Bzuh?

[eve11]

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58682472

RTD is back! Um, I don't know what to think about this, actually. I hope he can take the show in a cool new direction. I don't want to see Rose again. And probably not Jack; I feel like his character is kind of done. OTOH It would be absolutely lovely to have characters I actually care about (the Doctor included). But does this ever actually happen? I feel like maybe the Beeb is squirrelly about all of this, or just generally uncomfortable, to ask someone back who left.

Then again, we will be able to see if RTD can ignite the same level of ratings he did at the show's start.

I'm curious, anyhow. First big question is will he stick with a female doctor or go back to tried and true? (And *that* might be something the Beeb would weigh in on, IDK. Especially if they are feeling vulnerable and squirrely).

Comments

[kaffy_r]

I'm still in the "gobsmacked" phase of responding to the news. I can't think of many, or really any, times when a showrunner has come back to a show. (And didn't he say at one point that Dr. Who was definitely in his past?)

I'd like to see him continue with a new female Doctor, especially since we have a black female Doctor theoretically at the ready.

I'm also interested in how the BBC's partnership with Bad Wolf, effectively releasing some control of the show, might play out.

ETA: Eurgh, reading the discussions here has hit me over the head with the reminder that Rusty seemed uncomfortable with older women. I can hope that he's grown and matured over the last few years.

[eve11]

What is Bad Wolf in this context?

And yeah, maybe Rusty has been able to forge some better relationships with older women in these last 10 years. I mean, it could just be that he finds women scary in general. (I won't say "older women", I'll just say, "Women that aren't currently within 5 years past of being teenagers").

[kaffy_r]

Bad Wolf is the production company formed by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner; it will be co-produced by the BBC and Bad Wolf starting in 2023. This story has an analysis toward the bottom which mentioned it; that's the only reason I know about it.

Yeah, 10 years gives him a full decade of time in which to lose his nervousness about us older female types.

[eve11]

Oh, interesting. BBC offloading costs, maybe. But giving up some control in order to do so.

[kaffy_r]

Yeah, although both Tranter and Gardner were BBC folk for some time, so perhaps the Beeb is confident that they won't screw it up.

[thisbluespirit]

This is pretty normal - the BBC doesn't make its own TV anymore, it buys it from production companies, like Bad Wolf, and as the BBC still owns DW and trademarks etc. they'll still have control as they have done (probably for worse, unfortunately, at the moment). I hadn't really looked to see who's been doing DW for them lately but maybe BBC Wales counts as a separate production company?

(TV Centre and all its in-house departments are all long-gone, have all been dropping off for about 20 years and more now. Like, a lot of early 2000-2010 BBC productions were made by Kudos - Spooks, Hustle, Life on Mars etc, which also made some things for ITV and that's how everything's done these days, pretty much.)