Doctor Who on the wane

[Pseudo]

So DW, aside from a single TV Movie had what 16 years off the air.

Well yes, but no one is claiming that Doctor Who has been on the air for forty-eight years, just that it's forty-eight years old. Whereas whoever was speaking about Red Dwarf seems to have been claiming that the series had been on the air for 25 years, which obviously it hasn't.

Depends how you define it. With worldwide audiences I doubt a year's gone by where it hasn't been shown somewhere. One could argue it's been on air 25 years by default that it's never been off air. He still gets royalty cheques. Its just spent more years out of production than in it.

Surely you've got to define it by producing new episodes every year, otherwise you'd be saying that I Love Lucy has been on the air for sixty years despite its star being dead for over twenty years.

I definitely agree with that, RTD probably got out at the right time, since he had basically used up everything he could for his usually plot devices.

Moffat though, everything just falls flat. I always compare his Good Man bollocks to Journeys End, getting together a bunch of people we don't give a shit about? Imagine they did that in Journeys End, the episode would've ultimately fell flat. That's what the entire run has felt like to me, constantly falling flat due to little build up.

Except Journey's End had four entire seasons (six, in Jack's case) to build up those characters, plus one of the doctor's previous companions from twenty years ago. You don't get the same kind of buildup with just a season and a half of character development.

And the good Captain was supposed to be in A Good Man Goes to War (rather handy in a battle, not staying dead) but Barrowman was off filming something in the US...

I'm pretty sure that for a substantial proportion of A Good Man Goes To War's filming, Barrowman was in Wales filming scenes for a UK/US co-production whose name escapes me.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

How's the light-heartedness been absent from the Moffat/Smith run so far?

He's got that really epic-sounding theme song.

 

[Australis]

Sorry I seem to have wandered into GB. Sorry. I'll get me coat. Sorry.

 

[Starkers]

Sorry I seem to have wandered into GB. Sorry. I'll get me coat. Sorry.

Said it before, say it again, the majority of tv shows would probably love to be as 'on the wane' as Who is.

 

[Psion]

For what it's worth, I tend to agree Eleven isn't as light-hearted as Ten. True, the stories he's in tend to be wacky romps, but Eleven has very dark undertones lurking beneath that manic exterior. He's moody and you can see a bit of malevolence leak out once in a while. "Don't play games with me. Don't ever, ever think you're capable of that."

Ten wouldn't talk to his friends with such words.

Of course, I tend to like Eleven a bit more than Ten. Smith is going to be an interesting actor to follow long after he makes room for Twelve. Tennant was no slouch, but Smith's got an edge to him.

Barrowman in a "A Good Man Goes to War?!" Oh, I'm so very sorry we missed that. I wonder how that would have played out ... Ten found Jack a bit creepy. Eleven ... might have come out a bit creepy to Jack. Maybe he was used on a front we didn't see. Maybe Leela and Ace were there, too. That Cyberman ship did go off with quite a kaboom. "Aces!"

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Everyone realises I was taking the piss, right? I suspected someone might come in and try and say it in all seriousness, and I thought it was better to have a lighthearted thread than a proper bitchfest. Unfortunately it seems none of you have seen my posts before.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I'll say it again the internet is serious business (pseudo sarcastic)...and you know even in jest the haters are all going to come out and say their piece.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Steven Moffat Wrote:
The Live+7 figure for DW Xmas special (basically adding iPlayer) is 12.88. BBC's winner for the day.

Tiny viewing figures to prove the point.

 

[Pingfah]

Psssh, that's only 12 million more than The Royal Bodyguard will be getting soon. What a spin

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Psssh, that's only 12 million more than The Royal Bodyguard will be getting soon. What a spin

But Royal Bodyguard is brilliant. David Jason says so.

 

[Pingfah]

I gave episode 2 a chance, just because it was him. I could not believe it was actually less funny than the first one. I barely even cracked a smile.

They should pull it now, and never, ever show the rest of the episodes.

 

[Deckerd]

I'm glad I missed it then.

 

[ITL]

I watched the first five minutes. That was enough.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I gave episode 2 a chance, just because it was him. I could not believe it was actually less funny than the first one. I barely even cracked a smile.

They should pull it now, and never, ever show the rest of the episodes.

I was going to, then didn't. Sounds like it's for the best.

 

[Pingfah]

I thought Great Expectations was the best thing the Beeb managed this Xmas.

 

[Deckerd]

The whole festive season was shite on all channels. One or two gems and that was it.

 

[Pingfah]

Ab Fab was good as well.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Enjoyed AbFab, Haven't watched Great Expectations yet, Borrowers wasn't bad but a bit slow and didn't quite live up to what it could have been. 2011 Wipe was fantastic as always though.

 

[Pingfah]

Still got to get to the Borrowers. Probably watch that at the weekend, since I don't have my BSG set

 

[Deckerd]

Ooh I just remembered that Room something one that Bob recommended has turned up.