Doctor Who

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/13874961

The first series of Russell T Davies’s return to Doctor Who – and Ncuti Gatwa’s first season at the helm of the world’s longest-running sci-fi show – came to an end with Saturday’s Empire of Death. But what did the show’s superfans make of the first Disney-backed season?

We spoke to four: Tony Jordan, 65, the coordinator of the Doctor Who Society, who’s watched since he was four years old; Lauren Amelia Miller, 31, a disabled writer and actress who’s been a fan since she was five and owns a Dalek nicknamed Woody; Zoe Butler, 23, a civil servant who started watching in 2005 and cites David Tennant as her favourite Doctor; and JJ, 28, who works in digital media, blogs on Doctor Who and has been a fan since 2012.

Archive

NARRATOR: It did work.

One of the all-time great episodes for my money, though I can absolutely see why that script would make them nervous.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/13856135

While the future of Doctor Who is already confirmed in the short term - with the show returning for a Christmas special this year and another season next year - beyond that, things are currently less certain.

This is because the show's fate in its current form rests with Disney Plus, who the BBC did a deal with for the new era.

Not only does Disney distribute the series internationally, it also helps to finance it, meaning that while the show could continue without the streamer, its budget may have to be slashed.

The question of the show's future following what have been described as season 14's "underwhelming" ratings was raised in a recent article in The Times, and now the BBC has weighed in.

A BBC spokeswoman told the publication: "Overnight ratings no longer provide an accurate picture of all those who watch drama in an on-demand world.

"This season of Doctor Who premiered on iPlayer nearly 24 hours before broadcast, and episode 1 has already been viewed by nearly 6 million viewers and continues to grow.

"Doctor Who remains one of the most-watched programmes on iPlayer and is the BBC’s top drama for under-35s this year, making it one of the biggest programmes for the demographic across all streamers and broadcasters."

...

Hopefully these assurances will calm fans' nerves about the show's future. It certainly appears that Davies seems hopeful, as he has already started writing season 16.

The writer has also confirmed that "there are offices that exist" that are dedicated solely to planning potential spin-offs, although what these would be focused on is currently unclear.

From the tense landmine of Boom to uncovering the events of the night that Ruby was born in Empire of Death, this season of Doctor Who certainly had it all – but which episode was the best?

Well, we posed that exact question to RadioTimes.com readers, who have responded in their droves.

With the likes of Space Babies, The Devil's Chord, Dot and Bubble and all the other season 14 episodes to choose from, there was one clear winner.

After more than 4,000+ votes in total, [redacted] was the winner of the best episode in our exclusive poll.

Look, I'm not trying to choose violence today, so let's not stoop to the level of stereotypical "Star Wars" discourse.

That said, the parallels here were not lost on me, and I generally agree with RTD.

The Doctor's granddaughter has been teased on screen throughout this recent season, fan theories abound and original actor Carole Ann Ford has stated she'd be happy to reappear on the show.

Let's assume that there is a reunion with Susan coming up; that would be exciting in itself, but narratively, how do you think it will be set up? Does the Doctor seek her out or will Susan find her grandfather first?

More to the point, "the Doctor finally sees Susan again" is just a story beat — how do you imagine the larger science fantasy story context surrounding it? Feel free to fanfic an entire episode plot or season arc if you want 🙂

Speaking to Doctor Who Unleashed, Davies said: “So that’s goodbye to Millie Gibson, except it’s not! You’d have to be mad to say goodbye to talent and a character like that!”

He added: “This is a pause. I genuinely felt Ruby’s story paused there. She couldn’t get all that information about her family, all that emotional overload, and run off in the TARDIS. It pauses there. She’s coming back.

“A new companion is coming in, but you’ll see the three of them together. Three people in this TARDIS fighting evil. There’s good stuff to come. There are really crucial stories for Ruby to come, and her family – the story of that family hasn’t finished yet – that will all make sense when you see it. So more to come.”

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/13732633

Following the major reveal of the character in the latest finale, Russell T Davies and Anita Dobson address the current status of the mystery of Doctor Who's Mrs. Flood. Dobson made her debut in "The Church on Ruby Road" as the seemingly ordinary neighbor to the Sunday family, though it would be revealed that she has hidden knowledge of the Time Lords that has left viewers guessing her true identity. After having brief appearances in season 14, Flood starred in a guest role across the two-part finale "The Legend of Ruby Sunday/Empire of Death", which provided more hints.

With Doctor Who season 14 bringing the mystery of Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and the One Who Waits to a close, Davies and Dobson addressed the remaining mystery of Mrs. Flood going into season 15 with Doctor Who: Unleashed. While the showrunner confirmed that Flood was not part of Sutekh's scheme, Davies did tease that she would play a key role in season 15, while Dobson described Flood as ever-evolving. Check out Davies' and Dobson's response below:

Russell T Davies: Clearly there’s a mystery with Mrs. Flood, played by Anita Dobson- Dobs, as I call her. We’ve seen way back in "The Church on Ruby Road", where Ncuti first appeared and when Millie first appeared. She was the next door neighbour, but then suddenly ends that episode with a great line to camera, where she goes “Never seen a TARDIS before”. So clearly, that’s saying “Something’s going on here.” She’s popped up then, living next door. We’ve seen her, she’s cast a little line in “73 Yards” on what’s going on. She gets a bit closer to the action in episode 7, she starts to reveal herself in episode 7. In episode 8, she had…. She says “I had such plans”. So she’s not part of what Sutekh was up to. She’s kind of trapped in whatever Sutekh was up to, in as much as the whole world is and says “I had such plans”. I wonder what that means…. I can promise you reveals, I can promise you astonishing reveals and a lot of fun with her as well. She’s so much fun to work with, so good times with Mrs. Flood to come.

Anita Dodson: Mrs Flood is sort of changing. We don’t quite know what into, but she’s definitely changing, yeah. Or else she needs to see a therapist, big time.

Still UK-only, as far as I know.

Written by: Russell T Davies

Directed by: Jamie Donoghue

Written by: Kate Herron & Briony Redman

Directed by: Ben Chessell

Written by: Russell T Davies

Directed by: Dylan Holmes Williams

Written by: Russell T Davies

Directed by: Dylan Holmes Williams