So what should we call these last 18 months?

[Cutter John]

So how should we refer to this last years worth of specials since 'Journey's End' was broadcast?

'The hiatus series'?

'The off year'?

'The Specials season'?

'Series 4.5'?

 

[Lonemagpie]

In LJ tags for posting my comments I've been calling it "season 4.5"

 

[Starkers]

a slight error of judgement?

Seriously, whilst I think Who taking a bit of a break wasn't a bad idea, I think the idea of the specials hasn't worked well. In the main this is for two reasons.

1. Both PotD and WOM kind of hang there alone, unconnected to any wider story.
2. Neither of them felt particularly special.

Don't get me wrong, I liked both of them but, unlike The End of Time, I didn't think they were anything special. As epsiodes within a wider season long context I think they'd have worked much better. In fact imagining PotD as the season opener, with Michelle Ryan staying on as the year's companion would have been great. Similarly WOM acting as episode 11 of the season, possibly after something horrible happened to the companion the episode before, would have worked much better, and been a nice lead in to the final two parter.

I think, rather than the stand alone specials, they'd have been better off with a truncated series ala Torchwood Children of Earth.

Just my two pence worth.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Agreed, Starkers. While it was good to have a break, the specials just weren't that special. Hell, "The End of Time" was just another round of RTD grand finalitis. Ah, well, nothing we can do about that now.

As for how to refer to them, I agree with Season 4.5.

 

[Rosalind]

I've been calling them Season 4.5 as well.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I call them the "Specials", and in case we ever have other "Specials", I'll call them the "2009 Specials".

I can't call them "Season 4.5" because as far as I'm concerned, we're up to Season 30 by now.

 

[ParticleMan]

The Interregnum

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Fine, then it's season 29.5.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I just think of it as the fifth season. It's an abbreviated year, certainly, but what of that?

 

[23skidoo]

Making things even more confusing is the fact the BBC for some insane reason are apparently going to begin referring to the 2010 season as Series 1! (That comes from several sources including DWM).

Technically Season 4.5 is probably the more correct because the production codes for the specials continue the numbering for Season 4 (and there's a considerable debate over whether the Next Doctor special should count as part of "4.5" or part of Season 4 proper given it was filmed during Season 4's production schedule.)

I've also seen the term "Gap Year" used quite a bit, as well as the "Specials Year".

As for the Specials not feeling "special" I have to disagree (and it would seem a number of reviewers too). Planet of the Dead was filmed in Dubai and was the first to be filmed in HD, and it had a cinematic feel to it. Waters of Mars was NOT a standalone in any way shape or form. It was Part 1 of a trilogy (and actually I could expand that into a tetralogy if you include the ending of Planet of the Dead). Even the animated Dreamland special (which I consider the 5th episode of the "Gap Year" even if the BBC doesn't) had a scope beyond the normal TV episodes. The only "standard" episodes of the lot were the two-part Sarah Jane story in which Tennant appeared.

Time will tell how the season comes to be referenced. I think 4.5 is the most likely candidate because in recent years we've become conditioned to such things. And if the rumors of the BBC splitting the next season into two halves is true (5.0 and 5.5? 1.0 and 1.5?) then it makes even more sense to apply 4.5 to the specials.

Alex

 

[Tom]

Season 4B, not to be confused with the second doctor's 6b season LOL!!

 

[ParticleMan]

I like to think of Planet of the Dead as the lighthearted prologue to the increasingly darker successive specials. The Next Doctor is the one that doesn't really "fit"...although it does touch on the Doctor's self-imposed solitude and the benefits that good companions can have...

 

[Starkers]

Gap year makes it sound like the Doctor went interrailing around Skaro or something!

 

[wamdue]

I dont know if I would go far back as 18 months, 2008 was pretty much as normal, full season, and a christmas specail, its only really 2009 which was different.

To call it a gap year is slightly unfair, it was on in that gap year, the 5 specails, (inculding TWOSJS) 6 if you count Dreamland, its not as if theDoctor was totally absent from our screens.

 

[Skywalker]

Season 5 works for me. Why can't a season have only five episodes?

I suppose technically The Next Doctor was part of 2008's season, but I tend to consider Christmas specials to be the beginning of the next season, even though I know that's probably incorrect. I don't know how the BBC does it.

 

[TemporalFlux]

-------------------

Interviewer - "We've decided to ask the authority on this issue - The Doctor himself. Doctor, what would you name the collected work of the past 18 months?"

Doctor - "I think I would name it Henry. Lovable chap, really; makes a fantastic Tarte Tatin with this twist of tomato."

Interviewer - "..."

-------------------

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Henry it is!

 

[wamdue]

Season 5 works for me. Why can't a season have only five episodes?

I suppose technically The Next Doctor was part of 2008's season, but I tend to consider Christmas specials to be the beginning of the next season, even though I know that's probably incorrect. I don't know how the BBC does it.

yes in the past it has been filmed as part of the following series. I am not sure if that was the case for The Next Doctor and the specails. However 2008 was a complete year by Who standards, so to me its only really 2009 that was different

 

[Tom]

Season 5 works for me. Why can't a season have only five episodes?

I suppose technically The Next Doctor was part of 2008's season, but I tend to consider Christmas specials to be the beginning of the next season, even though I know that's probably incorrect. I don't know how the BBC does it.

yes in the past it has been filmed as part of the following series. I am not sure if that was the case for The Next Doctor and the specails. However 2008 was a complete year by Who standards, so to me its only really 2009 that was different

Torchwood had 5 one hour episodes and was called Season 3, Not sure why they could not have called this season 5 unless they felt it was too spread out.

 

[Starkers]

I think it's the spread. If the episodes had been shown together fine but they were quite some distance apart.