1. Katie Hart says:

    I do feel like it’s going to be a brand new show. And it’s a shame, because Doctor Who IS my favorite show, and I feel like it’s ending and all I’m getting is a crappy spinoff.

    It took forever for me to warm to Matt Smith because it was such a restart to the show, but even then, I loved Moffat’s stories (like you, I was hooked on the show by The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances) so I trusted him as showrunner and loved the timey-wimey twists and turns.

    I don’t trust Chibnall at all. Broadchurch was excellent, but so drama-heavy it was sometimes a chore to watch (which I did because David Tennant). And all of the choices he’s made for Doctor Who have only made me mistrust him further. I hate that the show bowed to feminist politics and cast a woman as the Doctor, and while Jodie may be great, nothing about her Broadchurch role tells me she’d be a good Doctor (grieving Doctor? Yes, but fun Doctor? Nope.). If Chibnall had to pick a female actor from Broadchurch, Olivia Coleman’s acting chops are far superior. Casting 3 companions tells me a) Chibnall isn’t confident in creating a Doctor/companion bond, and is hedging his bets, and b) he’s trying to cover every possible diversity angle. 13’s outfit is hideous, and pulls in so many elements from previous Doctors that it seems to be shouldering the whole burden of reminding viewers that she is supposed to be the same person.

    And I just found out that Murray Gold, the show’s composer since the first episode of the revived series, may be leaving as well, which may be the deepest blow of all.

    I’ll still keep watching. But I’m viewing it with the same anticipation as I had for the spinoff Class – connected to Doctor Who, but not really Doctor Who. I’m pretty sure it will never be the show I love again. But I’m willing to be pleasantly surprised.

    • I just found out that Murray Gold, the show’s composer since the first episode of the revived series, may be leaving as well, which may be the deepest blow of all.

      This would indeed be even more terrible than any hard (-left?) reboot.

      • Look, if I can put up with the unspeakably awful scores of the 1980’s*, y’all can cope with the loss of Murray Gold for a possibly somewhat less talented replacement. KIDS TODAY, THEY DON’T KNOW HOW GOOD THEY HAVE IT. *bangs spoon on table*

        Just teasing, of course. Well, mostly. 😉


        * The soundtrack for “Mawdryn Undead” alone, for instance, is enough to make even the most ardent fan’s ears bleed. But I watched it multiple times anyway because of my enormous crush on Peter Davison, DON’T JUDGE ME.

    • Oh dear. Very sorry to hear about Muray Gold leaving. That’s truly tragic.

      Regarding the three companions – that’s not at all unusual if you look back at the classics. It was quite normal for the older doctors to travel with more than one companion. The First doctor had three companions for most of his run (two at the end). The second doctor had two companions for a lot of the time. Th third had all of UNIT to work with. The fifth doctor had three companions for a lot of the time.

      Actually, this is what I’m hoping to get from Chinball – a return to the feeling of classic Doctor Who. I’ve heard a rumour he may even return to the serial format. That would be cool.

  2. I’ll give the new series a chance, just like I’ve given every new Doctor and showrunner a chance since I started watching Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor as an eight-year-old. There have been Doctors I’ve loved even though the scripts didn’t always do them justice, Doctors I’ve strongly disliked and couldn’t stand to watch no matter how good the writing was, Doctors I started out loving and ended up really disliking, and Doctors I didn’t like much at first but ended up really appreciating by the end. Same thing with the companions and showrunners — some have been great, some just okay, some positively maddening.

    But that’s how the show works: it’s like the weather. If you don’t like it, wait a couple of years and it’ll change. For me it’s the premise of the show, the madman with a box travelling through all of time and space and dragging bewildered humans along with him, that makes the show magical and will always keep me coming back — even if I have to take a few months/years off and wait for the current Doctor or companion or showrunner to leave before I do it.

    I will admit, though, that I’ve always had a bit of a crush on the Doctor, so I selfishly prefer him to be reasonably good looking and male. I have no idea how I’m going to feel about a female Doctor until I see her in action, so I’ll just have to wait and see.

  3. My reaction has always been “I have no problem with a female doctor, but I have a problem with a gender-changing doctor.” To some, that may seem a very subtle difference, but that’s kinda where I sit.

    I think Jodie Whitacker has the potential to be a good doctor. She’s a great actor, who I’ve enjoyed on Broadchurch.

    Overall, I’ve been a fan of Moffat. He’s given us some absolutely brilliant stories. But, it does feel like a good time to had over to a fresh voice.

    I’m definitely willing to give Chinball the benefit of the doubt. I love Broadchurch, and I’d love to see him bring some of the serious dramatic tone from that show onto Doctor Who (although I suspect he won’t).

    Doctor Who has re-invented itself so many times in the last 53 years, that the thought of it being “a whole new show” is a complete non-issue to me. There have been much bigger re-inventions (such as the change from second doctor to third)

    I hope they don’t push a whole lot of transgenderism stuff through the new series. But as you point out, the show often pushes a very liberal view of sexual morality. So it’s something we just have to deal with if we want to keep enjoying other aspects of the show.

    Anyway, I totally get you wanting to move on. If a show is no longer what you want, there’s no reason to stick around. There’s pretty more fish in the … ah …. galaxy.

  4. Alyssa Faith says:

    Honestly, I gave up on Doctor Who when they introduced Capaldi as the new doctor. I just didn’t like him as the doctor. And now with their subtle agenda pushing I think I will just have to enjoy my favourite doctors (Tennant&Smith) over and over again!

  5. julie dick says:

    The number of changes coming at once is what what really has me concerned. Chibnall really is an unknown at that level of responsibility…

What do you think?