Doctor Who - What has happened to this series?

[alertandawake]

There was a time this was such a good series, I recall growing up watching this especially from the 3rd doctor onwards.

I have not watched the show since the end of series 10 (of the series remake).

This was to me one of those really good TV shows (especially in the 70s).

Has this show now really gone so far down hill?

 

[John Caldwell]

Who was the Doctor at the end of series 10?

 

[timothyu]

When Chris Chibnall took over with the latest Doctor, it went downhill fast the past couple years, revamping tradition (both air times and story line) and trying to cater to the online fringe element and wokeness. It wasn't the fault of the actors stuck in a new role of political correctness. A ratings drop of 80% shows the fringe and woke element who remained watching are truly a minority. Fortunately towards the end of the recent series things started improving and it showed in the actors who came alive. If he would have kept it up perhaps a good year would have come.

But the die was cast and in order to save the series from another 20 year hiatus, Russell T Davies was brought back in to bring the show to it's former glory. So sure of this they are, that Disney + has picked it up. In the meantime with covid and building back better aliens out there on the loose among us, the Doctor has been too busy saving us from ourselves in real life to get much screen time in. Without spoilers for those who haven't seen the last episode last weekend, all that is about to change,.

 

[Shemjaza]

When Chris took over it went downhill fast the past couple years, revamping tradition and trying to cater to the online fringe element and wokeness. It wasn't the fault of the actors stuck in a new role of political correctness. A ratings drop of 80% shows the fringe and woke element who remained watching are truly a minority. Fortunately towards the end of the recent series things started improving and if he would have kept it up perhaps a good year would have come. But the die was cast and in order to save the series from another 20 year hiatus, Davies was brought back in to bring the show to it's former glory. So sure of this they are that Disney + has picked it up. In the meantime with covid and building back better aliens out there on the loose, the Doctor has been too busy saving us from ourselves to get much screen time in. Without spoilers for those who haven't seen the last episode last weekend, all that is about to change,.

As someone who would probably be labelled as "fringe woke", that is not the problem with Doctor Who... it's just bad writing and bad storytelling.

Jodie Whittaker's performance and character was fun and would have been a fine Doctor if she'd had better writing to work with.

Even Peter Capaldi couldn't elevate his material to the level of lesser actors in the Doctor Who past.

 

[timothyu]

As someone who would probably be labelled as "fringe woke", that is not the problem with Doctor Who... it's just bad writing and bad storytelling

Yes because he based it around those elements of correctness that the show pussyfooted around. Those were treacherous times to be in the public eye. It failed.

 

[timothyu]

Jodie Whittaker's performance and character was fun and would have been a fine Doctor if she'd had better writing to work with.

I agree. She shone on the last episode.

 

[Shemjaza]

Yes because he based it around those elements of correctness that the show pussyfooted around. Those were treacherous times to be in the public eye. It failed.

Disagree, there's plenty of interesting well written fiction specifically using those concepts. Recent Doctor Who just wasn't in that list.

 

[timothyu]

Recent Doctor Who just wasn't in that list.

Agreed. Chibnall wasn't good at not looking like he was walking on eggshells.

 

[alertandawake]

See one thing that has really annoyed me with this series since the reboot is this "political correctness" concept into it.

In Season 8 we have Missy who was actually The Master (so we go form male time lord and regenerated into female timelord and at some point, back again into a male timelord)

Being a fan of the old series, there already was a female renegade time lord, The Rani.

Now the same thing is happened with The Doctor. Regenerated into a female and now from what I read, and seen on Youtube, back again into a previous regeneration.

It is like now this show is promoting this concept of "Gender Fluid"? Whatever that means.

 

[Petros2015]

I recall growing up watching this especially from the 3rd doctor onwards.

From the 4th-5th for me when I was a child, and then the next 3 at the reboot Echellston, Tenant and I made it about 1/2 through the next (can't remember name) before it started to get tiresome.

Oh how I loved these

The reboot had some good moments but the Baker character became embedded in my psyche as a role-hero. Still is on a good day

 

[timothyu]

At least for now all the fringe element ideas are being pushed into the character of the sidekicks. Jesus surrounded Himself with sinners, He didn't become one.

At least Chibnall was smart enough to keep the romantic aspect of the Doctor and latest sidekick merely hinted at but not outright, for even he must be smart enough that to make Doctor Who timeless and acceptable far into the future, it must not be full blown representative of a cultural era. Besides Doctor Who is an alien or has the world brainwashed him/her into being as feebleminded as the rest of us.

 

[DragonFox91]

As someone who would probably be labelled as "fringe woke", that is not the problem with Doctor Who... it's just bad writing and bad storytelling.

Jodie Whittaker's performance and character was fun and would have been a fine Doctor if she'd had better writing to work with.

Even Peter Capaldi couldn't elevate his material to the level of lesser actors in the Doctor Who past.

Guess who's doing the writing?
Even if the show itself is not activist, activist writers/directors/producers/etc. w/ little experience have taken over everything. Some people think you're starting to slowly see a shift away from that b/c executives are realizing it's not selling, but I think it might still take another decade or so.

 

[Shemjaza]

Guess who's doing the writing?
Even if the show itself is not activist, activist writers/directors/producers/etc. w/ little experience have taken over everything. Some people think you're starting to slowly see a shift away from that b/c executives are realizing it's not selling, but I think it might still take another decade or so.

My point wasn't that the show wasn't activist... I think it always has been in different ways.

My point is that being activist isn't why it was bad, it's just that the writing, characters and structure were bad.

 

[Vanellus]

For me the problem started with the move away from shorter 30-minute episodes and the use of cliff-hangers. Instead, they now try to crush too much into one or two longer episodes with poor results.

 

[Shemjaza]

For me the problem started with the move away from shorter 30-minute episodes and the use of cliff-hangers. Instead, they now try to crush too much into one or two longer episodes with poor results.

That's probably a good explanation for some of it.

Long stories get cut to squish into one episode and short stories get filler.

 

[timothyu]

People usually watch fantasy shows to escape reality, not have it pushed in their faces every week. Previously historical figures played parts in unrelated stories on Doctor Who, while now it takes the Doctor to change history instead of those who did

 

[angelsaroundme]

Disney is supposed to be tripling its budget. But if the show isn't fun, a lot of money doesn't matter. I may end up checking out the new Tennant stuff if I hear it's entertaining.

 

[timothyu]

Disney is supposed to be tripling its budget.

As long as they keep their noses out of how it is done. The US has ruined every British show or musician it ever got it's hands on with their repetitive and boring formulas. Wouldn't be surprised if it was made over in the image of the Marvelverse.

 

[angelsaroundme]

As long as they keep their noses out of how it is done. The US has ruined every British show or musician it ever got it's hands on with their repetitive and boring formulas. Wouldn't be surprised if it was made over in the image of the Marvelverse.

I don't know if it could be called copying Marvel since Doctor Who has already done The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood. Unless they make multiple spinoffs interconnected by a main villain which would be more in the Marvel mold.

 

[timothyu]

I don't know if it could be called copying Marve

Marvel foolishly fights aggression with aggression. The American way. It never ends. Doctor Who negotiates, uses diplomacy before being forced into anything, and the choice is always left to the opponent. It would be a shame to see that go.