And while I feel bad for him and hope Russell finally addresses it when he's being interviewed you'd be hard pressed to find anyone on DW or any other series of his who has anything but good things to say about him.
Last edited:
Russell T. Davies Returns to Doctor Who as New Showrunner
- Thread starter Allyn Gibson
- Start date
And while I feel bad for him and hope Russell finally addresses it when he's being interviewed you'd be hard pressed to find anyone on DW or any other series of his who has anything but good things to say about him.
Is what Eccelston mad about just the releasing of the info he was leaving just as his run started airing? Or is it something else?
(a) They didn't address his concerns about the problems during production that caused him to quit* and (b) They lied about his reasons for leaving.
*Like someone almost being killed on the first night of shooting when an explosion went wrong, for example.
Based on precedent, RTD's return would have been announced alongside the announcements of Chibnall and Jodie's departures if he'd already been hired at the time said announcements happened (in late July).
Comments from J. Michael Strazinski also indicate that the search for a new Showrunner was still ongoing as of the end of August as per the response he received after reaching out to express interest in the position himself.
We might not actually see the Fourteenth Doctor's regeneration onscreen in the BBC Centenary Special.
But the BBC would have had to have known that Gardner and Tranter would bring in Davies, no? Might not be a direct hire, but it was all but assured to happen.
Ya knw, I was kinda reminded of Torchwood's fourth season, which was also heavy on RTD's involvement, and it was probably its worst series.
I can see that and if that was more recent and he hadn't done anything since then, I'd be worried.
But he's coming off of two very successful shows with Years and Years and It's a Sin. The question is how much his writing and vision for the show now are constrained by the general structure of Doctor Who, budget, COVID, and other unforeseen limitations.
Last edited:
True.
Actually three very successful shows because there was A Very English Scandal as well.
Ah, I stand corrected. I hadn't heard about that one and...wow, I just looked it up. What a cast! How did I not hear about that one?!
I guess I need to watch it in addition to It's a Sin.
It was fantastic - some of Hugh Grant’s best ever work, but all of the cast were amazing
It's part of why I can't wait for that first interview with him. He's at a point in his career where he could write anything for anybody and get it made, and instead he's preparing to give up several more years of his life to the Who Machine.
I know what the BBC is getting out of his return but I'm fascinated to see what he is.
I know what the BBC is getting out of his return but I'm fascinated to see what he is.
Last edited:
I'm very curious what RTD's second tenure will be like. By the time his first episode premieres, it will have been 13 years since he was showrunner, and he's gone through a lot in both his personal and professional lives. I'm curious to see how the winds of time will change RTD's writing style, and also what elements will be the same.
And also to see what new ways toxic fans will find to attack him.
And also to see what new ways toxic fans will find to attack him.
How the hell do you figure that? Regenerations are BIG EVENTS in Britain. With Whittaker's finale being the BBC Anniversary, there's almost certainly going to be a regeneration there. What better way is there to celebrate BBC's 100th anniversary than to have a regeneration and introduce the new Doctor?
Besides with very rare exceptions, a Doctor's finale has always introduced their successor, and those exceptions were under extenuating circumstances. Pertwee hadn't yet been cast when The War Games aired, C Baker was fired after Trial of a Time Lord was filmed, the show was cancelled, sorry, "put on hiatus" after Survival, and the 96 movie is its own special situation. Not including the new Doctor in Whittaker's finale would both be odd and unfair to the new Doctor, not letting them get the limelight the way a majority of their predecessors did.
Timing and precedent.
Unless the BBC has already hired the new Doctor without RTD's involvement and doesn't plan on revealing their identity through a big press event, there just isn't time forRTD to hire the new Doctor and for said actor to film a regeneration reveal as part of the film shoot for the BBC Centenary Special - which is currently underway - and I don't really see the BBC assembling a crew to film said regeneration reveal in a vacuum.
Regenerate in the 60th anniversary.
The series then starts off with the doctor already accustomed to their new body with their new costume and finding their new companion/friend. It works as a soft reboot.
The series then starts off with the doctor already accustomed to their new body with their new costume and finding their new companion/friend. It works as a soft reboot.
I think we're going to see something along these exact lines, although we might not actually see the regeneration in full onscreen in the 60th Anniversary Special since that would be entirely dependent on Jodie's availability and/or willingness to appear in said Special.
It worked in "Rose".
That’s why I was so floored by the announcement of his return. With steaming services competing for and willing to pay ungodly amounts of money to established and celebrated writers/showrunners, for RTD to come back to Doctor Who, it has to be out of sheer love for the show. Lord knows he could be making infinity more elsewhere.
