Russell T. Davies Returns to Doctor Who as New Showrunner

[The Nth Doctor]

Yeah, Moffat worked best when he had more time and energy to focus on just one or two episodes at a time. He still had some gems during his showrunner era (for me, outside of the Christmas specials, "The Eleventh Hour," "The Time of Angels"/"Flesh and Stone," "Heaven Sent," and "World Enough and Time"/"The Doctor Falls") but his quality definitely dropped overall, even outside of the arc episodes.

 

[Rich Watson]

I was hoping this would happen with Russell's return and it looks like they're bringing back the releases of regular batches of three novels, like they used to have until just after Chibnall started.

To be honest most of the 'special' novels and short story collections that took their place didn't interest me.

 

[David cgc]

Uh... I don't know, I guess this thread?

Season... um, the next season premieres on May 10th on Disney+ and May 11th on iPlayer (the phrasing of the announcement implies it's the same moment, and the date difference is a time-zone thing).

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

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the fourth wall breaking continues…

 

[jaime]

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the fourth wall breaking continues…

I was left thinking any one of these could be the Doctor, but it doesn’t feel like the same Doctor. I think the hair and costume switching is gonna bug the hell out of me, should I decide to watch. The trailer gives me the feel that rather than The Doctor being a character played by different actors, this is an actor playing different characters — a sort of sketch show vibe. The fourth wall break particularly did that. Fast Show Doctor. ‘Today I have mostly been battling Daleks’ ‘Me? The fourteenth face I can remember? In a boarding school sixth form? Of course, I was terribly, terribly, post regenerative at the time’

 

[The Wormhole]

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the fourth wall breaking continues…

WOOOO!!!

 

[Starkers]

I was left thinking any one of these could be the Doctor, but it doesn’t feel like the same Doctor. I think the hair and costume switching is gonna bug the hell out of me, should I decide to watch. The trailer gives me the feel that rather than The Doctor being a character played by different actors, this is an actor playing different characters — a sort of sketch show vibe. The fourth wall break particularly did that. Fast Show Doctor. ‘Today I have mostly been battling Daleks’ ‘Me? The fourteenth face I can remember? In a boarding school sixth form? Of course, I was terribly, terribly, post regenerative at the time’

I don't know how you get him playing radically different characters from a couple of seconds of footage.

But also, this is a character who's been fourteen (or fifteen, or fifteen and a half?) other people (that he can remember) before so his personality should flex. Heck I was watching Mummy on the Orient Express the other week and love it when Capaldi goes all Tom Baker

The costume changes is gonna annoy me but I'm hoping there's a sort of through line/vague aesthetic the way there was with Capaldi.

We don't know that's a fourth wall break, he might be winking at another character, but even if he is...remind me...which Doctor was the first to break the fourth wall?

 

[jaime]

I don't know how you get him playing radically different characters from a couple of seconds of footage.

But also, this is a character who's been fourteen (or fifteen, or fifteen and a half?) other people (that he can remember) before so his personality should flex. Heck I was watching Mummy on the Orient Express the other week and love it when Capaldi goes all Tom Baker

The costume changes is gonna annoy me but I'm hoping there's a sort of through line/vague aesthetic the way there was with Capaldi.

We don't know that's a fourth wall break, he might be winking at another character, but even if he is...remind me...which Doctor was the first to break the fourth wall?

It’s literally the costume changes that bug me, and just the way this trailer is edited and put together that makes it feel that way to me. It’s not even like some late seventies supercut where Toms outfit subtly changes, or Capaldi cut with similar and hair all over the place… because that’s from something that happened, as opposed to a trailer for something coming. I think I am quite fond of a… mercurial aspect to the doctors personality, or when they somewhat channel their past selves, but that’s usually whilst still outwardly themselves. Funnily enough I did get a little Tom from the fourth wall break (helped by the hair) but that is also what made it feel like… the character is a costume.

 

[Rich Watson]

the next season premieres on May 10th on Disney+ and May 11th on iPlayer (the phrasing of the announcement implies it's the same moment, and the date difference is a time-zone thing).

Midnight in the UK would be 7pm Eastern time in the US, so yeah. It also means that the actual BBC 1 transmission is basically an afterthought. Interesting to see what this does to the ratings.

 

[Rich Watson]

Reading this a bit closer there's actually going to be two episodes released on the 10th/11th. I don't see BBC1 showing two since Eurovision is also that day which means anyone watching just on TV will end up a week behind.

 

[jaime]

It’s a bit of a mess from a Brit perspective.

 

[Rich Watson]

The whinging and moaning around the Internet has been all too predictable, so probably a good time to remember we wouldn't be getting (at least) two more series if Disney hadn't opened their wallets.

And for those who want to wait until Saturday evening to watch, staying off the Internet for a few hours to avoid spoilers will actually do your mental health good.

 

[jaime]

The whinging and moaning around the Internet has been all too predictable, so probably a good time to remember we wouldn't be getting (at least) two more series if Disney hadn't opened their wallets.

And for those who want to wait until Saturday evening to watch, staying off the Internet for a few hours to avoid spoilers will actually do your mental health good.

The series was greenlit, moved to RTD and Bad Wolf, before Disney were only on the scene. May as well thank Sony instead — and if they still had their streaming platform running, it would probably be PlayStation exclusive worldwide xD

 

[JD]

This looks like it could be a fun season.

 

[Qonundrum]

I don't know how you get him playing radically different characters from a couple of seconds of footage.

Yeah, so little was shown in the teaser - reminds me of the Chibnall era's teasers only with stranger backing music. The Doctor's asking to take companion anywhere in time was also done in 2005. But it's not a complaint, look at how many times Gallifrey was destroyed in the modern show and it was done better the second time?

We don't know that's a fourth wall break, he might be winking at another character, but even if he is...remind me...which Doctor was the first to break the fourth wall?

Hartnell with the Xmas episode or Tom in the Gallifrey one? And how were reactions to those as well? Eventually some audience loves it. After all, people loved it when Mr Roper, Fran Fine, or Wil did it.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

The whinging and moaning around the Internet has been all too predictable, so probably a good time to remember we wouldn't be getting (at least) two more series if Disney hadn't opened their wallets.

And for those who want to wait until Saturday evening to watch, staying off the Internet for a few hours to avoid spoilers will actually do your mental health good.

The writing was on the wall for this -- Disney calling the shots on broadcast and marketing -- in the fall when Disney+ released the airtime and title of the Christmas special far before the BBC would have in the past. I kinda get the moaning from British fans on social media, but at the same time, it's long overdue. It's not 2005, let alone 1989 anymore.

 

[Rich Watson]

The only people with a real cause for complaint are fans in Ireland who get the UK version of Disney+ sans Who but no legitimate access to iPlayer. The four Specials did turn up on the Irish equivalent RTE Player, but that was a while after broadcast not simultaneously.

 

[jaime]

There’s a Northern Ireland category on iPlayer…
Does iPlayer not exist in NI?

They may have more cause, but I think there’s a decent chance that some people won’t like what seems like the last remaining homegrown Brit SF show standing being run as though it’s an American show with a dash of co-production. It does haven a effect on the fan community, and YouTube is running alive with it — from all quarters, not just places given to negativity on the recent runs.

 

[Captaindemotion]

The only people with a real cause for complaint are fans in Ireland who get the UK version of Disney+ sans Who but no legitimate access to iPlayer. The four Specials did turn up on the Irish equivalent RTE Player, but that was a while after broadcast not simultaneously.

Gallifrey…is that in Ireland?

 

[Samurai8472]

Major spoiler for actress Susan Twist's involvement in the show


https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/doctorwho-susantwist-rolereport

Spoiler

Twist will play the role of Susan Triad, a tech businesswoman who is the head of Triad Technology, which is reportedly an ongoing storyline through the next series, having also been mentioned in last year's 60th anniversary specials.






A source told The Sun: "Susan’s characters are going to appear through space and time following the Doctor through his new adventures but she won’t be a friendly face. She’s going to be a huge foe for the Time Lord and Ruby to face off against and the reveal will be explosive."