June 14th, 2011
151 comments
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No full Doctor Who Series for 2012 – update
No full 2012 Doctor Who series
From Steven Moffat via twitter…
Dr Who: misquotes and misunderstandings. But I’m not being bounced into announcing the cool stuff before we’re ready. Hush, and patience.
lizo_mzimba said via his twitter feed that “There will not be a full series of Dr Who in 2012! BBC confirms that BBC One Controller said this earlier today”
The news was originally revealed by Wayne Clarke who was at a conference where Danny Cohen was speaking.
This may mean that although 14 new episodes are to be made, they may be spread over 2 years. This may be nothing more than a build up to 2013, the shows 50th anniversary.
He also said: “Worth repeating, BBC says Danny Cohen’s comment that Steven Moffat needed time for Sherlock hence shorter DW run wasn’t meant to be serious.”
later adding “Bit of confusion, to summarise: no FULL 13 episode series of Dr Who in 2012. So some episodes will still go out in 2012. Remainder in 2013.”
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Bree Twee
June 17th, 2011 - 3:07pmIs it really necessary to call Matt terrible? Personally, I find that as far as new series goes, Christopher was the serious one, but great with emotions, David was all-round the best, but I like Matt because he’s fun. Also, the companions are certainly likeable! I for one have a soft spot for Rory, he’s one of my favourite characters. Your commentary is a little over the top, and I think you need to just sit back and enjoy it a little more.
Sav
June 17th, 2011 - 2:24pmWow… what a pompus post. Seriously. You think an actor has to be an RSC actor to be ‘proper’? Could you be any more narrow minded?
I have to question your “stories are incomprehensible” comment… were you paying attention during the RTD era? Many of those stories were unbelievably far-fetched, complicated and completely ridiculous at times. It is Doctor Who after all… walking skeletons and flying sharks are all part of the fun…
Most people don’t share your opinion. The Mofatt stories are far better planned, acted and executed all round for most people. I know a lot of Doctor Who fans, and most agree the Mofatt/Matt seasons/episodes have been amongst the best (or best) ever, and the 11th Doctor has taken over the favourite spot for many people (even over Tom Baker).
I could go on, but there’s no point. I am sorry that you are not enjoying Doctor Who as it currently stands – but the reality is that you can’t please everyone.
Daleks on Ice
June 17th, 2011 - 12:16pmWell the two things id say is dont ever go into being a writer and like many you mistake your opinions as facts and your views as gifted insight. Matt & Karen may not be your cup of tea but they are other peoples & if you dont like Moffat but loved Blink I suggest you check who wrote it.
Mels
June 17th, 2011 - 9:26amBreathe! Don’t panic! Mofatt has said that his ‘workload’ hasn’t reduced, meaning that we are getting the usual number of episodes… there may be fewer in 2012.. but extra in 2013.
Why? Don’t know, could be a build up the the Anniversary, or could be due to the BBC rescheduling and have nothing to do with Mofatt at all.
The Moff is doing well with Doctor Who. People are of course entitled to their opinion to think otherwise, but I think Mofatt will give us what we want… but he’s not going to tell us yet. That would be too simple! :p
third doctor
June 16th, 2011 - 11:01pmI agree with you Joe, RTD needs to comeback and get doctor who back on track and get a new doctor.
bob butterworth
June 16th, 2011 - 10:52pmUnfortunately, you now have a boring Dr. Christopher Eccleston was brilliant, a proper actor who could change from funny to horror in the blink of an eye. One of his best reactions was when he sees a Dalek, and evoking terror at the Cybermen. I know, its kids !! but it is not, it worked on many levels, older people got the in jokes, the kids hid behind the sofa. Kids love being scared and all the hissing and boo-ing that goes with it.
David Tenant had the role perfected, a proper ACTOR changing from humor to menace in a heartbeat. I know that real proper actors would love the role, examples being James Nesbitt, Sir Ian McAllen, Simon Pegg, and on, and on, My personal choice would be Benedict Cumberbatch (He would be amazing) with Sheridan Smith as an equal sidekick. if it was not for Sherlock. In fact more or less a lot of famous actors. That is amazing that pro’s want the part. or the assistant, the best being Billie and Katherine. The partnership is central, Tenant’s incarnation loved Billie, then the amazing scripts between Tenant and Tate, Brilliance.
On top of all that the scripts and ideas were brilliant.
One of my favorites was “Blink”, in the hands of the new team any good follow-ups have been totally ruined. Two rubbish episodes destroyed any future potential.
So here we go, obviously the retirement of the writers and production team the brilliant return has ground to a nasty halt.
Matt Smith is terrible (maybe the script, or acting). The sidekicks are un-likeable, the audience has no sympathy or empathy with the cast. Apart from one !. Alex Kingston, a total natural (Another properly trained actress)
Dr who will only stop losing audience with a change. 1) the most important, The doctor played by a RSC proper actor, who is recognizable and likable, 2) a sidekick who he cares about (not short skirted Pond), I think that Billie Pipers family could be a regular feature.
And 3) Lets have some new aliens, take a look at Independence day, District 9, Star Trek, Chronicles of Riddick, and of course the X-Files. You can’t just keep recycling Daleks and Cybermen. Lets have some new planets, by now someone on Earth might have noticed something. In the first of the new 2000’s series he tried to be anonymous. A small point.
Number 4) and to me the most important, a regular spot and friend to the doctor, Bernard Cribbins.
The stories are incomprehensible, why was rory dressed as a roman soldier for ages?
The last 2 episodes were like walking through treacle with Salvador Dali.
Daleks are suddenly made of square gloss plastic.
When the new incarnation started after 20 odd years, with Ecclestone the daleks were dalek shaped and greasy, dirty, oily..i.e. realistic for the 21st century, Si-Fi moves on (How many cleaners are there on the Enterprise ?”)
The audience is going to keep dropping until Russell T Davies returns and it stops going downhill !!!
It may have worked in the 60’s, but recent episodes about beings living in the center of the earth !!!
Waste of the money it takes to make an episode.
Dr Who must move with up to date science and science fiction. “People living at the Earths core for thousands of years”, even a primary school kid had hysterics on that”.
I was always a big fan. Then when Eccelstone and Billie Piper restarted i loved it, It had a lot of competition from America, but inventiveness aside, could not put humor or fun it their progs “Star Trek” and it’s spin-offs. “Third Rock” is a comedy. “Dark skies” no humor !!
The americans love UK humor, thats why Dr Who works.
Hopefully you might read this and take on the points.
I am and have always been a fan of the escaping from the worries and stresses of life to get engrossed in Dr Who.
A huge fan, of an intelligent, fun, ageless, kids and adults sit down together. Great when the kids try to explain what’s happening to the adults.
Please hit restart, with experienced, trained and enthusiastic cast..Everyone wants to play the part.
Please try to keep to A list actors, and don’t let it slide back to egg boxes.
Davros was brilliant, what he turned into at the top of the Empire State Building was rubbber rubbish
Daleks are not square or made of fiberglass.
I know that i am commenting on a sci-fi TV program and an escapist 40 minuets.
But i love it and because of that i can see the downhill slide. I would like to know that the investment from the BBC (i think i pay for that, something called a license) Will put the finance and keep the high quality of one of it’s best selling programs.
JoeAndTeddy
June 16th, 2011 - 10:04pmVERY dissapointed! What are the BBC playing at? why don’t they take off a show that no one watches? Get another writer! Moffat is terrible! he’s too busy with other things. he’s already split the show into 2 parts, now he’s taking it off air for almost a year. Next, there will be no doctor who at all! I want neil gaiman to write. Moffat is awful and cocky and makes the stories too complicated. We need RTD back, or a new head writer completely.
Joe,
booboo
June 16th, 2011 - 8:26pmAnd the BBC’s own article just published wont help either as i clearly blames Sherlock for the lack of episodes where SM says its nothing to do with it.
booboo
June 16th, 2011 - 8:16pmI agree, it would have been better if nothing was said, to much speculation, there is probably a very good reason behind it all that we know nothing about yet
Ian
June 16th, 2011 - 7:03pmI really sympathise with Steven Moffat here. It is a real shame that Danny Cohen has made these comments and caused a massive outcry. However, sadly, with all this claim and counter-claim and so many people running off with theories that, whether it would have been better to wait and see or not, an official version that Danny and Steven sign up to is needed to stop all this unnecessary argument. A lot of Who fans are younger and will take comments at face value and not pick up that there may be underlaying politics and press editorialism at work.
Matt
June 16th, 2011 - 7:02pmwell, I don’t mind as long as each episode in 2012 is around the 50 – 60 min mark 🙂
Anthony Harding
June 16th, 2011 - 6:14pmI wonder what people would say that watch Eastenders if that was cut to 1 episode per week for whatever reason.
(I don’t by the way) 😉
Sort it out BBC.
It’ll end up being a “Starz original production” next!
booboo
June 16th, 2011 - 4:40pm5.5 is an overnight figure, the final figure was 7.51m excluding iplayer the ratings are fine
RORY DOCTOR RIVER POND
June 16th, 2011 - 4:36pm10.8 million people watched the 11th hour, but only 5.5 million watched a good man goes to war, so the figures have dropped. yes that was the daily mail!
sam
June 16th, 2011 - 4:30pmIt’s all been a total mess and lame excuses…we lost a season of Merlin this year due to rescheduling of Dr Who? Now we will lose episodes of Who due to Moffat needing more time for Sherlock? Like others, I believe its budgetary cuts that is at the heart of it all…and the best place to start with them would have been the overpaid celebrities who front the inane shows that no-one cares about…the shows that the beeb continue to foister on us…shame on them.
biggest doctor who fan
June 16th, 2011 - 4:26pmI have a few things to pick up about
1)I think somehow they’re trying to take the show off air (1989)
2)Bring back RTD, if stephen moffat’s too busy just leave and let someone else do it.
3)Would like to know if this is official
4)Check a23g156 I don’t go splitting series of dwfa or dwmfa so I’ll keep you all entertained
biggest doctor who fan
June 16th, 2011 - 4:12pmI know he knew how to run the show proplerly we need him him back this os turning in to a tram crash
Ian
June 16th, 2011 - 3:43pmIt would make a lot of sense to have it in the autumn and next year is Olympics year and you dont want to have it on the same time as that. I hope that people take a deap breath and calm down a bit as some of the theories going about on the net range from the hysterical to the totally barking. Lets wait and see eh?
Bill2Hearts
June 16th, 2011 - 12:21pmI believe the plan of the split in the current series is so that Dr Who? is enetually moved to the autumn/winter months where it belongs and will potentually garner more viewers and in the mean time keep the fans happy during the this transition period.
Keep up the good work Steve.
MORLU
June 16th, 2011 - 9:13amLuther is an excellent series
Tim
June 16th, 2011 - 7:54amWasn’t RTD the one who skipped an entire year and just sprinkled it with a special here and there?
DoctorWho2011
June 16th, 2011 - 7:51amo god i heard this on youtube and in fact doctor who ins’t scary its fun to watch & its enjoyble so don’t know why mums r making up storys of doctor who
DoctorWho2011
June 16th, 2011 - 7:47amyeah I think everyone know that now
reddalek
June 16th, 2011 - 7:21amThe series for 2113 will be a run up to the xmas/ 50th x matt Smith time to finish.
DoctorWho2011
June 16th, 2011 - 7:09amTell u what Doctor Who is getting worst with all this confussion 😡
DoctorWho2011
June 16th, 2011 - 7:07amI have to Agree we want russell t davies hes a better writter than steven moffat
Huchy Kraal
June 16th, 2011 - 2:37amAll seems a lil fishy to me.. Fair enough the Beeb may need to cut spending.. but start cutting off the hand that feeds you.. Look at Paramount & Star trek.. cost $2mill and episode but revenue from marketing & merchandise was put back into producing the show so it paid for itself. Also the show has more than one writer so there shouldn’t be any issues with Steve doing DR & Sherlock.. not like it takes all year to do 13 episodes, most Sci-fi have 25 a season.
Anonymous
June 15th, 2011 - 9:41pmThere will be a series next year, but the implication is that we will get a “special run” in 2013, hopefully an extended series (possibly 20 episodes in number).
terriermon
June 15th, 2011 - 9:41pmif russell t davies was still head writer, none of this would be happening i cant believe theyre doing this, steven moffat is ruining doctor who! he keeps splitting it and making it so confusing!!!!! grr i hate it!!!!
Matt Smith 11
June 15th, 2011 - 9:02pmSteven Moffat Only wrights 6 episodes a series and all the others are written by other writers so what is the point of cutting the series into 2 years