So He's Coming Back

[Lorien1]

And so he’s back. From Outer Space. And all the fans are walking round with that daft look upon their face: ‘They shouldn’t change our precious show!’, ‘They should leave it up to me!’, ‘We’re going to make this the best thing to ever be on BBC!’ And so on... To say the message boards and communities are busy is an understatement. But do these euphoric people have any relevance to the show they love? Here’s a question for you, 'How many Doctor Who fans does it take to change a lightbulb?' Four: one to say they want the old one back, one to say they should give the new one a chance, one to ask if the new one is Canon, and then one to observe that it should be a ‘tall lightbulb that glitters’.

The announcement via BBC controller Lorraine Heggessey on 25th September 2003 that Doctor Who was returning to TV screens has somewhat disrupted what would otherwise be a normal anniversary for the show: lots of dreamy ‘Wouldn’t it be good if it came back one day?’ conjecture, a cash-in book, a low-quality audio-visual project – Dimensions in Time, anyone? – and maybe a convention, where the opening topic is ‘Wouldn’t it be good if it came back one day, here’s a glimpse of the new project, and by the way, the book stall’s open’. Heggessey pre-empted an announcement originally scheduled for November, intended to mark the 40th anniversary and steer clear of spoiling advance word on web-project ‘Doctor Dracula visits South Park’ (or Scream of the Shalka as it’s being known), which for a period of about two months was the New Hope for Doctor Who. But forget all that Internet stuff (which to a fickle following was only the way forward while TV remained a closed avenue): Doctor Who is back! Fans rejoice!

Except...

What’s going to become apparent very soon is that while the fans have been the cash cow which has kept the show in the minds of BBC execs since 1989, their opinions and desires must be the last thing to be listened to as the new show is put together if that show is to survive beyond the currently proposed first season of six episodes.


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[Dave]

He "will survive!"

I agree that the fans are important and should be listened to, but from the comments that I've read there is a mixed feeling about this.

I've seen posts on message boards saying "I've been a fan for 25 years and they shouldn't change it." -- I thought: So what! It was almost over by then! I saw the first episode at the age of one and a half and was hooked for 20 years. I only stopped because I didn't have a TV at University! That and Colin Baker/Bonnie Langford. And the BBC changing it from a Saturday to various different days of the week too. I wasn't so much of a fan to persevere through 'Time of a Time Lord.'

Other posts I've read mentioned pretty much the same thing, and also the Sylvester McCoy era, which I thought was better, but I still have never seen all of those -- the Liquorish Allsorts Man as an evil villain being one of the high points that I missed, plus all kinds of failing celebrities as guest stars.

Basically, the point is: could it get any worse than it already did!

And nostalgia for the very early episodes clouds people to how bad some of those were too. Muffed lines, apalling acting, rotten special effects...

But also lets not remember that it was a kids show. My son has now discovered it and loves it. He can't get enough on Video, DVD and on UK Gold. He watched most of the 40th Anniversary weekend. He doesn't see how corney it is, or the holes in the plot, he just likes it for what it is.

There are three ways to go:

Make it a more adult drama: The Doctor Who Movie did that and IMHO it didn't work.

Make it for kids: The Sylvester McCoy years tried that, and IMHO it didn't work either.

Make it as it was originally designed: Something that both kids and adults could watch together, (a family show to bridge the gap between the Football Results and Juke Box Jury.) I'm not sure that many adults and kids watch TV together today though.

 

[Lorien1]

Make it as it was originally designed: Something that both kids and adults could watch together, (a family show to bridge the gap between the Football Results and Juke Box Jury.) I'm not sure that many adults and kids watch TV together today though.

I would agree 100% with you there.Colin.<*>.