Watching NuWho

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Well, my historical-chroniological Who watch finally reached "Genesis of the Daleks" this morning which apparently, randomly, takes place in 1959 in Earth-years. The very fun Davros/David Tennant mini-sode has already occurred - I forget when - but "The Daleks" has yet to occur, so I guess that makes "Genesis" a bit more "origin-y" that that one, even though it comes after "The Daleks in Manhattan" in the 1930s (a bit of a mess) and the Daleks "helping" Winston Churchill win World War II (much better). Anyway, it's just great to see Tom Baker again after an absence of fifty years (1909's "Horror of Fang Rock" -- possibly my new favourite Who story of all-time). And the dark brilliance of "Genesis" coming immediately after the endearingly moronic "Delta and the Bannermen" (also 1959) couldn't be more of a contrast.

It is more complicated than that. Time is not necessarily linear in this show.
And all continuity/canon has been contradicted blatantly ever since Moffat/Capaldi departed.

I recall an interview with Terry Nation once, and to paraphrase him, he indicated that "The Daleks" and "Genesis of the Daleks" were not necessarily
contradictory, but more of a look at history (fictional) from two different perspectives.

 

[James from London]

I like that it's all so complicated and contradictory, and that I can grasp only so much of it before I have to give up and just go along for the ride. That's what makes it exciting and fun.

 

[Seaviewer]

Finally caught up to "The Reality War" this week. Inevitably, I was spoiled for the closing moments but the return of

Spoiler

Thirteen

was a nice surprise.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

To the surprise of No One, (except the usual sycophants and delusional apologists) Disney has ended the partnership with the BBC

Clearly Disney was unhappy with the show. They didn't even wait for the 5 episode spinoff, which no one cares about, it seems.

How ironic that RTD brought back Dr Who, and then proceeded to destroy it.

To be fair, the destruction was well underway under Chibnall

There will be a Christmas special in 2026

No details, but it will likely be something like "The Curse of Fatal Death" or "Dimension in Time"

The REAL Doctor Who ended when Moffatt and Capaldi departed

Since then, it has been a travesty, a farce, a parody of what it once was.

I could write pages and pages about how badly the show has become, but the point is moot.

No series in production, No plans to resume production,

No incumbent Doctor, and Billie Piper's character has not been defined.

A complete destruction of the show's continuity with a false origin story that literally contradicts the entire series,

not to mention the complete diminishing of classic characters/monsters/villains


Disney has now fouled up Star Wars, much of the Marvel Universe, Indiana Jones, Snow White... and it can now add Doctor Who to the list

‘Doctor Who’: Disney+ Exits Partnership With the BBC as 2026 Christmas Special Confirmed

The fate of "Doctor Who" has been revealed, with Disney+ having officially exited the series after its two-season partnership with the BBC.

variety.com

Disney+ Ends ‘Doctor Who’ Partnership, BBC Commits to Continue Series

The next installment of the show will be a Christmas special in 2026.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Disney dumps BBC Doctor Who deal after ‘woke’ rebrand falls flat

Disney has pulled out of its Doctor Who partnership with the BBC after just two series following what critics called the show’s “woke” rebrand.

www.yahoo.com

 

[James from London]

There will be a Christmas special in 2026

No details, but it will likely be something like "The Curse of Fatal Death" or "Dimension in Time"

Oh wow, that sounds amazing. Can't wait! And on Christmas Day too. Imagine the internet afterwards: absolute scenes!

 

[Seaviewer]

I'd like to see a team-up between Piper (I don't care if she's officially Sixteen or not) and Tennant's Fourteen (and Donna), ending with Piper's regeneration into the new long term Doctor, but fourteen months does seem like an unusually long lead time.

 

[Willie Oleson]

There will be a Christmas special in 2026

As in "our year 2026" or as in "a Tardis journey to the year 2026"?

It seems like an awful long wait, not to mention the expectations since "they had more than a year to come up with the perfect script. And they didn't!"

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I'd like to see a team-up between Piper (I don't care if she's officially Sixteen or not) and Tennant's Fourteen (and Donna), ending with Piper's regeneration into the new long term Doctor, but fourteen months does seem like an unusually long lead time.

That is quite possibly what they are trying to do.
Unfortunately, to quote two popular artists

"The Damage is Done" - Foreigner (1977)

"It's a little too little, its a little too late" Pat Benatar (1982)

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

As in "our year 2026" or as in "a Tardis journey to the year 2026"?

It seems like an awful long wait, not to mention the expectations since "they had more than a year to come up with the perfect script. And they didn't!"

It may be just to release something in 2026.

The future is quite uncertain

 

[James from London]

It seems like an awful long wait

Well, compared to "That's the end of Who forever and ever", which is what I thought had happened, it doesn't seem too bad.

the expectations since "they had more than a year to come up with the perfect script. And they didn't!"

At some point, I think people have to take responsibility for their own expectations. It's just part of growing up.

The future is quite uncertain

As it should be!

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Doctor Who first aired 62 years ago today.

Sadly, the show is not in a good place

Like many, if not most fans, I thought that when RTD returned as showrunner, the show would regain its quality and integrity, and reverse the damage from the Chibnall/Whitaker debacle. I was never more wrong about anything Doctor Who related, as the show became even worse, if that was possible.

I do not look forward to the 2026 Christmas special, since RTD is still the showrunner. It will just be a continuation of the show's decline.

In the interim, the 5 episode Doctorless miniseries. Nothing to be excited about

If the show can be saved (Maybe a big if), a new showrunner is needed, and the false origin story must be erased and reversed.
Otherwise, it is difficult to be optimistic

 

[Seaviewer]

In the interim, the 5 episode Doctorless miniseries. Nothing to be excited about

BBC's new Doctor Who spin-off series proved all my fears wrong

The series is finally here.

metro.co.uk

 

[James from London]

BBC's new Doctor Who spin-off series proved all my fears wrong

The series is finally here.

metro.co.uk

I won't read the review (spoilers!), but how exciting! I think I'll save it till Christmas Eve and then watch it in a double-bill with the new 90-minute version of The Sea Devils.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

BBC's new Doctor Who spin-off series proved all my fears wrong

The series is finally here.

metro.co.uk

?

One review is meaningless
Here are some that are not too positive

The War Between the Land and the Sea review – prepare to roll your eyes a lot at this fishy Doctor Who spinoff

Dodgy character names, zero subtlety, a dubious approach to female roles … Russell T Davies’s show about fishfolk is entertaining – but feels like a wasted opportunity to make genuinely great TV

www.theguardian.com

Doctor Who spin-off The War Between is bland without the Time Lord – review

Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are miscast in BBC and Disney’s last joint Whoniverse offering

www.the-independent.com

The only opinion that has mattered is that of Disney, who decided not to renew the partnership even before the TWBLAS aired.
It appears that was the decision even before season 2 aired.

Final consolidated ratings may be similar to season 2 - for a Doctorless 5 episode series, I am not sure what that indicates.
What we do know is that NG has departed, Billie Piper's character has not been identified, there is no Christmas special in 2025, a Christmas special
is planned for 2026 (Who is the Doctor?) and there is no new streaming partner so far.

RTD had a marvelous opportunity for Doctor Who, with a larger budget
Instead, no Daleks, no Cybermen (although considering how Sutek, Omega and the Rani were portrayed, maybe that is a good thing),
no 2025 Christmas special. Just a horrendous compilation of 26 episodes that was Doctor Who in name only.
Just a farce and a travesty of what the show used to be.

I understand that a 90 minute edit of 'The Sea Devils" was aired. Even with a low budget and cheap costumes, it
outshines this mess because of better writing, better direction, better everything, including Jon Pertwee as the Doctor and
Roger Delgado as the Master.

 

[James from London]

Just finished The War Between the Land and Sea and loved it! Very exciting and very moving. And it made a great double bill with the new edit of The Sea Devils, which I watched beforehand. I love how the former was born out of the latter, and that even though they're very different in style and tone, they're definitely part of the same story.

 

[James from London]

https://x.com/josh_snares/status/2008141473762689460

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

"Blake's 7" reboot in the works​

"Blake's 7" was created by Terry Nation, the man who created the most popular Doctor Who monsters, the Daleks

I would like to be optimistic, however more details are needed.

‘Blake’s 7’ Reboot in the Works From Doctor Who and The Last of Us Director

Cult BBC sci-fi series Blake’s 7 is getting a reboot, with Doctor Who director Peter Hoar developing a new take on the classic.

watchinamerica.com

 

[James from London]

I would like to be optimistic

Go on -- risk it!

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Possibly and maybe probably, the greatest obstacle to future Doctor Who is how it will be funded

Now that Disney has departed (to the surprise of no one, except for sycophants and identity politics enablers)
the BBC will need a new funding source/streaming partner. Otherwise, in-house productions are likely to be cheap and inferior,
resembling low budget productions similar to old 4 parters
It is a new environment, with new streaming series having fewer episodes, with larger budgets
It might be difficult to attract talent for such an in-house production
The number of episodes may be quite small

The upcoming Christmas special may be the last NUWho for a while, and it may seem more like the low budget "Dimensions in Time",
not even "The Five-ish Doctors"
I have never been more disappointed in a show runner than RTD 2
With a Disney budget - No Daleks, Cyberman, Autons, etc No Master, horribly written returns of Sutek, Omega, Rani,
and so many poor decisions about actors, directors, scripts it is staggering
The only watchable story was the Toymaker one, and that was flawed


If ever a show needed a Dallas style scenario to wipe out poor content, it is Doctor Who

The following link provides some insight into the show's struggles

DOCTOR WHO: BBC Appears No Closer To Figuring Out The Show's Financial Woes

A BBC Studios executive has addressed Doctor Who's future after being asked about how the broadcaster can recoup the financial loss incurred by Disney+ stepping away from the TARDIS.

comicbookmovie.com

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

"Doctor Who: BBC Admits Funding Talks for Show’s Future Beyond 2026 Haven’t Even Begun Yet"​

Not exactly encouraging

An entire new production team needs to be in place.
Whoever is next to be the showrunner(s), they need to be cognizant of how badly the show has deteriorated
post Moffat/Capaldi, and not repeat the same mistakes
Unless there is a streaming partner, the show would seem unlikely to return.
The budget that would be necessary is unlikely to be solely allocated by the BBC

I don't understand how the Christmas special can introduce a new Doctor, with no plan going forward
No actor is likely to agree, if there is an undetermined time for resuming production
The story may be something closer to "Dimensions in Time", with only the BBC involved.

This is immensely different from the wilderness years
At that time, novelizations and audio adventures for the (then) eight Doctors had the opportunity to explore and expand the narrative
The Doctors, companions/supporting characters, adversaries etc were written with greater depth and wider range,
and it probably influenced TV writers to be more creative
IE The book "Human Nature became the basis for an excellent 2 part televised adventure.

Now, it is a different landscape
Canon is being constantly rewritten, and it is a disaster.
There is a huge difference between expanding canon and (wrongly) rewriting it
The most intriguing element, however, is that the Toymaker has been interfering with the Doctor's memories (for how long?),
indicating that the re-written history is inaccurate, at the very least

Past adventures in which the Doctor encountered the Toymaker - "Divided Loyalties" (Book, 5th Doctor), "The Nightmare Fair" (Book/ Canceled Season 23 Story, 6th Doctor) "Magic Mousetrap" (Audio 7th Doctor) and "Solitaire" (Audio, 8th Doctor) - were not referenced in "The Giggle"
Were the Doctor's memories erased with reference to those events?

These may all be moot points if a new streaming partner decides to reimagine the show from the beginning, and not
continue with a 16th Doctor.

Doctor Who: BBC Admits Funding Talks for Show’s Future Beyond 2026 Haven’t Even Begun Yet

But reiterates, Doctor Who is "not going anywhere."

www.doctorwhotv.co.uk