Russell T. Davies Returns to Doctor Who as New Showrunner

[Brendan Moody]

Whatever their leverage, I think fans wildly overestimate Disney’s interest in dictating the content of Doctor Who. It’s an existing brand they bought into at a low price (relative to their typical streaming budget), not something they’re looking to exert creative control over. Davies has shared examples of the notes he gets from Disney, and they’re the same kind of anodyne suggested tweaks the BBC has always come up with.

 

[Mr Awe]

I think their main interest is having a popular show that justifies the costs. It's probably not specific content in terms of storylines. But likely if they see something they think will reduce its popularity, they'll include a note. I don't see a strong, specific influence myself.

 

[EnderAKH]

Personally, I LOVED RTD1, got diminishing returns from Moffatt (I honestly do not understand what everyone loves about Heaven Sent, but different strokes and all that) and found Chibnall less bad than just boring, which describes his RTD1 work as well (I love Season 3, but 42 is part of the low point, along with The Lazarus Experiment and the Dalek 2 parter). I find RTD2 to be a total return to form and loved every over the top moment of it, from the specials through the proper season. The one downside is I agree with those above, 9 just doesn't feel like the right amount of episodes, 12 feels better. Take out the 2 part finale, the premiere, and the doctor lite episode and you've lost half the season for proper stand-alone adventures.

 

[Rich Watson]

So, for some bizarre reason Bad Wolf have hired an Intimacy Coordinator for S2. Unless the show is suddenly going to be aimed a radically different audience it seems like a waste of money. Hopefully Disney money and not License Fee payer's.

And in another pandering move to alongside non-wheelchair Davros and non-screwdriver Sonic Screwdriver, The Black Guardian has now been renamed The Guardian of Chaos as per new official merchandise.

 

[Qonundrum]

So, for some bizarre reason Bad Wolf have hired an Intimacy Coordinator for S2. Unless the show is suddenly going to be aimed a radically different audience it seems like a waste of money. Hopefully Disney money and not License Fee payer's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intimacy_coordinator
https://www.reddit.com/r/Theatre/comments/1aruofy/understanding_what_an_intimacy_director_does/
etc

Definitely for a different audience, that's pretty much conclusive at this point. Can't be the same one as season one's, surely?

And in another pandering move to alongside non-wheelchair Davros and non-screwdriver Sonic Screwdriver, The Black Guardian has now been renamed The Guardian of Chaos as per new official merchandise.

Is it a problem, considering that the show was rebranded "Season one" and all official sources have distanced the new version from the 2005 and 1963 versions?

 

[Tuskin38]

So, for some bizarre reason Bad Wolf have hired an Intimacy Coordinator for S2. Unless the show is suddenly going to be aimed a radically different audience it seems like a waste of money. Hopefully Disney money and not License Fee payer's.

And in another pandering move to alongside non-wheelchair Davros and non-screwdriver Sonic Screwdriver, The Black Guardian has now been renamed The Guardian of Chaos as per new official merchandise.

What a bunch of non-issues. Why should we care?

Also Intimacy coordinators don't mean there's going to be sex, they also have other roles.

 

[jaime]

So, for some bizarre reason Bad Wolf have hired an Intimacy Coordinator for S2. Unless the show is suddenly going to be aimed a radically different audience it seems like a waste of money. Hopefully Disney money and not License Fee payer's.

And in another pandering move to alongside non-wheelchair Davros and non-screwdriver Sonic Screwdriver, The Black Guardian has now been renamed The Guardian of Chaos as per new official merchandise.

Used to be Doctor Who would just occasionally do a bit of an Orwell inspired story.
Now…

 

[Tuskin38]

Used to be Doctor Who would just occasionally do a bit of an Orwell inspired story.
Now…

There's nothing Orwellian about this.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intimacy_coordinator
https://www.reddit.com/r/Theatre/comments/1aruofy/understanding_what_an_intimacy_director_does/
etc

Definitely for a different audience, that's pretty much conclusive at this point. Can't be the same one as season one's, surely?

Is it a problem, considering that the show was rebranded "Season one" and all official sources have distanced the new version from the 2005 and 1963 versions?

What a bunch of non-issues. Why should we care?

Also Intimacy coordinators don't mean there's going to be sex, they also have other roles.

Thank you. Both of you beat me to it. Hiring an intimacy coordinator is inherently a good thing, always. To try and say otherwise is simply a case of attempting to stir up controversy where there is none.

 

[Qonundrum]

Thank you. Both of you beat me to it. Hiring an intimacy coordinator is inherently a good thing, always. To try and say otherwise is simply a case of attempting to stir up controversy where there is none.

It reduces the chance of issues, certainly from the production side of things. Audiences invariably react and either which way, I wouldn't blame them as the show has decades' worth of content, the style of the content changes all the time, audiences have a right to feel what they want, and new people will sometimes make up for those who give up on the show. It really is the greatest show in the galaxy, and the show must go on.

Used to be Doctor Who would just occasionally do a bit of an Orwell inspired story.
Now…

Orwell and others of loose inspiration, certainly. Even Agatha Christie, HG Wells, Greek myths, and so on, only had so many stories to offer inspiration from. If nothing else, the show is now drawing upon other things. We won't know what will really be shown until it is, and some assumptions based on predictions some make are based on what the show may or may not need. Having to figure out what the audience wants is a chore in its own right. For everything else, plenty of websites will offer similar content.

 

[JD]

Is it a problem, considering that the show was rebranded "Season one" and all official sources have distanced the new version from the 2005 and 1963 versions?

I don't really see where it's done that though, we had Donna and the 14th, Kate, Mel, and The Toymaker in the specials, and we saw the previous Doctors at least one, and we got Kate and Mel again, and got Sutekh back in the regular season and I'm pretty sure all of them acknowledged their history with the Doctor. And the tie-ins have started to include 15 in their multi-Doctor content.

 

[N-121973]

Please forgive my denseness, but what is an 'intimacy coordinator'? I've never heard of that until I read the posts above.

 

[jaime]

It reduces the chance of issues, certainly from the production side of things. Audiences invariably react and either which way, I wouldn't blame them as the show has decades' worth of content, the style of the content changes all the time, audiences have a right to feel what they want, and new people will sometimes make up for those who give up on the show. It really is the greatest show in the galaxy, and the show must go on.



Orwell and others of loose inspiration, certainly. Even Agatha Christie, HG Wells, Greek myths, and so on, only had so many stories to offer inspiration from. If nothing else, the show is now drawing upon other things. We won't know what will really be shown until it is, and some assumptions based on predictions some make are based on what the show may or may not need. Having to figure out what the audience wants is a chore in its own right. For everything else, plenty of websites will offer similar content.

My point was they are *acting* in that way behind the scenes.

 

[jaime]

Please forgive my denseness, but what is an 'intimacy coordinator'? I've never heard of that until I read the posts above.

A person whose job is usually to make sure no-one is uncomfortable when simulating intimacy — usually for sex scenes.
Something, historically, Who would have no need for. And arguably should continue to have no need for.

 

[The Wormhole]

A person whose job is usually to make sure no-one is uncomfortable when simulating intimacy — usually for sex scenes.
Something, historically, Who would have no need for. And arguably should continue to have no need for.

In this day and age, particularly in light of Me Too and other things, the intimacy coordinator's job scope has widened to include things like two people laying in bed together (even if no sex is seen or even implied) to even basic hugging and kissing.

 

[David cgc]

A person whose job is usually to make sure no-one is uncomfortable when simulating intimacy — usually for sex scenes.
Something, historically, Who would have no need for. And arguably should continue to have no need for.

It’s not 1996 anymore, it’s not shocking that sometimes people kiss or are (comedically) naked on Doctor Who, something well within an IC’s purview.

Assuming this is a change in the status quo is as wild as deducing from Doctor Who having a firearms supervisor and effects make up team that it’s going to have R-rated gory gun violence with big gaping bullet wounds.

 

[Tuskin38]

Please forgive my denseness, but what is an 'intimacy coordinator'? I've never heard of that until I read the posts above.

Intimacy coordinator - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[matthunter]

In this day and age, particularly in light of Me Too and other things, the intimacy coordinator's job scope has widened to include things like two people laying in bed together (even if no sex is seen or even implied) to even basic hugging and kissing.

Yep, that scene in The Shakespeare Code where Martha is in bed with the Doctor (and clearly hoping it will proceed further) would need an IC these days. RTD is a good writer and managed to make the scene work, but the IC is there to ensure the actors aren't uncomfortable with it, regardless.

Some actors have issues with physical intimacy - even if that intimacy is meant to be platonic. "Does not like being hugged" is not just a TV Trope, so if the script says "The Doctor hugs X", the IC is there to help see if X is OK with it, help them work through it if not and if working through it is not possible, suggest an alternative be found.

The main point, though, is to check actors aren't feeling pressured into intimate scenes.

 

[jaime]

They’d had their work cut out for them on Torchwood. Or have an army of them, shifts round the clock. Or whatever Barrowman was waving.

 

[Mr Awe]

A person whose job is usually to make sure no-one is uncomfortable when simulating intimacy — usually for sex scenes.
Something, historically, Who would have no need for. And arguably should continue to have no need for.

It's actually more than just that. Their job is to convey the sense of intimacy on the screen. Not just about making the actors comfortable but making it feel like these people truly have a relationship. Yes, that involves making the actors more comfortable but there's a lot more to it too.