Dr Who fan becomes new BBC Director General

[Starkers]

Matt Brittin has been named the new Director General of the BBC.

Not sure how much sway he'll have in the future of the show but does seem to be something of a fan, or at least growing up he was, so much so that in the video linked to from the article he namechecks the show multiple times! Even cites Daleks at one point.

As I say he may have no input into whether the show lives or dies or how it evolves, but better this than someone who patently hates the show

Doctor Who Fan Matt Brittin Named BBC's New Director-General

The BBC announced that ex-Google executive and proud Doctor Who fan Matt Brittin has been named the new director-general as of May 18th.

bleedingcool.com

 

[Rich Watson]

Everybody in a position to say so at the Beeb has been clear they want the series to continue. But is anyone going to hop on board as co-Producer is the question.

(Disney have been trumpeting their major investment in European Disney+ production but those are all projects they will solely own.)

 

[Qonundrum]

Director of the network vs showrunner can be two very different things? I'm a fan of the color red, but I'm not going to paint every office wall red... but I might paint the largest accent wall red, or just have a red cricket ball on my desk and that's all. Dunno. I'll hire a painter or cricket ball buyer to do that work if needed... how much budget I'd want to put toward it, of course...

As for producers who do the most critical aspects of molding a show into a format (new or continued, radical or traditional), it's still a myth that one has to be a "superfan" or whatever of the show as a qualifier to make it. Anyone who isn't a fan, much less knowing what the show is, can objectively watch the show and see what makes it iconic and then refresh it. Who was that guy for that other show that sat through all of TOS's episodes around 1980 and then made some drafts and crafted "The Wrath of Khan"? He wasn't a die-hard fan. A couple other points down this bunny hole:

1. The more important point, Doctor Who has more than 79 episodes and has went through numerous reinventions all over the genre map, even blending them and to varying degrees of creativity and/or other attributes - all too many to condense into this single adumbrated bulletpoint. Plus, to get a feel, how many episodes to show? From one era, or all? Which ones, since even fan consensus isn't going to agree and for the most objective and unbiased assessment, even the stinkers - whatever those are - also have to be considered as there's likely some needling nugget of value hidden away in that proverbial haystack.

2. More tangential, but the previous three showrunners who ran the show were said to be diehard fans and they've apparently been more divisive than JNT's era ever was (and JNT's is arguably underrated).

 

[Marc]

well I guess it makes a change from one who hates the show and wants it gone.

 

[JD]

Even if they don't have a direct hand in what happens to the show, having a fan in that high of a position definitely can't hurt. If nothing else it at least puts it in a better position than the Buffy reboot was over at Hulu, where one of the decision makers made it very clear they were absolutely not a fan.

 

[camdudetenger2018]

whats next someone becomes in charge of a doctor who division