MovieChat Forums > Doctor Who (2006) Discussion > Is this hugely popular in Britain?

Is this hugely popular in Britain?

posted 3 years ago by Thaisticks (3295)
16 replies | jump to latest

Or does it have a small but very loyal following? What age groups are drawn to it? Over here in the colonies I belive it is only shown on HBO Max, and it has been off-and-on on PBS (mostly off), our public channel, which has shown quite a few other BBC shows in the past, such as Faulty Towers, The Good Life, Keeping Up Appearances, and of course all of those great Masterpiece Theater serials.

Update 11/23: If you want to watch DW you must pay for it through Amazon or iTunes or Googleplay, no more free broadcasting anywhere.

[–] capuchin (3369) 3 years ago

The show is sixty years old, so its popularity has had its peaks and troughs. At the moment, it isn't hugely popular. But it'll probably pick up again as it is getting a better show-runner/chief writer next year.

But through all its peaks and troughs, it's been a significant part of the fabric of British pop culture for decades.

[–] Thaisticks (3295) 3 years ago

Maybe the few times I have tried watching it was coincidentally always when it was in one of it's "troughs."

[–] capuchin (3369) 3 years ago

Or maybe it's just not the show for you. That's OK too.

[–] peter_t_2k3 (1053) 3 years ago

I recommend stubagfuls latest video which touches on its popularity https://youtu.be/8wVK2BoBjLM

I don't know if the show will ever be as big as it once was. This isn't me saying anything against those making it, it's just not new anymore. When the show came back in 2005 and with Tennant taking over the next year, the show was able to bring in new people, people who had never heard of it.

I was born in 89 and my dad got me into classic who (before it was classic) growing up. Not many people knew about the show so it was strange but good to see it suddenly become popular. Kids outside pretending to be cybermen etc.

Most of those kids have grown up but the show hasn't really been able at least seemingly to me, to pull in that newer generation.

The show often gets high ratings for a new doctors first episode but then slowly this drops. I think part of the issue is its just got too much history. 17 years this year. The current showrunner did something that I think he was trying to do to make the history slightly irrelevant. Basically the everything we know about this character is a lie trope. However I feel that's just made things worse by adding more to the shows history.

[–] hurricane (1967) a year ago

Like a lot of people, I wasn't keen on the Timeless Child stuff.

I get in a show that has been running for decades, sometimes you have to slightly reinvent it, try different things or maybe modernise the characters somewhat. But to take near 60 years worth of the show and go; "Oh by the way, he wasn't really a Time Lord", just seems a bit arrogant. Like you're trying too hard to make your mark on the show. Especially as Chibnall was leaving soon, and every writer that follows now has to decide whether or not to stick with this change in character.

I kind of felt the same when Moffatt gave Smith extra regenerations, but at least that was necessary somewhat. Because somebody was going to have to explain that somehow, or the show would end. It felt like Moffatt sped it up a bit, by including John Hurt and Tennant's non regeneration as two extra Doctors, because he wanted to be the one who gave the explanation, rather than trusting a future writer. Did seem a bit arrogant. But at least that change in history had to happen, and giving the Doctor "extra lives" was the most logical way of doing it.

Chibnall felt like he significantly changed the character in a way that wasn't particularly interesting or necessary, then just left the show.

Just my opinion.

[–] peter_t_2k3 (1053) a year ago

Yeah 100 percent agree.

I've seen people try to compare the timeless child to the 4th doctor serial the deadly assassin. This adds some mythos and finally confirms the 13 livea aspect of regeneration.

The difference is that this serial adds stuff to the lore while as the timeless child tries to change the lore and remove stuff.

People want RTD to retcon it. I don't think he'll want to step on Chibnall's toes and will more than likely just ignore it

[–] hurricane (1967) a year ago

I think he's pretty much confirmed that he won't retcon it, because him and Chibnall are mates. Maybe somebody in the future will.

Wasn't a big fan of Chibnall's reign, but that in particular felt ridiculous and unnecessary. What did it really add to the show?

[–] capuchin (3369) a year ago

I more or less agree. My biggest issue with The Timeless Child stuff was that Chibnall didn't seem to know what to do with it himself.

He seems to have left it as a 'gift' for future writers. Oh, you can use this stuff if you want to -- so many possibilities I've given you -- but you can also easily ignore it.

Hmm. Thanks(!). It was your idea, matey, you should have done something with it. If you're going to do something like that, you should at least have the courage of your convictions -- and Chibnall didn't. It was more a sketch of an idea that made it into the show when it should have just rattled around in his head until it was fully formed.

[–] hurricane (1967) a year ago

I mean, that was it.

I could maybe forgiven it a bit if it had been interesting, or gone somewhere. But it wasn't interesting, didn't really go anywhere, and you've just changed near 60-years worth of lore, for erm.... no reason at all.

I guess it allowed us to see The Fugitive Doctor, but she was in what? Two or three episodes? And, to be honest, I didn't find that interesting. It's just inventing a new Doctor that none of us have seen before, and not keeping them around for very long. Again, nothing was particularly added. You've now just got a random person who we're told came before Hartnell, but we have no investment in.

[–] capuchin (3369) a year ago

Yeah. And I liked Jo Martin as The Doctor. But so what? What was she for?

The Fugitive Doctor also felt like a remix of previous ideas. A bit of Human Nature / Family of Blood crossed with The War Doctor revelation. And then... it all went nowhere. For once, some of the fan speculation about her Martin fitted into the timeline was more interesting and more coherent than what ended up on screen.

Chibnall only seemed to have one badly-thought-through sketch of an idea for the show that was truly all his own -- this Timeless Child stuff. A lot of the rest of what he did during his tenure seemed to be invoking RTD's and Moffat's greatest hits but to much lesser effect.

Anyway, he's gone now. Hoorah.

[–] peter_t_2k3 (1053) a year ago

Yeah they replaced a mystery with a mystery.

Like I'm kind of glad they didn't explore it too much but it's kind of like why bother doing it if there's no plans to do anything with it. There was always the possibility that the first doctor wasn't the first but that allowed mystery, fan fiction etc. as soon as it's confirmed all of that potential mystery is gone.

I also didn't like the fact that the doctor at the end of the timeless children accepts she is still the same, questions then accepts it again in the new year special but then spends all of Flux looking for answers. She then gets the ability to see the answers but throws them into the TARDIS deciding again she doesn't need them.

It's.just audience baiting, putting a carrot Infront of us and then removing it and then putting it back there.

[–] capuchin (3369) a year ago

She then gets the ability to see the answers but throws them into the TARDIS

Yeah. And that's Chibnall's 'gift' to future writers: look, it's down there if you want to use it, but you can also just leave it down there.

So what's the point? It's like playing 'Exquisite Corpse'. Finish your own drawing, man.

[–] quartz (482) a year ago

as far as the BBC goes, it's one of the most important things they broadcast

but that says more about the BBC than Dr Who

[–] Satan2016 (26217) a year ago

The classic Doctor Who was popular in Commonwealth countries because their public broadcasters didn't have much programming. It was pretty good TV sci fi early on, there was very little else available. That changed with Star Trek TNG.

The first season or two of modern Doctor Who was available on the public broadcaster in Canada. After that the BBC focused on selling it around the world. If they change from "series" to "seasons" that's because the rest of world uses that. They're also competing with big-budget Hollywood sci fi.

[–] quartz (482) a year ago

I am learn-ed :)

I do know the early series in the.....70s(?) were famous that the most money spent on them was on the title swirly wormhole? which was groundbreaking effects at the time. I think at one point the Doctors radio communicator was an empty tape case

[–] liscarkat (19427) a year ago

My mom was into it in the '70s and '80s, and I watched it with her once. It looked like it had been done on cheap VHS in somebody's garage for about $200.00 per episode. I watched it again just a couple of years ago, and the production values had come up, but the badguy robots or whatever they were supposed to be still looked like parts from a builder's center. The guy playing the doctor that week acted like some kind of autistic nutter running about frantically. I couldn't take it.