Spoilers Russell T. Davies Returns to Doctor Who as New Showrunner

[Judge Death]

They’re my favourite Doctors too (though I do like Tennant and Eccleston too) and Moffat my favourite DW writer but I think he was better at individual stories than ongoing arcs and show running generally. The RTD/Tennant/Eccleston era was probably when the show was overall at its best (though that could of course have been the novelty and freshness of it all).

Time has been kinder to Moffat’s tenure than fans and critics were at the time, mind you,

I think this is the thing we often forget, I mean in hindsight Bad Wolf was a bit rubbish, just some random words that, it turned out, meant something at the end of the season, in fact even at the time I was disappointed. The trouble is every showrunner has felt the need to outdo themselves and/or outdo the other guy (the exception being Chibnall who tried to do something a little different but just wasn't a good enough writer to pull it off.)

I'd still like to see the showrunner hand over responsibility to someone else for the season finale.

The entire universe and billions of people don't have to be at risk for a story to be epic. There's a reason Androzani is so freaking awesome, because the Doctor risks everything, and in the end sacrifices his life to save a single person, and not even someone he knows very well at that!

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

I think this is the thing we often forget, I mean in hindsight Bad Wolf was a bit rubbish, just some random words that, it turned out, meant something at the end of the season, in fact even at the time I was disappointed. The trouble is every showrunner has felt the need to outdo themselves and/or outdo the other guy (the exception being Chibnall who tried to do something a little different but just wasn't a good enough writer to pull it off.)

I'd still like to see the showrunner hand over responsibility to someone else for the season finale.

The entire universe and billions of people don't have to be at risk for a story to be epic. There's a reason Androzani is so freaking awesome, because the Doctor risks everything, and in the end sacrifices his life to save a single person, and not even someone he knows very well at that!

Fitting that Tennant did the same for Wilf.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

They’re my favourite Doctors too (though I do like Tennant and Eccleston too) and Moffat my favourite DW writer but I think he was better at individual stories than ongoing arcs and show running generally. The RTD/Tennant/Eccleston era was probably when the show was overall at its best (though that could of course have been the novelty and freshness of it all).

While I don't disagree with any of that, I think RTD was better at arcs than he was at character progression and thematic evolution. The Capaldi Doctor changed, in particular, with every passing season, and Moff himself was writing more character-driven scripts in the second era than he did in his first, which was more whimsical and witty for the sake of it.

Personally, I'd really go out and call the collective RTD1-Moff eras as the essential golden era of NuWho, just as I'd call the Letts/Hinchcliffe eras of OldWho the golden era of OldWho, even if I won't rank the Pertwee seasons as high because they hit a great standard that was improved upon over time.

Time has been kinder to Moffat’s tenure than fans and critics were at the time, mind you,

For sure. I remember thinking Moffat couldn't leave fast enough.

Now, I wish he'd return (at least annually for a Christmas special)!

 

[Jedman67]

Moffat - great at individual stories, exceptional at character development.
RTD - good with arcs and serials, not so good down in the weeds with individual stories.

Both of them together were fantastic, which is why their collaborations are the golden age.
Boom! is quintessential Doctor Who, Ncuti was totally RTD's Doctor but Moffat captured him perfectly.

I honestly think S1-2 would have been so much better with a writer-producer who's sole job was to edit and polish the scripts to cut down a little on the flamboyance and strengthen plot and character. Or even just another staff writer; since Davies wrote about half the episodes himself.

 

[Rich Watson]

Carol Ann Ford talks about her scenes cut from the finale.

Carole Ann Ford describes unused Doctor Who finale scene

Carole Ann Ford, described an unused scene she filmed for the Doctor Who finale

cultbox.co.uk

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Moffat - great at individual stories, exceptional at character development.
RTD - good with arcs and serials, not so good down in the weeds with individual stories.

Both of them together were fantastic, which is why their collaborations are the golden age.
Boom! is quintessential Doctor Who, Ncuti was totally RTD's Doctor but Moffat captured him perfectly.

I honestly think S1-2 would have been so much better with a writer-producer who's sole job was to edit and polish the scripts to cut down a little on the flamboyance and strengthen plot and character. Or even just another staff writer; since Davies wrote about half the episodes himself.

Which is why I wish the seasons were longer. More voices to add to the pool.

I don't necessarily mind RTD writing lots of the stories (he was away for a while, and what he offered was mostly interesting and exciting), but new voices should always be the goal if the show is to survive.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I guess given Smith and Capaldi are my favorite NuWho Doctors, it figures I'm more partial to Moffat's take.

I was talking of Sandifer's interpretation of that era, not the era itself.

I don't necessarily mind RTD writing lots of the stories (he was away for a while, and what he offered was mostly interesting and exciting), but new voices should always be the goal if the show is to survive.

Agreed. I felt Moffat took on too much of the writing work, as well, especially if he couldn't hit his deadlines. There are freelancers he could hire!

 

[Marc]

There are freelancers he could hire!

Big Finish has shown there are writers out there who love the show, have a track record on writing stories (okay there's a difference between audio and tv) so why do we keep getting this situation where the show running keeps writting so many episodes?

Cost? Ego? Modern tv production?

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Big Finish has shown there are writers out there who love the show, have a track record on writing stories (okay there's a difference between audio and tv) so why do we keep getting this situation where the show running keeps writting so many episodes?

Cost? Ego? Modern tv production?

BBC pressure, probably. In The Writer's Tale, RTD mentioned he was content to let other writers handle the 2009 specials, until BBC requested he at least co-write them, feeling his name attached to the scripts as a writer would help attract big name guest stars.

 

[David cgc]

Personally, I'd really go out and call the collective RTD1-Moff eras as the essential golden era of NuWho, just as I'd call the Letts/Hinchcliffe eras of OldWho the golden era of OldWho, even if I won't rank the Pertwee seasons as high because they hit a great standard that was improved upon over time.

Back before Chibnall took over (or his episodes started running, I don’t remember precisely), I said that despite the bitter RTD versus Moffatt debates that had been going on, once they were both over, their tenures would have a lot more in common with each other than with the new showrunner’s.

It was just that their similarities were obscured and differences magnified because until we got the contrast of Chibnall (and now RTD2), everything they had in common appeared to just be “how Doctor Who works in the 21st century,” but it would turn out some amount of those table-stakes wouldn’t be obligatory, after all.

 

[Samurai8472]

The original ending for The Reality War had Carol Ann Ford watching from a distance.

Carole Ann Ford describes unused Doctor Who finale scene

Carole Ann Ford, described an unused scene she filmed for the Doctor Who finale

cultbox.co.uk

 

[The Nightmare Doctor]

A pity and a shame it had to be dropped and we couldn't get just even a little bit more of Susan.

With the show's indefinite hiatus (regardless of what Davies and even The BBC claims), it feels highly unlikely we'll get any follow-up on that thread.

Also feels like a repeat of William Russell and missed opportunities.