Series 7 Returns on March 30

[The Nth Doctor]

I'm not sure what I'm more surprised by, the earlier (than usual) Spring airdate or the fact that we know about it so "early."

Doctor Who: series 7 confirmed to return on Easter weekend

It's going to be another Doctor Who-themed Easter weekend in 2013, as the BBC confirms that Who's current series is to return on Saturday the 30th of March. That's a full week earlier than most of us were expecting, and you'll hear no complaints from this quarter.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I'm not sure what I'm more surprised by, the earlier (than usual) Spring airdate or the fact that we know about it so "early."

I've seen the suggestion today that this announcement -- a full two months in advance of airing -- is to settle a fandom riled up by yesterday's revelations from Toy Fair. However, I suspect the announcement has more to do with the needs of Doctor Who‘s foreign broadcasters than it does with fan discontent.

The ITV gamesmanship that was the moving target of the autumn premiere date made it difficult for broadcasters like BBC America and Space to advertise the show in anything more than a vague way. They would have preferred bus billboards and print ads with an actual date than the nebulous “Fall” that they had to use as the BBC broadcast date was finalized until after the marketing materials had to go to press.

After BBC America landed Doctor Who on the cover of TV Guide, the same moving target gamesmanship for the spring isn’t something they would be anxious to repeat.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Oddly, it's also...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Doctors'_Day

 

[DalekJim]

Oh, it's so nice to have confirmation this early. I'm used to finding out 2 weeks before broadcast, having wasted weeks of anticipation for imminent Who.

 

[The Wormhole]

Didn't DWM say over it would have an "April premiere date?" I guess March 30 is close enough to April, and it is the traditional Easter premiere.

 

[DalekJim]

DWM got the wrong info? Does that mean Tom Spilsbury is in actual fact not Steven Moffat's bestest friend in the whole wild world?

I remember when Moffat told Spilsbury Series 5 would be called Series 1 .

 

[Lonemagpie]

It's not up to Moffat when the show airs - it's up to the BBC1 schedulers

Should make for a good weekend though, since Game Of Thrones is back on the Sunday (US) and Monday (UK) as well...

 

[The Wormhole]

DWM got the wrong info? Does that mean Tom Spilsbury is in actual fact not Steven Moffat's bestest friend in the whole wild world?

I remember when Moffat told Spilsbury Series 5 would be called Series 1 .

My guess is at the time the article was written whoever wrote it said April not realizing Easter is actually in March this year. It's an honest mistake, Easter is in April more often than it is in March.

 

[Brendan Moody]

DWM has had a wrong premiere date in the past due to a late change of plans; that may have happened again.

 

[diankra]

With issues out on March 7 and April 4, 30 March is a dreadful date fromDWM's point of view!

 

[tomalak301]

Doctor Who, Easter, and Game of Thrones on the same weekend? That's awesome.

 

[Captaindemotion]

It's not up to Moffat when the show airs - it's up to the BBC1 schedulers

Should make for a good weekend though, since Game Of Thrones is back on the Sunday (US) and Monday (UK) as well...

My thoughts precisely.

Isn't Liam Cunningham (GOT's Davos) in DW this season? (Or was that the first half of S7)

 

[DalekJim]

Thought the first season of Game of Thrones was an almost flawlessly perfect adaptation of the book. Season 2 seriously dropped the ball with all the main plots apart from Theon's so I'm a bit wary about next season considering the third book is my favourite.

 

[Lonemagpie]

It's not up to Moffat when the show airs - it's up to the BBC1 schedulers

Should make for a good weekend though, since Game Of Thrones is back on the Sunday (US) and Monday (UK) as well...

My thoughts precisely.

Isn't Liam Cunningham (GOT's Davos) in DW this season? (Or was that the first half of S7)

He's in episode 8, the submarine episode (he's the captain), along with David Warner.

Of course both shows get Diana Rigg in this year...

 

[diankra]

Thought the first season of Game of Thrones was an almost flawlessly perfect adaptation of the book. Season 2 seriously dropped the ball with all the main plots apart from Theon's so I'm a bit wary about next season considering the third book is my favourite.

Was about to say that I think that's down to the books rather than the series, and then realised you've read the books. Still, there is an ongoing problem that they can never match the surprise of... ahh, episode nine, season one.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Thought the first season of Game of Thrones was an almost flawlessly perfect adaptation of the book. Season 2 seriously dropped the ball with all the main plots apart from Theon's so I'm a bit wary about next season considering the third book is my favourite.

Was about to say that I think that's down to the books rather than the series, and then realised you've read the books. Still, there is an ongoing problem that they can never match the surprise of... ahh, episode nine, season one.

Eh, I don't care about surprises in the series. I was spoiled (on the big one) long before I saw the series (and I just started reading the books) thanks to Facebook.

 

[DalekJim]

I dunno. Season 1 was really accurate but Season 2 had all those dumb changes. Jon Snow's plotline in particular got butchered beyond belief.

I did like a few of the changes. The scene of Theon contemplating sending a letter to Robb wasn't in the book.

 

[Nagisa Furukawa]

I dunno. Season 1 was really accurate but Season 2 had all those dumb changes. Jon Snow's plotline in particular got butchered beyond belief.

I did like a few of the changes. The scene of Theon contemplating sending a letter to Robb wasn't in the book.

Yeah, I don't mind changes like that, which just strengthen and flesh out an already existing plot line. There's a big difference between that and, say, cramming the beautifully paced Jon Snow plot in ACoK into a single ep so they could have an ep of him and Ygritte wandering around and flirting or completely changing the Qarth storyline to the point where other than the names "Xaro Xhoan Daxos" and "The House of the Undying," it has absolutely nothing to do with the one in the books. Seriously, their take on the House of the Undying scene frightens me more than anything. The scene in the book is basically a blueprint of where Martin is going with the series and... they didn't include a single, NOT ONE, image of moment from the book when adapting it. Really makes me worried where the fuck they're going to go with it.

Was about to say that I think that's down to the books rather than the series, and then realised you've read the books. Still, there is an ongoing problem that they can never match the surprise of... ahh, episode nine, season one.

Eh, it's a great moment to say "This isn't your daddy's fantasy series!" but there's a lot more powerful moments and surprises later in the series, IMO, especially in A Storm of Swords.

 

[StCoop]

Damn!

I was going to predict last night that the BBC would release some positive news today to counteract yesterday's negative news.

 

[diankra]

Thought the first season of Game of Thrones was an almost flawlessly perfect adaptation of the book. Season 2 seriously dropped the ball with all the main plots apart from Theon's so I'm a bit wary about next season considering the third book is my favourite.

Was about to say that I think that's down to the books rather than the series, and then realised you've read the books. Still, there is an ongoing problem that they can never match the surprise of... ahh, episode nine, season one.

Eh, I don't care about surprises in the series. I was spoiled (on the big one) long before I saw the series (and I just started reading the books) thanks to Facebook.

I reviewed the first book back in 1996. Can't believe how lukewarm I was about it...