Russell T. Davies Returns to Doctor Who as New Showrunner

[The Wormhole]

And RTD has form for leaving a regeneration as a cliffhanger (Stolen Earth) so if he said to Chibbs, “Chris, you’re not going to have a second half of the regeneration. I’m going to start 14 in media res.” that’s what happens.

Stolen Earth doesn't really help your argument out any, since that wasn't really an actual regeneration. That is, they weren't switching actors at that point. RTD does not have the authority to tell Chibnall to leave the regeneration out of the finale now that it's been filmed. That's set in stone, RTD has to work around what Chibnall has written. Indeed, based on tradition (at least in the modern era), the preceding showrunner checks with the succeeding showrunner to see if they want the new Doctor in the finale and don't write the regeneration until after they have their successors consent. I don't know if the timing works out this time around, IE if Chibnall knew RTD was taking over when he wrote the finale, but either way, RTD has to comply with what's already been written. Either Chibnall did check with RTD if he wanted the new Doctor in the finale before writing and got his permission, or Chibnall, not knowing who the next showrunner would be, Chibnall wrote a regeneration scene anyway and the new showrunner would have to work around that.

Besides, RTD realizes the importance of showing the new Doctor in the preceding Doctor's finale. In The Writer's Tale he talks how he spent an entire week before he had a meeting with Moffat preparing arguments to convince him the Eleventh Doctor had to be featured in TEOT, only to find out when he met with Moffat that he had spent the preceding week preparing arguments to convince RTD of the same thing. I don't see why RTD would feel different this time around.

 

[Samurai8472]

Ngl, the idea of Tennant or any past Doctor returning as a new incarnation is appealing. Why? For one, because it was alluded to by the Curator in 'Day of the Doctor' with revisiting old faces, but just the favorites. Of course, that assumes he truly was a future incarnation of the Doctor and not the Moment, or simply Tom Baker wandering onto set. It's also something different. A ratings cashgrab, yes, but it'd be new take on regeneration and give whichever actor a chance to play the character differently than they had before.

The Valeyard

 

[The Knappos]

Stolen Earth doesn't really help your argument out any, since that wasn't really an actual regeneration. That is, they weren't switching actors at that point. RTD does not have the authority to tell Chibnall to leave the regeneration out of the finale now that it's been filmed. That's set in stone, RTD has to work around what Chibnall has written. Indeed, based on tradition (at least in the modern era), the preceding showrunner checks with the succeeding showrunner to see if they want the new Doctor in the finale and don't write the regeneration until after they have their successors consent. I don't know if the timing works out this time around, IE if Chibnall knew RTD was taking over when he wrote the finale, but either way, RTD has to comply with what's already been written. Either Chibnall did check with RTD if he wanted the new Doctor in the finale before writing and got his permission, or Chibnall, not knowing who the next showrunner would be, Chibnall wrote a regeneration scene anyway and the new showrunner would have to work around that.

Besides, RTD realizes the importance of showing the new Doctor in the preceding Doctor's finale. In The Writer's Tale he talks how he spent an entire week before he had a meeting with Moffat preparing arguments to convince him the Eleventh Doctor had to be featured in TEOT, only to find out when he met with Moffat that he had spent the preceding week preparing arguments to convince RTD of the same thing. I don't see why RTD would feel different this time around.

I didn’t say that RTD has the authority to tell Chibbs not to include the regeneration. Just that he could say that he’d rather Chibbs didn’t have the second half, i.e. the bit where Jodie morphs into 14. You seem to be really selectively misreading my posts, just because you subjectively don’t like the rough, non-specific idea I’m spit-balling.

You don’t come up with a creative idea because it’s marketable, you come up with a creative idea and then work out the best way to market it.

 

[Starkers]

Or, you know, just pure bullshit.

Absolutely. It just got me thinking, probably upon completely the wrong lines, of a situation where the newly regenerated Doctor suffers an existential crisis and finds themselves on present day earth bumping into ordinary people who somehow have the faces of people from the Doctor's past. An interesting way to celebrate the 60th without actually bringing back previous incarnations/companions? I could totally see RTD doing that.

Ngl, the idea of Tennant or any past Doctor returning as a new incarnation is appealing. Why? For one, because it was alluded to by the Curator in 'Day of the Doctor' with revisiting old faces, but just the favorites. Of course, that assumes he truly was a future incarnation of the Doctor and not the Moment, or simply Tom Baker wandering onto set. It's also something different. A ratings cashgrab, yes, but it'd be new take on regeneration and give whichever actor a chance to play the character differently than they had before.

Fan: Yay Tennant is back!

Five minutes later

Fan: Boo he's not playing the Doctor the same way, I am outraged!

On the up side at least he might get to be Scottish this time?

 

[Relayer1]

With Michael Sheen as the Doctor. That's a pairing I could never tire of.

I'd rather have a (slightly wonkily regenerated) Sheen with Tennant as a voice in his head or angel/devil on his shoulder, giving him unasked for advice and commentary.

I could even imagine 'head Ten' banging on the wall of his room telling Eleven to keep the noise down...

 

[The Wormhole]

You don’t come up with a creative idea because it’s marketable, you come up with a creative idea and then work out the best way to market it.

When it comes to regenerations, it's very much about marketing. In much the same respect that there are people who only go to church for Christmas and Easter, there are also people who only watch Doctor Who for Dalek episodes and regeneration episodes, which is why those are always highly publicized. Only show half the regeneration, those type of viewers are going to feel incredibly cheated by only getting half of what they were promised.

 

[The Knappos]

Yeah but you advertise the swan song as the swan song, not “Tune in to the hour long special for a 35 second glimpse of the new person”. End of Time, Time of The Doctor, Twice Upon a Time - none of them are advertised on the basis of Matt, Peter or Jodie debuting; they’re advertised as the last time you’ll see David, Matt and Peter.

You advertise the first ep of their first series as their full on debut where they’re the selling point to tune in for.

 

[DigificWriter]

Based on real-world timelines, there could not possibly have been the same kind of collaboration between Chibnall and RTD vis a vis the regeneration that there previously was with RTD and Moffat and Moffat and Chibnall.

Everybody keeps trying to look to past Modern Who precedent and use it to predict or claim that they know what's going to happen, but real-world circumstances invalidate precedent in this particular situation.

 

[Starkers]

Yeah I mean RTD writes a letter which then has to go via mail coach to Chibnall who has to write a letter back. I mean it takes weeks and weeks. If only there was someway they could instantaneously collaborate virtually from anywhere around the globe. Sadly such technology is mere science fiction...

 

[David cgc]

As efficient as the rumor mill has become, I'm willing to bet that the people making Doctor Who still know what's happening with Doctor Who a bit before we do.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Sometimes, a person just has to taunt Ian Levine on Twitter. What if the Tennant rumors are cover for the real story -- Catherine Tate is the next Doctor?

Honestly, I would love Catherine Tate as the Doctor.

 

[Starkers]

That would either be brilliant, or would destroy the show as we know it, and I can't really decide which it'd be.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Based on real-world timelines, there could not possibly have been the same kind of collaboration between Chibnall and RTD vis a vis the regeneration that there previously was with RTD and Moffat and Moffat and Chibnall.

Everybody keeps trying to look to past Modern Who precedent and use it to predict or claim that they know what's going to happen, but real-world circumstances invalidate precedent in this particular situation.

I do love how you absolutely insist on double downing on something so obviously wrong even after people have clearly explained how you're wrong.

I guess that's a refreshing change from disappearing and then pretending you weren't wrong.

Sometimes, a person just has to taunt Ian Levine on Twitter. What if the Tennant rumors are cover for the real story -- Catherine Tate is the next Doctor?

Honestly, I would love Catherine Tate as the Doctor.

That would either be brilliant, or would destroy the show as we know it, and I can't really decide which it'd be.

No matter what, it would definitely be fun to watch the Internet (and Ian) completely lose their shit over it.

 

[DigificWriter]

Yeah I mean RTD writes a letter which then has to go via mail coach to Chibnall who has to write a letter back. I mean it takes weeks and weeks. If only there was someway they could instantaneously collaborate virtually from anywhere around the globe. Sadly such technology is mere science fiction...

You can't collaborate with someone who wasn't hired until you were all but finished with your work.

 

[CuriousCaitian]

You can't collaborate with someone who wasn't hired until you were all but finished with your work.

I think the key phrase here is 'all but'.

Besides, who said there'd be a stark, immutable line where Chibnall would stop being showrunner, and RTD would start? Or an impermeable barrier that would prevent them ever collaborating, in spite of the more than a year they would have had to do so? Rigidity helps no-one. Flexibility helps everyone. It's in both of their best interests, not to mention that of the show, to collaborate on the regen, and I've no doubt they've worked something out. We'll find out what in the autumn.

 

[DigificWriter]

Chibnall officially departed Doctor Who last October upon the completion of filming for the BBC Centenary Special, less than a month after RTD agreed to return as the new showrunner of the program.

There simply wasn't the kind of lead-in period that there was when RTD handed the reins to Moffat and Moffat in turn handed the reins to Chibnall.

 

[CuriousCaitian]

Do we actually know when RTD agreed to return as showrunner? Or only when he was announced to be returning? JMS throwing his hat into the ring is no proof that RTD hadn't agreed by then, as JMS would have known as much as we did at the time, which was only that Chibnall was leaving. I struggle to believe the BBC would announce the departure of one showrunner without already having put some serious thought and effort into who'd replace them. I also don't believe we have anywhere near enough concrete data on the subject to be drawing firm conclusions, but then I've never liked to assume.

One last thing I really struggle to believe: that Tennant would return as well. It seems highly counterproductive, and much more like fan hopes and pipe dreams given more credulence than they deserve by the media than any actual plan for the next incarnation of the show. Personally, I don't see why anniversaries always have to look back. Surely they can also look forward, especially given that renewal, new beginnings, is a fundamental aspect of Doctor Who's mythos and success.

 

[StCoop]

And for a bit of change of pace here's a rumour that has a lot more of chance of being true.

Scott Handcock, who had various jobs on the series, Confidential and TSJAs back during Russel's first stint but who has spent recent years as a Producer/Director/Writer for Big Finish is coming on board as Script Editor.

He was particularly heavily involved with the Torchwood releases and worked closely with RTD on developing the post-Miracle Day run but has just left the company...

 

[The Wormhole]

Yeah but you advertise the swan song as the swan song, not “Tune in to the hour long special for a 35 second glimpse of the new person”. End of Time, Time of The Doctor, Twice Upon a Time - none of them are advertised on the basis of Matt, Peter or Jodie debuting; they’re advertised as the last time you’ll see David, Matt and Peter.

You advertise the first ep of their first series as their full on debut where they’re the selling point to tune in for.

The whole point of regenerations is that we get to see the new Doctor, even if it just a minute or so of them wearing their predecessor's costume. And promotional material for Time of the Doctor did include Peter Capaldi, even if it was just the shot of his eyebrows seen in Day of the Doctor.

Do we actually know when RTD agreed to return as showrunner? Or only when he was announced to be returning?

Excellent point. Though the announcement of RTD returning was made last September, he would have logically been in talks with BBC for a few months prior. And since he and Chibnall are friends, it stands to reason Chibnall would have known about RTD's return long before we of the general public did.

 

[DigificWriter]

Though the announcement of RTD returning was made last September, he would have logically been in talks with BBC for a few months prior. And since he and Chibnall are friends, it stands to reason Chibnall would have known about RTD's return long before we of the general public did.

1) You're making assumptions here that don't really work within the parameters of what we know.

2) The search for a new showrunner is not something that would be in Chibnall's purview, and RTD would not have been able to share anything about whatever talks he may or may not have been having vis a vis Doctor Who with anyone, so, no, Chibnall would not have known about RTD returning until the General public did.