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I can't quite see how anyone could spin that as failing ratings when it's beating everything else on TV (including Strictly, the King etc.) apart from two shows in the biggest week of TV viewing in the year. Do folks here really think it's doing badly?
Anyway, managed to watch the three Tennent specials:
I didn't particularly like the openings for the first two. Particularly disliked the elaborate 'recaps' of Star Beast (so expositional and on the nose). The Issac Newton scene in 'Wild Blue Yonder' felt too much like unnecessary filler as well.
I generally liked Star Beast. It had a brisk start, and reintroduced us to the secondary characters quite well. The Meep turning out to be evil was a bit... well, predictable really. I can see why many would roll their eyes at Donna repeating 'binary' when regaining her memories (to me it felt a bit stupid, same for what Rose says subsequently as well/the rather cringey line about male presenting timelords).
Otherwise it was enjoyable enough. Cringey lines aside Rose was rather interesting (I kinda wish we spent a bit more time with her). Tennant was great as usual.
Wild Blue Yonder was better. Rather creepy with Donna/The Doctor's doubles contorting themselves through VFX. I liked how Donna and Doctor were trapped in a secluded location without the TARDIS. A bit too much dialogue based exposition for me personally in places where it could have been revealed more visually, especially towards the end, but otherwise a very impactful episode.
The Giggle had some great moments. I'm not familiar with the Toymaker, and I gather he's very much a thing of the old series anyway, but the episode did a good job of conveying who he was as a villain. I gather they've used this character/his timeshifting to explain away some of the writing of the Chibnall era (I'm not entirely familiar with what this is beyond the little reference to the Doctor being adopted in the next episode and possibly the Master now being inside a golden tooth, but what I got from the whole 'I made jigsaw of your history' moment was to do this in effect). I do like a villain who takes a menacing glee in doing evil things so I enjoyed Patrick Harris in this episode (the dance scene is a highlight for me, as if the scene when he goes through the deaths of the Doctor's previous companions).
The concept of the episode was very sci fi and one I liked. I kinda wish Stooky Bill had been used a bit more as it is a) a real historical event and b) a lot more creepy if you view the actual video of Logie Baird's first transmission. I actually kinda wish we got an episode set more, if not entirely, in 1925 Soho in the run up to the transmission.
I could have done without some of the more unnecessary characters in this episode, including the older redhead UNIT worker (I gather she's a companion of the older series and they kinda go through her history I guess, but honestly she has little chemistry with Tennant, I have no idea who she is (nor do I care), she adds very little to the episode, and I really get little sense of who she is, especially when you compare this character to Sarah Jane/her return in the early Tennant era, which was not a character I was familiar with before her reappearance in that episode).
I do wish the 'bi regeneration' thing had been foreshadowed a bit or explained to be an anomaly due to the Toymaker's universe bending, but it was a cool moment nonetheless. The final show down between the two Doctors and the Toymaker over a game of catch was... well, a bit lame for me personally. I wasn't overly thrilled by it.
That said I enjoyed the ending and thought it was a great way to leave Tenant's Doctor, and indeed bookend the series going into Gatwa's era. It's quite overt, but he's obviously a Doctor who's dealt with his traumas, has a newfound lease on life/empathy, and this is an approach to the character I think is great.
Overall, some better episodes than others, and I don't think it's anywhere near the quality of the early (or rather early 'new') Doctor Who episodes. But honestly, it beats what little I've seen of the Chibnall series. I enjoyed much of it.
I had exactly the same reservations re the b-generation (why not have the Toymaker's reality-bending influence it?) and the catch game, which just didn't quite feel clever enough for me: I like the Doctor to do something intelligent to win the day, and being good at catch wasn't quite enough. It was still bags of fun as an episode though, as you say.
Matt Smith is my favorite Doctor.
Do you still think the recent episodes did badly in the ratings?
He's in my top 3 Doctors, a wonderful Doctor.
I have him top just above Tom and John.
I'm not a big fan of Tom, though I respect his dedication to the part during his run (7 years, year in, year out, probably won't ever be matched) but Jon is just outside my top 3 (in at #4).
I guess that's a yes :))
Not been paying attention to ratings, my interest in DW in its current state is pretty low. I would not take what ever numbers are out there as accurate.
Enjoy the show, personally not sure if I will continue to watch it, though we are months away from the next episodes so Who knows.
I wonder why. They come direct from BARB; those are official figures from the authority which has always recorded them.
You were happy to call the ratings disappointing a few weeks back, now BARB show it as being the third most watched show in Christmas week suddenly they're not 'accurate'. That's a bit rum.
It's fine to say you're not keen on it and I'm sorry that you're not enjoying it, but making out that it's not doing well with the audience is an odd move I don't understand.
https://merchandise.thedoctorwhosite.co.uk/doctor-who-the-collection-season-15-limited-edition-packaging
I do like that cover, I have yet to buy any of these Bluray boxsets as I know I will end up wanting all of them. I can't justify the cash outlay when I can watch the shows already in other formats. P.s. those extra's look great to be honest.
Leela vs the Time War is better than anything in the last four episodes of DW.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/doctor-who-companion-millie-gibson-31924485
RTD's companions don't last long so not a surprise.
If it's taking you two years you probably need to chew less.
Great publicity too. The show is so awful they fired the companion before the new series is broadcast! ;))
"It was decided it was time for her to move on. We at Doctor Who loved working with Maggie. Er.. Minnie? Mel Gibson? Sounded similar to Mel. Anyway she was great! Russell adored her. I'm sure Eastenders will hire her."
🤭
Meanwhile at BadWolf Studios HQ...
;)
What's your basis for saying this wasn't planned? I'm curious as to why you only seem to want to paint things as going wrong, even when they aren't e.g the ratings.
I mean, I don't know, maybe Gibson's departure wasn't planned; I have no idea either way.
Yeah I’ve been pretty disappointed in the new run so far, apart from the second Tennant episode. But from the figures you’ve posted and the reviews and reactions they’ve got, it’s obviously doing pretty well. It’s not as big as it was in the 2000s sure, but I think that’s an unfair standard to hold them to. Catching lightning in a bottle like that is very rare, especially in the streaming age where we’ve got so much telly to choose from.
I think Doctor Who might be one of those things that’s too big to fail anyway, because it has such a loyal fanbase that sticks with it even when the rest of us ebb and flow. The Whittaker episodes were supposed to boost the show’s popularity again after it waned with Capaldi, instead they turned out to be even less popular, and they still managed to follow them up with a big Disney brand deal and a budget increase (so they can’t have done that badly by TV exec standards). I can’t see it being actually cancelled again for a long time.
And here's the new... screwdriver ? Key fob ? I don't know, but it will be available at Character Options soon :