end up the best Who related thing he ever writes.

 

[The Wormhole]

Thing is, as you yourself have said, Gatiss isn't a terrible writer, but An Adventure in space and Time might end up the best Who related thing he ever writes.

I don't know. Both Cold War and The Crimson Horror were great episodes, IMO.