No full series in 2016?

[Starkers]

Plus there's all the promotional stuff as well which must eat into your time as well, of course shows with more of an ensemble cast can spread the load a bit more (well the actors' load anyway) but aside from one Doctor Lite ep a season the incumbent's pretty much got be heavily involved in every episode.

As for the pay, it would be interesting to know how much Capaldi gets paid in comparison with Eccleston, Tennant and Smith. Of the four I would imagine Smith started on the least given he was a relative unknown, and though he wasn't some newcomer you could argue that Tennant was far less known before Who than Chris or Peter.

Then again given Capaldi is such a fan maybe he pays them

I do recall reading something a while back that suggested he was quite well off thanks to some judicious property purchases early in his career so I doubt he's in it for the money anyway.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Also, I remember a recent interview with DWM where Moffat said that the BBC would totally jump at the chance to do a Paternoster Gang spin-off but that he's just not really that interested in it. I say, if he doesn't want to do it, he should still let the BBC find someone else to do it.

I totally agree with this. I love the Paternoster Gang, and I'd like to see them regularly. They definitely deserve a spin off, and I can see it being awesome. If nothing else, it would have to be written by Michael Bay or something to be worse than Torchwood .

Agreed. Strax should send a missive to Moffat & the BBC brass, "Give me a spin-off or be obliterated for the glory of the Sontaran Empire!"

So why the difference sure the UK filming day might be a few hours shorter than say a US filming day. So sure the US might shoot 7 pages a day the Beeb might decide to shoot only 4 pages a day. This of course allows more times for more takes of a particular scene.

That's what makes the Doctor Who schedule so grueling (which is why Tennant ultimately left, as I recall; he loved Moffat's idea for Season 5 but just didn't want to do another year) -- it's not the hours in the day, which again are pretty strictly regulated due to the unions, but the total time commitment. Star Trek: The Next Generation was able to shoot 20-some episodes over like six months in six or seven days because they worked the cast and crew for 12- to 15-hour days. Especially for people with families, the Doctor Who shoot taking eight or nine months out of the year can be pretty exhausting and I imagine the pay isn't exactly amazing. Even Capaldi has implied that he was surprised at just how much time he has to devote to the show.

It does still surprise me that Doctor Who has such a lengthy production schedule given the total output of the series. Even during the early days of the classic series, yes they did 39-47 episodes per season but they were only half-hour episodes. It still doesn't quite match up to the 26 hour-long episodes per season that Star Trek was regularly churning out from 1989-2003. (Twice that much every year when DS9 overlapped with TNG or Voyager.)

But then, if you want a story about the crazy grind that was Star Trek production during the hey-day of DS9, watch this:
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB22jSda0WA[/yt]

As for the pay, it would be interesting to know how much Capaldi gets paid in comparison with Eccleston, Tennant and Smith. Of the four I would imagine Smith started on the least given he was a relative unknown, and though he wasn't some newcomer you could argue that Tennant was far less known before Who than Chris or Peter.

Then again given Capaldi is such a fan maybe he pays them

IIRC, even after a few years of raises, Tennant still wasn't making as much by the end as Eccleston did. And since he probably started from an even lower rate, I doubt Smith ever made as much as Tennant.

If I had to guess, I'd guess that Capaldi is probably somewhere between Eccleston & late-era Tennant as far as pay rates go. Capaldi is more famous than Tennant but can't command Eccleston's numbers since Eccleston joined the show when the BBC was desperate for prestige.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

IIRC, even after a few years of raises, Tennant still wasn't making as much by the end as Eccleston did. And since he probably started from an even lower rate, I doubt Smith ever made as much as Tennant.

Tennant made less than Piper for series 2, as I understand it. I also believe he was offered £1 million for series 5 and turned it down, obviously.

I've heard that Smith was paid low six figures per series.

I've heard no rumors about Capaldi's salary.

 

[Ithekro]

Also BBC's various unions are rather strict about when they shut down. If it isn't in the can by whatever time, well tough, the lights are going off. At least back in the old run of the show.

Not sure if that is still the case today, but I know they've managed more night shooting in the newer show.

 

[Starkers]

The stuff that (are you my) Mumy describes is crazy, I don't see how people can work like that for extended periods (clearly they can and they did) I think TNG and classic Who may be more comparable though, Trek episodes weren't an hour in length, they were 45 minutes tops, plus I'm betting Trek had a way bigger crew than Who, and obviously a much bigger ensemble cast. Given what I've read I'm amazed Troughton and co lasted as long as they did in the roles.

The only numbers I ever heard suggested Tennant was getting half a million to£600,000 but that came out when a story broke about Trevor Eve getting 700K to a million for Waking the Dead (depending on the source) and it was never confirmed.

It's intriguing to speculate where Capaldi sits, I guess he is more famous than Tennant was, and definitely way more famous than Smith was, but he is somewhat below Eccleston on the ladder. It's be logical to surmise he's getting paid something akin to what Tennant was being paid once he became cemented in the part, but then again I imagine the Beeb may have trimmed the limits of what they're prepared to pay in the last few years, so maybe he's getting less?

Allyn, by low six figures was it suggested something around the 200/300K mark? Still not bad all things considered!

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Allyn, by low six figures was it suggested something around the 200/300K mark? Still not bad all things considered!

£200 per series was what I'd heard.

 

[StCoop]

So, in three weeks time the cameras stop recording on Doctor Who for the year. How long before they start up again?

I was disappointed (but not surprised) by the lack of questioning by any of the so-called journalists at the Press Screening for the first episode of this year's series. It's shame that people are more concerned with losing their Exclusives than doing their jobs.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I was disappointed (but not surprised) by the lack of questioning by any of the so-called journalists at the Press Screening for the first episode of this year's series. It's shame that people are more concerned with losing their Exclusives than doing their jobs.

It's possible that the production team had indicated to journalists beforehand that questions about the show's future were off-limits. That's not uncommon.

It's also possible that, by this point, the journalists covering Doctor Who know that Moffat wouldn't be forthcoming on any questions so there's no point in bothering.

Entertainment journalism, sadly, is something of a choreographed Kabuki theater.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

It's intriguing to speculate where Capaldi sits, I guess he is more famous than Tennant was, and definitely way more famous than Smith was, but he is somewhat below Eccleston on the ladder.

I figure, when the new series was just starting out, they needed a big name actor to help sell it as a serious project. They hired Eccleston for his name as much as for his acting talent. But now, 10 years later, the show is more established. The "Doctor Who" name sells itself on its own. Capaldi is there for his acting talent, not his name recognition.

 

[StCoop]

Edit: I goofed.

 

[DWF]

It's intriguing to speculate where Capaldi sits, I guess he is more famous than Tennant was, and definitely way more famous than Smith was, but he is somewhat below Eccleston on the ladder.

I figure, when the new series was just starting out, they needed a big name actor to help sell it as a serious project. They hired Eccleston for his name as much as for his acting talent. But now, 10 years later, the show is more established. The "Doctor Who" name sells itself on its own. Capaldi is there for his acting talent, not his name recognition.

They got Eccleston because niether Bill Nighy or David Tennant was available at the time and Eccleston begged RTD to give him the job. Whatever friendship existed between Eccleston and RTD seems to be gone though.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Give it another 20 years.

He'll be back.

 

[Ithekro]

The old grizzly Ninth Doctor? Or as one of his "old favorite's"?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Can you imagine that Eccleston accepts his eventual acquiescence, and has already filmed most of a future episode by just running through a park and screaming random shit into a cellphone?

What they would pay him "then" to look completely wrong and not 9 in the future, is nothing compared to what he could ransom, found footage of the Ninth Doctor from when he looked like the ninth doctor, maybe?

 

[StCoop]

I haven't seen the actual issue yet but apparently there's a comment from Moffat where he says that they won't be repeating the multiple two-parters format next year. Obviously there's an unspoken second bit to that which goes something like "...because we're only doing Specials" or "...because we're only doing a mini-series" or "...because we're going to be replacing Eastenders and on three times a week".

 

[Guy Gardener]

I just want a constant stream of media.

I used to get a constant stream of media.

It didn't seem so difficult.

The future sucks.

 

[StCoop]

I don't think Frank Skinner's going to be getting a repeat performance on the series. He was hosting a Q&A with Moffat at the Radio Time Festival today and did what no actuall journalist has been willing to do and asked him if there's going to be a full series next year. You'll be shocked to hear that the question didn't get an answer.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

If you're a Gallifrey Base member, there's a brief account of it here. I'm not going to cut and paste the post, as GB frowns on people quoting from the board outside of it (and will ban people for doing so).

To summarize, Moffat was asked if there would be a full season in 2016. He was evasive, then annoyed when he was asked if there would be a split season, and finally said no decision has been made. Capaldi says he might do two more years, but he also dreads the phone call from Moffat where he's invited to lunch to be invited to leave.

 

[StCoop]

To summarize, Moffat was asked if there would be a full season in 2016. He was evasive, then annoyed when he was asked if there would be a split season, and finally said no decision has been made.

It's nearly October. If there was a full series next year they'd have to start shooting in January, so I have no hesitation in calling Moffat a lying fucking weasel.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

It's nearly October. If there was a full series next year they'd have to start shooting in January, so I have no hesitation in calling Moffat a lying fucking weasel.

I don't disagree with you. Yes, they just finished shooting the Christmas special and it's in post-production, which is going to sap energy, but if there were a series filming in January they would know because the script commissions, if not already made, would have been discussed. So, Moffat would certainly be able to say that a decision has been made; either he's commissioned scripts for a January start or he hasn't.