RTD has *literally said* they "were working hard to close those gaps" between each series. They recorded two series back to back to ensure there'd be no gap in 2025. What do you mean, "it isn't their actual goal" to make an annual series?
Their goal was not to make one series a year. They achieved that. (They made two — but it took more than a year I think - which is good going even if I do not think it is wise, or that eight episodes is where they should be aiming)
Going forward it is not their goal to make series of the old length. Whether that then translates into eventually having gaps, or basically doing the 7A/7B thing (which is essentially what they did this time out) at some point remains to be seen.
It’s almost a semantic difference when it comes down to it — they made what would have been one series worth of episodes, but they will be put out over two years.
I was initially impressed by them gearing up and getting production going far enough in advance that they could have decent breaks for staff, post production, etc — but even the specials lost a bit of buzz from being so far in advance. Before we saw a moment of 14 actually on screen, we had already seen his replacement filming. Between that and the lack of anything really anniversary-like in the episodes, it was a real… mood killer. The most unspecial specials. Even Tennants last lot were at least transmitted on holidays.
Now we’ve had two Doctor-lite episodes, a full quarter of what is now considered a series, and there’s a possibility Ncuti isn’t currently even under contract (he’s appearing at a con without it being show promo, that wasn’t usually a thing for actors still on the show prior to now — so either the approach and contracts are changed, or he’s currently between contracts to the show) and whilst ‘season 3’ is being written, it means *most* of the production isn’t ongoing. So any headway is being lost, assuming the show is going forwards.
Even in the seventies and eighties, it was common for there to be a few scripts banked, or production staff working on things essentially just-in-case. Sometimes that was borderline hobby-approach-to-work (like Mike Tucker designing stuff that was never used — modern cybermats) but even in the modern era Moff and Chibnall had balls in the air just-in-case.
At the moment, it does look like the show won’t likely be in full production annually, however they show it, and that lead-actor availability is giving headaches again — which I am not sure should be a problem. It’s not some zero-hour delivery job, even accepting that an actor will want to do other projects between shoots to keep from typecasting or to keep their hand in. But it shouldn’t affect the production. And it is.
As to RTD closing the gaps… well, he’s not so much closing them as papering over them by spreading things a bit thinner in some ways. Again, I’m not sure that’s going to work, even with Moffat basically being holiday cover and doing Christmas — exactly as he did when Chibnall wasn’t ready to go at the start of his era. (Moff is writer and exec producer on the upcoming Xmas special. Like a mini return era-within-an-era from a certain perspective)
It’s very… chaotic. I am not sure that this time it is for the best, and all the stuff that’s come out about Ecclestone’s run and what went on with that makes me question whats going on. Chaos wasn’t good for people then, either.