big F 26 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 (edited) I love Who as much as most in this thread, been to conventions, bought products etc, watched most of the episodes both old and new series alike. I think the main issues for a falling popularity are Every episode seems to be based on earth, what happened to planet xyz and spacestation 123, we have a whole universe / multiverse and the whole of existance to make stories with, but each week we have London, Birmingham or some other part of the world of the 21st century. In the 70’s and 80’s the Doctor did visit earth but no where near as much as now. I know that CGI isnt cheap, but digital filters on film to change the sky or colour of plants is cheap and easy, its school kid easy, as it can be done post production with shop bought software. The wastelands of Skaro were filmed in a quarry near where I used to live, we went there as kids after filming had wrapped, although my parents didn't tell us at the time. 7year old me found Skaro oddly familiar the next week. When I worked at IBM the building I worked in had been used many times for filming for different episodes none of which were earth based. They used a disused MOD airbase near me for one of Colin Bakers encounters with the Daleks prior to it being demolished and turned into a housing estate. I think what I am trying to say is they used to be more inventive set wise and managed more with less. Nowadays with time travel a mainstream plot device in most sci-fi and some dramas they need to make more effort in my opinion. As nothing they do is ground breaking. We have good story writers but average scripts most of the time, with the occasional excellent one in the mix. The BBC wont can it yet as the merch still sells and they have way to much invested, but as its publicly owned, sooner or later if ratings go down questions will get asked. Then the only option might be overseas investment and or a buy off by one of the independent UK channels. If that happens foreign syndication might be more difficult, Auntie Beeb has a massive amount of clout arround the world, and it may end up on a media outlet thats not accessible to the whole of the UK as is current with BBC1 being its output channel. Then it could simply fade away and get dropped. I hope not as my little boy is just starting to take notice of the Whoverse. Edited January 5 by big F Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dynaman 190 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 2 hours ago, big F said: I think what I am trying to say is they used to be more inventive set wise and managed more with less. Not disagreeing as just pointing out that we were much more forgiving of dodgy sets and SFX in the olden days. More stories off of Earth would be good in my opinion too though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dangard Ace 91 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 On 1/3/2021 at 4:32 PM, technoblue said: Speaking of Torchwood, I was wondering... Reveal hidden contents The tease at the end, where Jack sends his farewells over the TARDIS' coms and lets the Doctor know that he's visiting Gwen... Might we see another Torchwood spinoff miniseries or movie? That would be a nice treat if it turns out to be true. John Barrowman tweeted yesterday that he’s in Cardiff. Hmmm .... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
technoblue 165 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Yeah, I can't say that I agree with the critical drinker on this one. Not sure how attacking the writers or the lead actor or the showrunner creates a logical connection for the show's downtrend beyond the same in Capaldi's era as lead. I mean, it's obvious that there are some extremely vocal people who aren't into it anymore which is fine. Anyway, my opinion is that there are probably other variables which we may not be privy to but which may be easier to reconcile. Besides, NuWho still has a ways to go before it hits the same rock bottom statistics of Classic Who (when the BBC just didn't care anymore and worked actively to remove the show from broadcast). The years with the lowest ratings are still 1986, 1987, and the last year of Classic Who, 1989. https://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php The saddest thing, seeing it in print, is that Sylvester McCoy's final season has some of his best episodes and people opt out because of the camp antics and low-budget special effects...but I digress. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Einherjar 154 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Just now, technoblue said: Yeah, I can't say that I agree with the critical drinker on this one. Not sure how attacking the writers or the lead actor or the showrunner creates a logical connection for the show's downtrend beyond the same in Capaldi's era as lead. I mean, it's obvious that there are some extremely vocal people who aren't into it anymore which is fine. A “professional” drama queen on the internet will always need to go below the belt to pay the bills. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
azrael 385 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 2 hours ago, technoblue said: Yeah, I can't say that I agree with the critical drinker on this one. Not sure how attacking the writers or the lead actor or the showrunner creates a logical connection for the show's downtrend beyond the same in Capaldi's era as lead. I mean, it's obvious that there are some extremely vocal people who aren't into it anymore which is fine. ... https://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php The saddest thing, seeing it in print, is that Sylvester McCoy's final season has some of his best episodes and people opt out because of the camp antics and low-budget special effects...but I digress. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Or it's the nostalgia googles. You can see the ratings start dipping from the end of Smith, through Capaldi and straight into Ms. Whittaker's run. Take out the outliers and it started back in Tenet's run. TV shows just don't have that same stamina they use to. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
F-ZeroOne 18 Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 (edited) I can't think of any ways the TV world has changed since "Who" was bought back at all. I mean, I'm a huge fan but even I didn't watch the New Years Special on its broadcast date. Edited January 14 by F-ZeroOne Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chronocidal 439 Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 All thoughts of any sort of background agenda aside, I think they just made a terrible mistake with the direction of the story in this past series. They answered the central question to the entire existence of the series. Whether anyone thinks it was a good or bad answer, they removed the mystery. Full disclosure though, I started with Eccleston, and haven't seen all the way through the Smith episodes. My interest mostly fell off after the arcs with Amy and Rory ended. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
technoblue 165 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Did they answer those questions, though? The Master is manipulative—a known liar but also intelligent. In the classic series, he was shown infiltrating the Panopticon, assassinating the President of Gallifrey, and hacking into the Matrix to change Time Lord historical records, never mind the misdeeds he perpetrated on Earth. In the new series, there is no great Time Lord civilization to stop him. He is free to change records and/or run amuck, and there is also no reason to think that he wouldn't use his old tricks to put the Doctor at a disadvantage. His character has been pretty consistent since being reintroduced, only diverging slightly during the Missy regeneration. Personally, I am skeptical of the child's origin given my understanding of the Master's character, but even my take is speculative. It assumes Chibnall isn't done with this part of the story, and yeah I'm hoping for it. As someone who started with classic who, I do appreciate the deep cuts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dangard Ace 91 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Just finished a rewatch of Torchwood from S1 through Miracle Day. I need more Torchwood. What I loved about Dr Who, Torchwood and Sarah Jane Chronicles running concurrently was that Dr Who did the Scifi/Alien world exploration. Torchwood did the Earth/supernatural stuff and SJC appealed to the kids. Also had K-9. Then there'd be the big (kinda) crossover where they'd all show up on Dr Who to save the universe. I think Class was supposed to be the Teen tie-in but that never went anywhere. As for the rumours that she's leaving...well whatever happens happens. New Doctor or not I'll still watch but I think it'd be hilarious for everyone hating on her that they pull a page out of Tennents book and have her regenerate into....herself. Alright enough of that, anyone know when's the next season/series starting? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
technoblue 165 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 8 hours ago, Dangard Ace said: Alright enough of that, anyone know when's the next season/series starting? Season 13 is already filming, but real world events have cut the episode count down to 8 (reportedly). My guess is that we’ll get to see it broadcast/streaming sometime in the second half of the year. https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a30762531/doctor-who-season-13-release-date/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.