How Fondly Will the RTD-era Be Remembered?

[TedShatner10]

I actually think the RTD did an overall excellent job as a producer and (more sporadically) writer, and while not all of his episodes have been winners with his show being a little too Earth bound (and fanw**kish in places) I'm starting to get irritated and bored with his critics - either they shouldn't watch it to begin with or they're older fans who try to apply their childhood experiences to the show now that they're early middle aged.

While I see "Journey's End" as an overrated folly, being a more glitzy replay of RTD's earlier (better) season finales, it is rather sad that he still cops all of the blame and none of the credit for the current run of NuWho episodes, with better stuff like "Smith & Jones", "Midnight", "Utopia", and "Turn Left" conveniently brushed under the carpet.

I say he highlights the pompousity of fandom, trying to inflate the importance of Doctor Who beyond what it actually always was.

 

[Brendan Moody]

Given time, fandom (the only people who retain meaningful memories of any era of Doctor Who once it's ended) will be defined by the people who came to the programme during the RTD era and therefore regard it as "their" Doctor Who. Then given more time there'll be a backlash against that view as some future era comes to prominence. Then given yet more time...

 

[AdmiralGarak]

I'm sure "Bring Back RTD!!! Moffet SUX!!!" websites will start up any day now. (If they don't already exist.)

 

[captcalhoun]

welll, no matter what, he made it relevant again. 6m people tuned in on a saturday tea-time to watch a cast announcement. A FUCKING CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT!!! not many shows can claim audiences as big as that. AND IT WAS A FUCKING CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

 

[Cyke101]

I'm sure "Bring Back RTD!!! Moffet SUX!!!" websites will start up any day now. (If they don't already exist.)

I can already name one poster for you on another board, and he absolutely hated The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink. He couldn't stomach the idea of watching Silence in the Library. I'm all for different opinions (IDIC, after all), but it was quite irritating.

 

[wamdue]

welll, no matter what, he made it relevant again. 6m people tuned in on a saturday tea-time to watch a cast announcement. A FUCKING CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT!!! not many shows can claim audiences as big as that. AND IT WAS A FUCKING CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

I cant disagree with that, who would have thought there would come a day when a casting announcement for any show would generate such ratings

 

[Starkers]

I actually think the RTD did an overall excellent job as a producer and (more sporadically) writer, and while not all of his episodes have been winners with his show being a little too Earth bound (and fanw**kish in places) I'm starting to get irritated and bored with his critics - either they shouldn't watch it to begin with or they're older fans who try to apply their childhood experiences to the show now that they're early middle aged.

While I see "Journey's End" as an overrated folly, being a more glitzy replay of RTD's earlier (better) season finales, it is rather sad that he still cops all of the blame and none of the credit for the current run of NuWho episodes, with better stuff like "Smith & Jones", "Midnight", "Utopia", and "Turn Left" conveniently brushed under the carpet.

I say he highlights the pompousity of fandom, trying to inflate the importance of Doctor Who beyond what it actually always was.

Oh I see what you're saying, its ok for you to critisise RTD but not for anyone else to?

I've always been completely even handed with RTD, when his episodes have been great I've said so, and when they've stunk I've said that too--I fully plan to use the same methodology with Moffat.

 

[Cutter John]

I think with a few years hindsight he'll be much more appreciated.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Well for myself I'll reflect back on the RTD era with great fondness since it introduced me to the series and character of Doctor Who. Prior to Series One of the Ninth Doctor the only episodes that I had watched were a few of the Tom Baker era and a couple First Doctor episodes that BBC America aired that I got with white noise lol. So really the Ninth, Tenth, and starting next year I guess the Eleventh will all be my Doctor's with the Tenth being my favorite.

 

[The Borg Queen]

Russelty is a hack who writes science fiction without caring about doing the slightest fucking bit of research into what he's actually writing about.

He's also demonstrated on several occasions that he can't even count.

All he's ever done is turn his shitty Doctor Who fanfiction into TV scripts.

 

[Starkers]

All he's ever done is turn his shitty Doctor Who fanfiction into TV scripts.

That's highly succesful TV scripts, and quite good as fanfic goes ​

 

[The Borg Queen]

Maybe so, but it still stinks of fanfic.

Even Rose was blindingly obvious as his self-insert Mary Sue. And I liked Rose.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Russelty is a hack who writes science fiction without caring about doing the slightest fucking bit of research into what he's actually writing about.

Honestly, Doctor Who is not known for its thought-provoking, high-concept science fiction stories. It's always been more of an adventure series, really.

 

[Sci]

Hmm. How well will the RTD era be remembered after he brought Doctor Who back from the dead, cast two well-acclaimed actors in the lead role, made it a major hit in Great Britain, made the show a flagship program for the BBC, won numerous awards and critical acclaim, and revived the entire genre of the family drama in the UK?

Gosh, folks, I just don't know. I mean, after all, some guys on the Internet didn't like it.

Maybe so, but it still stinks of fanfic.

Even Rose was blindingly obvious as his self-insert Mary Sue. And I liked Rose.

.... one of these days, you'll have to explain to me now a 19-year-old heterosexual working-class girl who lives with her mom on a council estate constitutes a self-insertion character for a successful 40-something gay man. (And how, for that matter, Rose can be a Mary Sue when the Doctor saves her ass half the time.)

 

[Bacl]

Very fondly for the David Tennant stuff. Tenant is going to be thought of as one of the best doctors, and RTD was in charge for his entire run.

However, I think RTD should get more kudos for the 9th Doctor, who was able to both bring back the franchise, reinvent it, and also capture the pure essence of what Doctor Who has always been aspiring towards.

I think RTD got a little burnt out at the end, but what he contributed to Doctor Who is going to be felt for a long time.

 

[davejames]

Russelty is a hack who writes science fiction without caring about doing the slightest fucking bit of research into what he's actually writing about.

Honestly, Doctor Who is not known for its thought-provoking, high-concept science fiction stories. It's always been more of an adventure series, really.

Ha ha, agreed. I've been watching Classic Who like crazy recently, and while there have been lots of entertaining stories so far, I've yet to see anything terribly deep or thought-provoking in any of it.

At least not to anyone over the age of 10. lol

Obviously there are always going to be a few weak episodes, but looking at it as a relative outsider, I would say the storytelling overall now is at least as strong as before. The only difference being the somewhat lighter tone and faster pace.

 

[Davros]

Better than JNT.

 

[Starkers]

Russelty is a hack who writes science fiction without caring about doing the slightest fucking bit of research into what he's actually writing about.

Honestly, Doctor Who is not known for its thought-provoking, high-concept science fiction stories. It's always been more of an adventure series, really.

Ha ha, agreed. I've been watching Classic Who like crazy recently, and while there have been lots of entertaining stories so far, I've yet to see anything terribly deep or thought-provoking in any of it.

Oh I dunno, take something like Fenric or Varos and I think they're quite deep stories, Varos especially, and I'm no great fan of colin Baker's.

 

[Stevil2001]

Varos? Its depth amounts to "Television likes cheap and nasty thrills." Not exactly groundbreaking, not even in 1985.

 

[Cutter John]

Ha ha, agreed. I've been watching Classic Who like crazy recently, and while there have been lots of entertaining stories so far, I've yet to see anything terribly deep or thought-provoking in any of it.

At least not to anyone over the age of 10. lol

Though to be fair, back in the Hartnell days it sometimes made an attempt to be educational.