A Darker Doctor Who from Moffat

[Winterwind]

Unfortunately, it's an extremely brief article but I just stumbled across this:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/08/03/time-for-a-darker-doctor-who-91466-21455645/

THE new man behind Doctor Who has warned fans the next series of the hit sci-fi show is going to be the darkest yet.
In a recent American interview Steven Moffat, who will take over as executive producer and lead writer when Russell T Davies steps down after next year’s 60-minute specials, promised viewers could expect new, scarier monsters than ever before.
“If people are worried that because I’m taking over Doctor Who it’s going to be really, really frightening, well then... tough,” he said.

I'm looking forward to it. A return to "hiding behind the sofa" would be nice.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

But at the same time (as reported at the San Diego Comic-Con), he's still going to have plenty of lighter episodes, including the season opener tradition.

 

[Winterwind]

And that's fine. For me, the appeal with DW is split. I enjoy the lighter, comedic (and sometimes silly) parts of the show as much as I like the darker, spookier parts. I just don't feel there have been enough of the of the latter in the revived series with the exception of Moffat's episodes (and a few other moments).

 

[WillsBabe]

I've always enjoyed Who's darker moments. I think the Doctor has the capacity to be threatening, ominious and I always think there is an undercurrent of real danger to him, both in the situations he gets his companions into and in him as an iddividual. I hope that the "darker" stuff is not just scarier monsters but is also an exploration of this darkness in him, too. OTOH, I love the light moments and some of the humour (particularly this last season). I hope we continue to get a nice balance.

 

[Brendan Moody]

I don't know what makes people like the author of this article treat "frightening" and "dark" as synonyms. They're not. Like the man says, Moffat's stories are frightening, but they've never really been dark.

 

[captcalhoun]

“If people are worried that because I’m taking over Doctor Who it’s going to be really, really frightening, well then... tough,” he said.

i read that as meaning 'tough tits, it won't be'...

 

[Winterwind]

I don't know what makes people like the author of this article treat "frightening" and "dark" as synonyms.

That's a relatively easy association. Light and fluffy aren't thought of as synonymous with either dark or frightening.

 

[David cgc]

Didn't RTD say the exact same thing about series four? I seem to remember that.

 

[diankra]

Unfortunately, it's an extremely brief article but I just stumbled across this:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/08/03/time-for-a-darker-doctor-who-91466-21455645/

THE new man behind Doctor Who has warned fans the next series of the hit sci-fi show is going to be the darkest yet.
In a recent American interview Steven Moffat, who will take over as executive producer and lead writer when Russell T Davies steps down after next year’s 60-minute specials, promised viewers could expect new, scarier monsters than ever before.
“If people are worried that because I’m taking over Doctor Who it’s going to be really, really frightening, well then... tough,” he said.

I'm looking forward to it. A return to "hiding behind the sofa" would be nice.

I can't remember the source, but I think the Moffat comment that everyone should be paying most attention to is the interview when he said, repeatedly 'No comment. Because it won't be on-air for almost two years, and anything I say is going to get over-analysed to death in the meantime.' [NOT DIRECT QUOTE].
I know it's frustrating, but it is going to be almost a year before his episodes even start shooting! Second guess what he's going to do now, and there's only one thing you can guarantee - you'll be wrong!

 

[tomalak301]

I don't mind the dark shows, but what really gets me is if you take it to the extreme and make it so blatantly obvious like Battlestar does. As long as there are likable characters who you could root for and have a great time watching, than I'm fine with it. It's good to know that the lighter stuff will stay to an extent.

 

[Brendan Moody]

That's a relatively easy association.

For some people, evidently, but as I say I don't understand why. "Dark" as it's generally used to talk about modern drama has nothing to do with frightening/scary.

Didn't RTD say the exact same thing about series four? I seem to remember that.

He said in Doctor Who Magazine that series four as a whole would not be as dark or scary as the last few episodes of series three, and then in a later interview noted that series four was darker than ever "in some places." Perhaps you're thinking of one of those quotes.

I can't remember the source, but I think the Moffat comment that everyone should be paying most attention to is the interview when he said, repeatedly 'No comment. Because it won't be on-air for almost two years, and anything I say is going to get over-analysed to death in the meantime.' [NOT DIRECT QUOTE].
I know it's frustrating, but it is going to be almost a year before his episodes even start shooting! Second guess what he's going to do now, and there's only one thing you can guarantee - you'll be wrong!

Quite true. Moffat has spoken in such general terms about his plans that we can read just about anything we want into them.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Unfortunately, it's an extremely brief article but I just stumbled across this:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/08/03/time-for-a-darker-doctor-who-91466-21455645/

THE new man behind Doctor Who has warned fans the next series of the hit sci-fi show is going to be the darkest yet.
In a recent American interview Steven Moffat, who will take over as executive producer and lead writer when Russell T Davies steps down after next year’s 60-minute specials, promised viewers could expect new, scarier monsters than ever before.
“If people are worried that because I’m taking over Doctor Who it’s going to be really, really frightening, well then... tough,” he said.

I'm looking forward to it. A return to "hiding behind the sofa" would be nice.

I can't remember the source, but I think the Moffat comment that everyone should be paying most attention to is the interview when he said, repeatedly 'No comment. Because it won't be on-air for almost two years, and anything I say is going to get over-analysed to death in the meantime.' [NOT DIRECT QUOTE].
I know it's frustrating, but it is going to be almost a year before his episodes even start shooting! Second guess what he's going to do now, and there's only one thing you can guarantee - you'll be wrong!

Absolutely. Moffat said that at the San Diego Comic-Con, by the way.

 

[Turbo]

Again, may I remind people that Steven Moffat is also the man who wrote The Curse of Fatal Death and created Coupling? It's not going to be extremely dark all the time.

 

[Cutter John]

^ Exactly. And Timeflight wasn't exactly a tale of woe and dispair either. And even his scariest stories still have a healthy dose of humor, so its cool.

Fans really need to lay off the poor man though. Hell he's barely had time to even decorate his new office.

 

[AdmiralGarak]

I think this is just continuing an existing trend. Davies and the BBC have gotten more confident that children can handle being frightened, so the crew has been allowed to create scarier episodes with each passing season.

 

[bigdaddy]

I think he will do light episodes and dark episodes, just like now. I think he will just do more dark episodes that will be darker.

And I was thinking (hoping) that the specials will be 90 minutes long, oh well.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

^ Exactly. And Timeflight wasn't exactly a tale of woe and dispair either. And even his scariest stories still have a healthy dose of humor, so its cool.

I believe you mean "Time Crash." Time-Flight as full of woe and despair, but only because it was such a terrible serial.

 

[Winterwind]

^ Exactly. And Timeflight wasn't exactly a tale of woe and dispair either. And even his scariest stories still have a healthy dose of humor, so its cool.

I believe you mean "Time Crash." Time-Flight as full of woe and despair, but only because it was such a terrible serial.

Just what I was going to say. What was the Master smoking in that one anyhow?

 

[Jim Steele]

Dark or not, I'm sure his tenure will be at least as awesome as RTD's been. Probably better.

 

[Stevil2001]

Time-Flight as full of woe and despair, but only because it was such a terrible serial.

Just what I was going to say. What was the Master smoking in that one anyhow?

The drums were beating particularly loudly that day...