Series 8 will be darker, more like Classic Who

[Romulan_spy]

According to new Doctor Who director, Ben Wheatly, series 8 will be darker and more like classic who.

Here is the link:
http://io9.com/doctor-who-director-says-capaldi-brings-back-the-classi-1515244187

 

[Haggis and tatties]

The minute Capaldi whacks somebody over the head with a plank of wood, then has a chuckle about it, is when the series get's back to classic who.

But joking aside, i am really looking forward to a older doctor, it's somewhat comforting to have a Doctor who is older than your own personal age.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Has anyone ever said that they were going in a lighter direction? The interviewer twice leads him with the darkness angle so I don't know that I'd go running with saying something as solid as it will be darker.

He mentions filming JG Ballard's High Rise which is interesting since that seems to have been an inspiration for Doctor Who's Paradise Towers.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I'm kinda sick of hearing everything is going "darker". Dark new takes on this, new darker series of that. For once can't we just have something that's happy to be what it is?

 

[Mr Awe]

I grew up on Classic Who, and it's not particularly dark for the most part. Maybe bits and pieces here and there, but overall, no. So, "dark like Classic Who" doesn't mean much to me. But, I do love Classic Who!

Mr Awe

 

[DWF]

In keeping with Moffat's idea that the show is a fairy tale the Smith era was pretty light. With a new Doctor they have the chance to take the show in a different direction. And the old series was pretty dark at times especially under Hinchecliffe.

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm starting to wonder what "dark" even means. I feel like everything is meant to be "darker" these days, and I never really feel it. I mean, unless the Doctor starts raping and murdering his enemies, I'm not really sure what a darker direction would entail.

 

[davejames]

Yeah, it's kind of hard to interpret what he means by that. My main hope is just that they slow the storytelling pace down a bit to something a bit more natural, to allow for a greater sense of mystery and suspense like we saw in the classic show. And get away somewhat from all the nonstop, frantic dashing about which has characterized the show since it returned.

Simply making the Doctor a bit darker or angrier I don't think would really be enough.

 

[Romulan_spy]

I thought the 9th and 10th Doctors had plenty of dark moments. The 11th departed from that by being very whimsical, fairy tale like, dashing around, being ADD. But I don't want the Doctor to be too dark. He still needs to be the "good guy" who saves the day.

 

[Green Lantern]

According to new Doctor Who director, Ben Wheatly, series 8 will be darker and more like classic who.

Here is the link:
http://io9.com/doctor-who-director-says-capaldi-brings-back-the-classi-1515244187

That's the best fuckin' news all fuckin' day!!!!!!!!!!

Exactly what I wanted this series to be like. I'm absolutely shit sick of the light, childish happy feel Smith's series had. The combination of dark and classic series is pretty much the best way to go. The dark route will easily suit Capaldi's acting and will be a wonderful contrast to the bright fairy tale feel of Smith's tenure. The fans of lighter who have had their time, now it's the fans of darker things to have their turn to get what they want. I for one am pleased as punch that they're going a darker route, it's a popular theme and leads up nicely to the possibility of The Valeyard.

As for the show being closer to classic who, that's also a much welcomed change. I'm absolutely sick of short one part episodes and cameos from monsters. I want to hark back to the "monster of the week" feel that the first ten doctors seemed to have. That's the best way and I hope that aspect of the classic series returns. Plus no more of the rushed endings of series 7, I want two part stories, even three or four part stories. I'm coming to terms that the "detective trio" aren't going away anytime soon, but I want their appearances to be a bit more limited appearing in two or three episodes maximum. Apart from them though, I want absolutely no appearances from past monsters and villains that are cameos at all, no minor appearances. Only have them as the primary or secondary threats.

So yeah in conclusion, couldn't be happier that they're going the dark route plus with more elements of the classic series. Bring on series 8!!!!!

 

[Mr Awe]

In keeping with Moffat's idea that the show is a fairy tale the Smith era was pretty light. With a new Doctor they have the chance to take the show in a different direction. And the old series was pretty dark at times especially under Hinchecliffe.

What do you think was particularly dark specifically? I didn't think that (excellent) era was particularly dark. It certainly was a pastiche of darker styles but wasn't truly dark itself.

Mr Awe

 

[DWF]

In keeping with Moffat's idea that the show is a fairy tale the Smith era was pretty light. With a new Doctor they have the chance to take the show in a different direction. And the old series was pretty dark at times especially under Hinchecliffe.

What do you think was particularly dark specifically? I didn't think that (excellent) era was particularly dark. It certainly was a pastiche of darker styles but wasn't truly dark itself.

Mr Awe

Torture in The Sontaran Experiment, Morbius' brain falling on the floor and Condo getting shot in the gut, the surreal world of the Matrix in The Deadly Assassin, the Jack The Ripper/Sherlock Holmes nature of the plot of The Talons Of Weng Chiang. Among others that era was widelt criticized for the amount of violence in it, especially the ending The Deady Assassin part 3, the Agt. falling off the cliff in The Android Invasion is other example. But then that era was also spoofing major Hammer horror movies at the time.

Season 14 is my all time favorite season of the show, but that era was pretty dark at times and given the massive ratings of that time period people loved it.

 

[Mr Awe]

^ Don't get me wrong, I love that season. Some of those I agree are somewhat dark, particularly the one part of Deadly Assassin.

But, much of that era just has a patina of darkness over regular stories. I didn't find Talons to be any more than superficially dark. The torture in Sontaran Experiment could've been dark but it really wasn't dwelled on. Android Invasion wasn't dark at all in my book.

I agree, GREAT season, fantastic era, but only superficially dark, at least to me. What could've been dark aspects weren't really played up or dealt with to make it truly dark. It's not just what happens, but how it's portrayed, how the characters react to it, etc.

And, it's probably for the best that it wasn't truly dark. That's probably why that era got such good ratings. I think truly dark content would've been a turnoff.

Mr Awe

 

[Starkers]

Can someone explain, for example, how Talons is any darker than something like The Crimson Horror?

And I think Wheatly may need to revisit Leela's departure. Sure Tom doesn't mope for years on end (I'm looking at you RTD) but he's clearly saddened she's gone, he just doesn't show his vulnerability to her, he shows in inside the Tardis after he's closed the door.

 

[Mr Awe]

^ I wouldn't say that Talons is darker! Agree about Leela's departure.

Mr Awe

 

[davejames]

Yeah I don't think "dark" is really the right word to describe some of those classic episodes. They might have been fairly serious and moody, but not dark.

 

[Count Zero]

How can it get darker than committing a double genocide? Yeah, it's been retconned now (which I kind of dislike) but it doesn't get any darker than deliberately killing your own people including your family. The new show was quite a tragic tale, told in a rather light-hearted way, all things considered. The Tenth Doctor had quite a number of dark moments (e.g. in "The Runaway Bride" and "Human Nature/Family of Blood").

Classic Who wasn't like that at all. I think of it as the age of innocence where the Doctor was basically just an eccentric, slightly crazy guy travelling around, stumbling into new adventures.

So, "darker, more like Classic Who" sounds quite contradictory to me.

 

[DWF]

Ther seventh Doctor did trick Davros into using the Hand of Omega and thusly destroyed the entire Skaro solar system, the fourth Doctor did use a Dalek to destroy the incubator room with the new Daleks. The first Doctor even lied to his companions in the first Dalek story just to explore the Dalek city, there by getting thenm sick with radiation poisoning.

The old series could get rather dark, but now even the Daleks can't exterminate anybody. The Matt Smith era though is rather light and even the double genocide has been retconned.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

Um, Classic Who wasn't dark. Now, if Series 8 is glacially slow with bad acting and even worse music, then....

Seriously, NuWho has a pretty set identity at this point. It's more polished in the Moffat era, and I like it that way. I hope they don't mess it up. But if they mean that Series 8 will have more of a "hard sci-fi" feel to it like some of the Classic Who plotlines, then I'm on board with that.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I may be wrong, but I guess Moffat means that the next series will be "darker" as in "less whimsical, more straightforward" than the Matt Smith era. I may be completely wrong about that, though.