Doctor Who Confidential Comes to an End
- Thread starter Allyn Gibson
- Start date
yeah, David Cameron personally came over to the Beeb to force them to cancel Confidential...
Silence will fall for confidential...
"Karen Visits the Royal Observatory"
or
"Matt goes around Venice"
I really liked the behind the scenes stuff/script to screen/how they did this and that.
I guess when Matt leaves we won't get a confidential. I liked that stuff.
Indirectly by gimping the BBC cause his mates want to try get make more money out of TV.
As others have said, I'll miss the little behind the scenes tidbits. They're usually a lot of fun and informative. Though yeah, the padded bits of the actors going on little day trips not so much. I've also noticed Moffat has a lot less input than RTD. Which is a shame.
Sounds like you folks might have a Republican in your midst. I've heard spraying and setting out traps can be effective...
Sounds like you folks might have a Republican in your midst. I've heard spraying and setting out traps can be effective...
Republicans don't like Tony Curtis?
Oh...wait...that doesn't say Tony Curtis...does it?
I won't miss it. I largely didn't care for it. The problem with making-of specials for anything is that you need to give it several years before anyone involved can feel comfortable telling us what they really think. While 2|entertain's documentaries on the classic series have been a consistent series of gems equally comfortable celebrating the series and soberly examining its flaws, Doctor Who Confidential is mostly just fluff.
BTW, where have the Doctor Who Insider segments from BBC America been coming from? Were those bits culled from Confidential segments or were they a separate production?
BTW, where have the Doctor Who Insider segments from BBC America been coming from? Were those bits culled from Confidential segments or were they a separate production?
I always watched it but I think it had probably said all it needed to. I think they could do it in 20 minutes with a few interviews.
Yeah, I think what we'll see in future is the occasional "making of the season" one-off or something like that, especially when there's a change of Doctor.
TBH, if I was scheduling on BBC3, what I'd be showing immediately after DW on BBC1 is... last week's DW. Because then it's a catch-up for those who missed it, and if we have ongoing story it gives a chance to rewatch with hindsight based on what that day's premiere episode had revealed.
Although I enjoy confidential, I can understand the reasoning behind this decision. Although some of the show is interesting, and yes the interplay between Matt, Karen and Arthur has been wonderful (I think we got far more of them than we ever did of Billie Piper), a lot of the time it felt like padding and fluff that wasn't really relevant. I'd imagine we'll still get some behind the scene stuff for DVD's but a matching 43 minute "making of" episode for each other episode? It's a bit much really. Not to mention that lately it seems like they repeat a lot of actual scenes from the episode to illustrate a point, which kind of seems redundant much of the time.
I can't think of any other show that's ever done a show like this. We're pretty lucky it lasted as long as it did.
I can't think of any other show that's ever done a show like this. We're pretty lucky it lasted as long as it did.
Erm, the BBC don't own S4C. They produce some programmes for it as part of their public service remit, but they don't have a choice, it's the part and parcel of being a public service broadcaster.
Confidential was a decent show at the time, but I don't think I've watched it for a couple of years. It has run its course. I won't be smashing my television just yet.
BBC was made responsible for S4C when the fucktards running the country renegotiated the license fee last time. they were made to take over S4C and to fund the BBC World Service instead of it being funded by the Foreign Office.
which makes the license fee freeze even more egregious, they've got to do more with the same amount of money and not even a real-terms increase.
and, there was a brief behind-the-scenes series accompanying Merlin and the Beeb ran a Heroes behind-the-scenes series called "Heroes Unmasked" for the first 2 seasons. HU was only 15 minutes, though...
which makes the license fee freeze even more egregious, they've got to do more with the same amount of money and not even a real-terms increase.
and, there was a brief behind-the-scenes series accompanying Merlin and the Beeb ran a Heroes behind-the-scenes series called "Heroes Unmasked" for the first 2 seasons. HU was only 15 minutes, though...
Doctor Who Confidential had a budget? I thought they just taped a used camcorder to a German Shepard's head and let is loose around set.
^Hell, showbiz dogs make more than most people do. Even the lowest of them are still union.
It seems like that's what BBC America usually does (when they're not following it up with an episode of Graham Norton anyway). But then, most of BBC America's line-up seems to be reruns of Doctor Who, Top Gear, & Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares; when they're not making the baffling choice of giving prime-time slots to reruns of Battlestar Galactica & Star Trek: The Next Generation, that is.
It seems like that's what BBC America usually does (when they're not following it up with an episode of Graham Norton anyway). But then, most of BBC America's line-up seems to be reruns of Doctor Who, Top Gear, & Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares; when they're not making the baffling choice of giving prime-time slots to reruns of Battlestar Galactica & Star Trek: The Next Generation, that is.
I hate shows that are just talking heads. I think DWC's format was fine (even with the "day in the life" segments). And the fact is DFC has been responsible for many great moments of television on its own. Face it, most of use will never meet any of these actors or get to hang out with them. The most we can hope for is like those folks who snagged some telephoto shots of the Christmas special being made or maybe if we 're in the right place at the right time something like ComicCon - and unless you were in the media I doubt anyone got any "quality time" with Smith and Gillan. The only similar series that comes close (and which has also, reportedly, been discontinued) is Merlin: Secrets and Magic.
I was going to post some links but it occurred to me I might violate board rules if I made this a link farm. Suffice to say there are plenty of clips from DWC - Tennant and Smith eras (not so much Eccleston) on YouTube.
And as for the other shows having behind the scenes series that ran shorter? Well those shows aren't as important to the BBC as Doctor Who, now are they.
One other thing that needs to be remembered. In the UK DW is still considered a show aimed at kids, and thus so is DWC (even with the late scheduling of the finale, as if kids don't stay up past 9 PM anymore these days). We, in our 20s, 30s, 40s call things like Day in the Life of a Set Decorator boring and padding, but part of the key target audience may call it inspirational. I read one comment by a kid, age 14, on I think the Radio Times site that said he's been inspired to get into the technical aspects of television as a possible career because of DWC. And that brilliant Death is the Only Answer short stands a good chance of being looked back at as the first TV work by a future Steven Moffat, and it wouldn't have happened without DWC.
Alex
this week's is worth watching just for Karen and Arthur singing My Way intercut with a chorus line of soldier-extras singing it.
I have yet to see this weeks, i cant seem to find it anywhere...
