I'm fine with series 8 not starting for so long. I think modern British viewers are spoiled with Who having so many episodes. I don't necessarily expect American cable style number of episodes and I certainly don't expect American-style clockwork regularity of seasons. If it helps stretch the budget, that's fine with me. 60 minutes for the special is a disappointment, though. I personally want it to be two hours. Sure, it would cost more money than a single episode, but I don't think it's even the equivalent of two episodes because you'll save money by having the same characters and sets. Given the long delay for the next season, I wish a bit more money was placed into that special. After all, it'll be a long time before you hit such an important milestone, I'd like the experience to last a bit longer.
I wonder if people aren't building the special up to be bigger in scope than ever was intended to be delivered by those making it.
The problem is I can't imagine why they wouldn't make it a big deal. It's 50 years! It should be a big deal.
Tennant's last episode was longer than this special. That was for one Doctor. Surely the special deserves more especially since there is no series 8 in 2013.
I'd already assumed that season 8 wouldn't be until 2014 but I'm sad to see it might not be until summer/autumn 2014. That's awful news. I'm also with everyone else in regards to the length of the special. I was hoping for something more epic.
I'm not sure what this means. I'm always excited about episodes if they seem great whenever they air. Series 6b seemed less great with its writer and director lineup, possibly lame budget settings, and my perception of Moffat's abilities at that time, so I guess I'd call that as having less momentum for me, but Series 7a was incredibly exciting. Not that 6b wasn't decent even without momentum. Yes I love Chibnall. For complex reasons.
This makes no fucking sense whatsoever to me. Spoiled? What kind of bullshit is that? People like the show, they watch the show, they want more of the show. Television is produced to be consumed as entertainment, that is its only purpose. It doesn't become less special just because there is more of it. It doesn't become less special if it is produced and broadcast with some regularity. If you don't want to watch it then don't.
Why I don't care much about when stuff airs is because, I don't live by schedules. I did that long enough and stopped going to school until I got in a slack enough school to do things whenever I feel like. It doesn't really make a difference when it comes, I'll just do whatever I do the other 99.99% of time when I'm not watching a new episode. I actually find anticipating infinitely repetitively scheduled events extremely uncomfortable now, does it have to be always the exact same fucking time something happens, what if one time I wanted to do something else at that time, nope, you've been decided to spend this exact time for the end of eternity this exact way. So I'm glad Who finally stopped doing that. Was about time.
Remember when Moffat said the main reason they were splitting the season in 2011 was so Doctor Who would never be off the air for more than a couple months at a time?? And then there was... 2/3 of a year between The Doctor, The Bitch and the Whatever and Asylum of the Daleks in 2012.
I also remember reading a justification that it was moved around/fiddled with because Doctor Who worked better in the winter nights. Uh.... there's no way that's presumably happening now unless Series 8 starts winter 2014? .
I think it's entirely clear that whatever hogwash, publicity, DWM-approved nonsense they peddle, we're getting (anniversary special and one more Christmas special aside) one season's worth of material in 2 years. It's bullshit and everything else said is basically to hide and mask that fact.
It's 2009 all over again. Remember all the insane bullshit Russell T. Davies would spew from his gob about that gap year? "The public like Doctor Who too much so we're gonna stop making it for a year. Marvellous!" WHAT!?
I don't know what's stranger: the statements Moffat makes that he knows are outright inaccurate, or the ones that are carefully worded to create a misleading impression that will lead to disappointment. Either way, it makes RTD's approach to PR hype look good.
I know people here love to pile on, but I'm of the belief Moffat is simply making do the best he can with the resources and schedule the BBC is giving him. Being the huge DW fan he is, I have a hard time believing that he wouldn't have wanted to write a longer and more epic special. Or to have more episodes per year than what we're getting. But clearly that's just not what he's being allowed or given the money for.
Even if the number and scheduling of episodes in 2012/2013 is entirely down to the BBC (I doubt it, but anything's possible), they're not making Moffat say things that will be proven flat out false or enormously misleading within months of his saying them. That's his decision. It doesn't matter-- it's just talk about the production of a TV show-- but it's odd all the same.
The Controller of BBC1 revealed long ago that the delay/split in S7 was down to Moffat, who promptly denied it, then finally recently admitted that he did indeed have problems working on both Sherlock & DW causing him to fall behind in getting the work done. Plus as Brendan points out nobody made make all the pronouncements he's made that later turn out to be false/wrong/true from a certain point of view, Luke.
At times I wonder if Moffat blows smoke not to distract fandom with the shiny but to distract his BBC bosses and protect his job. The BBC brought Moffat in to produce Doctor Who to their scheduling expectations. The question, of course, is what the BBC's scheduling expecations are; fandom clearly feels that 14 episodes a year is the standard (probably because RTD made it look effortless), and similar programs, like Merlin, easily hit a similar standard. Moffat's pronouncements occasionally have the feel of someone explaining to those who matter (and no, fans are not those who matter) why he's not hitting his production targets. Though there are some individual divisions that are clearly unhappy with the lack of Doctor Who product (Worldwide, mainly, but also America), the BBC as a whole appears to tolerate a different state of affairs -- either they like the critical cachet that Steven Moffat brings them and are willing to accept a "when we make it" schedule, or there's nothing standard about 14 episodes a year and the BBC doesn't expect RTD-levels of product on an annual basis. If the BBC does expect more than 14 episodes per year and Moffat is unable to deliver that, however, then either Moffat is untouchable (perhaps because of his family connections) or he's exceedingly good at blowing smoke at his bosses. Otherwise, the BBC could sack Moffat and bring in a new producer on a shorter leash to hit the Beeb's production targets.
If there are budget problems than I have to hand it to the production team. These past 2 series have looked hugely expensive in comparison to Series 1-4. Compare Asylum of the Daleks or The Impossible Astronaut to Rose or New Earth!