Chibnall: "I don't read reviews."

[Haggis and tatties]

If you read the Writers Tale there's enough there to indicate RTD didn't read reviews either, he certainly disapproved of the online bear pit and how it can shatter the confidence of a newer writer so this is nothing new and not uncommon through the industry.

Of course the BBC have their own research and feedback process that he will have the details of.

I certainly would not blame Chibnall for never reading a review, or a twitter or any social media postings about his work, not if he wanted to keep his sanity, i am not Chibnall and i mostly try and steer clear of them as much as possible because they as as you say, bear pits these days, so yeah i can 100% understand him steering clear of such things.

 

[Qonundrum]

Spoiler: Mild spoiler regarding one small scene in Spyfall, of little conseequence but it's still a spoiler

He did just enough to make a comment about youtube channels (albeit collectively) in Spyfall. Or he's lying. There's nothing alt-right or alt-anything about any of this. Not when numerous scripts he's shepherded go after the side nobody expected (alt-left bomber who hated The Company(tm) for whatever reason...)

 

[Mudd]

If one has the self-control not to read reviews, declining to do so is a good practice.

That is all.

 

[Qonundrum]

https://cosmicbook.news/doctor-who-ratings-nosedive-loses-300k-viewers

I suspect it's going to continue, until the end of the season.

I wouldn't worry unless overnights get consistently around below the understandably low-rated "The Eaters of Light" (3M, was it? with low-70s Appreciation Index (AI)...) The consolidated results show 1.5~2.0M more, FWIW.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I'll do you one better: I'm not going to worry about the ratings at all. There's no point in it because there's nothing I can do to change the ratings. Instead, I'm just going to enjoy the show.

Novel idea, I know.

 

[Starkers]

I suspect it's going to continue, until the end of the season.

I wouldn't worry unless overnights get consistently around below the understandably low-rated "The Eaters of Light" (3M, was it? with low-70s Appreciation Index (AI)...) The consolidated results show 1.5~2.0M more, FWIW.

The final figures for Eaters of Light were just a shade over 5 million, and it's AI was 81, no episode of NuWho has scored lower than 76.

And I do love the notion that people didn't watch that episode because, what? they knew it would be rubbish? Quite aside from the fact I liked that one, it strikes me that low overnights for an episode are surely more to do with the previous episode than the one in question?

 

[Professor Zoom]

And I have no problem with that. My statement was aimed at the Awesome Possum who was trying to control what I had to say... not at posters in general.

She added information, not controlling you. You had hard time with it.

 

[Doctor Tiki]

reviews and online commentary totally screwed up a series is WestWorld Season 2

It's called mission creep in the military and has killed quite a lot of soldiers. If the boy-ish crowd who might be as old as 48 would have a creative say, the show would be blondes in space with very tight costumes.

 

[Qonundrum]

I'll do you one better: I'm not going to worry about the ratings at all. There's no point in it because there's nothing I can do to change the ratings. Instead, I'm just going to enjoy the show.

Novel idea, I know.

Don't blame me, I'm often one of the first to bring up how ratings are not indicative of a show's quality, and "50 million smokers can't be wrong and only cool people smoke".

Granted, I will experience what I want to experience, enjoy what I want to enjoy, not watch what I don't enjoy, or instantly like a show on (loud, brash) musical cue like a spoonfed puppy dog. That's also a novel idea.

The final figures for Eaters of Light were just a shade over 5 million, and it's AI was 81, no episode of NuWho has scored lower than 76.

And I do love the notion that people didn't watch that episode because, what? they knew it would be rubbish? Quite aside from the fact I liked that one, it strikes me that low overnights for an episode are surely more to do with the previous episode than the one in question?

Oh, I thought the overnights are nearly 3 and consolidated was 5?

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-who-series-10-2017-uk-ratings-accumulator-84045.htm
2.89 overnight. But the ratings for later episodes bounced back.

Overnights can reflect the quality of the preceding episode. Then again, if that's true that doesn't bode well for "The Empress of Mars" - never mind "The Lie of the Land" was a nosedive in quality after the two episodes preceding in that three-parter.

I sat through "Eaters of Light". It WAS rubbish. And being the beginning of a two-part finale, one that would conclude Capaldi's run, that might be a reason why ratings went back up as well. If people want to believe ahead of time that it'll be rubbish, that's their prerogative, if they really want to feel that way. But what makes them feel that way and and what can change their minds around?

 

[Qonundrum]

You started it. Now it belongs to all of us.

As for reading reviews, Chibnall is absolutely correct. The best example of how reading reviews and online commentary totally screwed up a series is WestWorld Season 2, which twisted itself into knots trying to stay a step ahead of the online fans who guessed the original plan for the series, so the writers decided to make it even more convoluted and nonsensical just to preserve 'the mystery' rather than sticking to their original vision. Now, this doesn't mean that I'm a fan of the last episode (I'm not) but trying to react and adjust based on online feedback is a fools game.

100% agreed.

Chibnall doesn't need, nor should. Even Verity Lambert said she made her era of Doctor Who the way she wanted and I sure as heck wouldn't apologize for it as it's truly bold and risky to do (starting a show where humans are kidnapped with intent to leave them in another place to prevent humans knowing time travel is possible, never mind anything else like wanting to stone a caveman to death, is impressively mature stuff for a family show but those episodes are so eminently rewatchable, decades later, she was a genuine legend, but I digress.) She stated it in one of the DVD commentaries. I believe it might have been in "The Keys of Marinus" or "The Romans". Or "The Beginnings" box set. That's what every producer should do, make it the way they want. Audiences get to enjoy, dislike, and/or nitpick it or offer ideas or what not. Ideally the makers wouldn't throw in 4th wall references with overt, glib stereotypes but that started in 1988 with "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy", which somehow rises above its laden layers of outright cynicism and is oddly enjoyable to watch for the most part. ) After all, when "The Invisible Enemy" was heckled by children at the time ("Why are their duplicates clothed?") the makers didn't make an episode the next season lambasting anyone who questioned it.

 

[bigdaddy]

Part of me is like 'Maybe you should' and then I remember it's 2020 and no matter what you do people will hate it. Unless you make Rose fall in love with the Doctor. 90% of people seemed to loved it when I was gagging and trying to hold down my dinner.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

90% of people seemed to loved it when I was gagging and trying to hold down my dinner.

It's definitely not 90%. Trust me, a lot of people hated it here when those episodes were coming out. And I've met very few people who actually do love it.

 

[bigdaddy]

It's definitely not 90%. Trust me, a lot of people hated it here when those episodes were coming out. And I've met very few people who actually do love it.

Oh good. Nice to know after the fact I wasn't alone.

But screw reviews. The problems with movies these days are they have no vision because they are trying to please everyone instead of having a story with vision. (Looking at you Disney Star Wars.)

If I wrote a Tv series I would delete all my social media and never pay attention to anyone. You don't like it then don't watch it.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Indeed. And the great thing about Doctor Who is that it changes style and presentation every few years, either with a new Doctor or a new showrunner.

 

[Jedman67]

I haven't been the biggest fan of the Chibnall/Whittaker era so far.
First, I though the introduction of Jodie was very good.
However, the villains up to the Rosa Parks episode, which was the last one i saw of S12, left a bit to be desired.
Then in Spyfall, the vilians had no real motive for the damage they caused, the Doctor ended up in a bit of a tight spot for no clearly understood reason....
well, TLDR it was an enjoyable and fun episode, but could have used a little rewrite to polish up the loose ends. Although when all is said and done, Jodie's doctor is at least as good as David Tenant's.
Hopefully gonna start catching up on the rest of S13,