The Fantasy Review’s opinion: Doctor Who is So Good Now But No One is Watching It.
I grew up watching Doctor Who. My mum sat me down and got me hooked on the release of Rose in 2005, and I have never stopped watching the show since. Sure, it has had its ups and downs, but until recent years I was always entertained, even if it wasn’t amazing.
Then Chris Chibnall happened. It’s a shame he failed so spectacularly to create a show even recognisably Doctor Who, especially as I actually had some hope for him! He was one of the writers on Torchwood, and penned some of my favourite episodes, such as Countrycide.
However, the power went to his head and he ran out of talent. It turns out he is a better writer when he has a head writer telling him to edit his scripts! He then went on to hire writers inexperienced in both science fiction and Doctor Who, and let them have free reign over a show now over 60 years old.
The result? A failure in every respect. Jodie Whittaker could have been a fan favourite in the titular role, but instead she did what she could with the awful scripts.
So, Russell T. Davies came back to Doctor Who and there was some hope again! The three 60th Anniversary episodes were exciting and went right back to how the Doctor’s stories should be told, with the right tone, atmosphere, music, and characterisation. They weren’t perfect, but Doctor Who rarely is – that’s part of the fun!
Now we are nearing the end of Season 1 (season 14 to us 2005 Doctor Who fans!) and the show is in a better state than it has been since we bid farewell to Peter Capaldi’s Doctor and Steven Moffatt. Why then, is no one watching?
I blame several elements, but I mostly blame Chris Chibnall. Unwilling to accept he did a poor job as showrunner, he ostracised the fans and blamed the minority of morons who were scared of a female Doctor for all the negative reviews his seasons received. This has led to an ongoing war between fans and the creators of the show, even though Chibnall has gone.
No wonder no one has come back to watch Doctor Who – everyone still thinks the people behind the show hate them! But that’s not the case, and it turns out Russell T. Davies has come to save Doctor Who and I promise you will be entertained again!
We have weird practical-effect monsters, over-the-top sillines, genuinely emotional scenes, and some new episodes that will go down in time as some of the best the show has ever had.
Davies is doing something new with Doctor Who without destroying everything you ever loved about the show, unlike the Timeless Child nonsense. He loves the franchise and takes care in bringing new ideas while respecting what has come before.
There will always be people in this world who get flustered with a smidge of queer representation, and desperately want the Doctor to go back to being a straight white guy with a girl on his arm. While I have watched and loved all 60 years of the show (except Chibnall’s era), it’s exciting to see new stories being told in a way that clearly respects those who have come before.
Bring on the final two episodes of this season; I couldn’t be more excited!
I’m glad to hear the show has gotten good again. I loved the season with Doctor 9, 10 and most of the episodes with 11. I didn’t love the seasons with Doctor 12, they were just ok. I was so excited for the first female Doctor, but unfortunately, after quite a few episodes I was just bored and not invested, so I stopped watching. But hearing that it’s back to how it used to be, I may give it another chance.