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So Rusty is coming back to Doctor Who! Who'd have ever believed it?
Interesting news. Very, very interesting. And exciting! For a while there it was starting to look as if there wouldn't be any Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary, as if the show might even be rested for a few years, but now we know there is a plan in place. And that plan involves a safe pair of hands, a highly acclaimed TV writer who already knows the show and the Whoniverse inside out.
Now, I'll admit, I don't agree with every creative decision Davies made during his first stint in charge of the show, although I understand why those choices were made in that context. He wrote his fair share of train wrecks! And, whichever way you look at it, this is a backwards step that doesn't exactly suggest a show brimming with confidence in the current status quo. Which is a fair assessment, really. The show has definitely struggled to maintain momentum since Davies left, its popularity waning under Moffat and then nosediving under Chibnall. It has been in real trouble, which is why its future seemed to be in doubt.
But, you know, if you're going to take a backward step, this is the way to go about it and also make it a strong forward step! They've not simply rehired an old producer, they've hired one of the best producers in the modern television industry. Multiple award winning Russell T Davies is an excellent dramatic writer, a forward-thinker with a passion for Doctor Who and a knack for strong character studies. Having him back, if only for a little while, is brilliant news.
The BBC, obviously, are hoping to re-capture the magic of the show's initial relaunch, back in 2005, when everything about Doctor Who felt fresh and exciting, like capturing lightning in a bottle. Davies made Doctor Who a cultural, commercial ratings smash, out of nothing, and now that the show is in the doldrums the BBC understandably wants to revitalise it. Davies, meanwhile, has spent the last 12 years honing his skills as a writer, growing in life experience and perspective, and no doubt coming up with all kinds of new ideas to take the show forward into a bright new future. I'm excited to see what those ideas involve, in a way that I have never felt excited about Chibnall's Doctor Who. Or Moffat's, for that matter. No doubt it will involve another soft reboot, Davies is highly unlikely to return to the show simply to retread old ground, and that's good. This is a show that thrives on change – and there is certainly plenty of baggage accumulated over the past 16 years that I'd be more than happy to quietly brush under the carpet and move on from!
I do think it's kind of a shame Jodie Whittaker is leaving with Chris Chibnall, as I'd be interested to see her Doctor written by someone else. Then again, I felt the same way about both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi! Whittaker is an excellent actress who could and should make a great Doctor and has done her level best, but has been horribly hampered by poor scripts and creative direction which have left the show at its lowest ebb since the late 1980s. The companions of this era, likewise, although played by talented actors, have rarely managed to achieve much in the way of depth, in stark contrast to the rich characterisations of the first Davies era. Yes, a change is sorely needed.
Long term, the show does need to pass the baton on to someone new. Preferably someone who didn't grow up in the tight little fandom generation that Davies, Moffat and Chibnall all belong to. I mean, if the show can only be run by a handful of supremely talented ultra fans, then it has no real future, sooner or later it has to move on to someone from outside of that little clique. Someone who approaches the show from a completely different direction. Preferably also someone who doesn't feel compelled to take the show's history and canon apart all over again just so they can stamp their own initials all over it, the way all three reboot showrunners to date have. I strongly suspect that Davies's appointment is designed to provide a bit of breathing space to either find or train that person, he isn't going to stick around for four and a half years this time. I expect the anniversary and one series after that, and then he'll move on. Hopefully leaving the show in a better place than he found it!
So what are we going to get for the anniversary and beyond? A new Doctor, that's for sure. New companions. I'm excited to find out who all of them will be. Maybe more spin-offs, Davies is a big fan of those – he beat the MCU to the crossover punch by four years! My little niece has literally just in the last week or so discovered the Sarah Jane Adventures, the gateway drug to Doctor Who (we watched Revenge of the Slitheen five times last weekend!), and it would be lovely to see more spin-offs of that nature to capture the hearts of a new generation.
Moffat's take on the 50th anniversary had some great things in it (multi-Doctor shenanigans! John Hurt!), but overall was a torrid mess. All I ask of Davies for the 60th is a fun, nostalgic romp that actually celebrates all 60 years of the show in a respectful way, while also looking ahead to the future. That really shouldn't be too much to ask!
(I would also ask him not to revisit any form of Doctor/companion romance, especially not Rose, and to avoid any canon-shaking, universe-in-peril plot-storming, an anniversary special doesn't need any of that, it doesn't need high melodrama and especially it doesn't need to re-write the show's past, it just needs to be a fun celebration that remembers the long history of the show and reminds everyone why they fell in love with it in the first place).
(Not to mention, I really hope he's got over his need to give everyone a miserable ending – let companions leave with their heads held high, Rusty, please! Let them be happy and retain autonomy!)
Overall, the thing is…I know the RTD1 era was flawed. I also know that in spite of his having gained years more experience at his craft, some of those flaws are bound to re-emerge when he's running the show for a second time. And I know that I will be irritated when I see them again.
But I don't care. I really don't care.
I wanted to love Steven Moffat's Doctor Who, but I didn't. Aspects of it I ended up loathing with a fiery passion. And I've tried really hard to love Chris Chibnall's Doctor Who, but I can't. I don't hate it, either, mind. It's worse than that. At least when I loathed Moffat's Who I felt passionate about it! With Chibnall's Who, I just feel completely indifferent. He's had some really strong ideas (plus Jo Martin's Doctor! Who in the tiny amount of screentime she's had has been everything the Doctor should be) but the execution of those ideas...*sigh* Taken as a whole, it's just been really bland and meh. Which is something Doctor Who should never be. At least failure under Davies (and Moffat, for that matter) was never a dismal failure, it was always spectacular. Even on his worst day, Davies put Chibnall to shame, because although his first era had many weaknesses, above all else he knows how to tell a cracking story. His ambition is huge, his love for the show is unconditional, his talent is extraordinary. I am really excited to see what he does with the show next.
Interesting news. Very, very interesting. And exciting! For a while there it was starting to look as if there wouldn't be any Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary, as if the show might even be rested for a few years, but now we know there is a plan in place. And that plan involves a safe pair of hands, a highly acclaimed TV writer who already knows the show and the Whoniverse inside out.
Now, I'll admit, I don't agree with every creative decision Davies made during his first stint in charge of the show, although I understand why those choices were made in that context. He wrote his fair share of train wrecks! And, whichever way you look at it, this is a backwards step that doesn't exactly suggest a show brimming with confidence in the current status quo. Which is a fair assessment, really. The show has definitely struggled to maintain momentum since Davies left, its popularity waning under Moffat and then nosediving under Chibnall. It has been in real trouble, which is why its future seemed to be in doubt.
But, you know, if you're going to take a backward step, this is the way to go about it and also make it a strong forward step! They've not simply rehired an old producer, they've hired one of the best producers in the modern television industry. Multiple award winning Russell T Davies is an excellent dramatic writer, a forward-thinker with a passion for Doctor Who and a knack for strong character studies. Having him back, if only for a little while, is brilliant news.
The BBC, obviously, are hoping to re-capture the magic of the show's initial relaunch, back in 2005, when everything about Doctor Who felt fresh and exciting, like capturing lightning in a bottle. Davies made Doctor Who a cultural, commercial ratings smash, out of nothing, and now that the show is in the doldrums the BBC understandably wants to revitalise it. Davies, meanwhile, has spent the last 12 years honing his skills as a writer, growing in life experience and perspective, and no doubt coming up with all kinds of new ideas to take the show forward into a bright new future. I'm excited to see what those ideas involve, in a way that I have never felt excited about Chibnall's Doctor Who. Or Moffat's, for that matter. No doubt it will involve another soft reboot, Davies is highly unlikely to return to the show simply to retread old ground, and that's good. This is a show that thrives on change – and there is certainly plenty of baggage accumulated over the past 16 years that I'd be more than happy to quietly brush under the carpet and move on from!
I do think it's kind of a shame Jodie Whittaker is leaving with Chris Chibnall, as I'd be interested to see her Doctor written by someone else. Then again, I felt the same way about both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi! Whittaker is an excellent actress who could and should make a great Doctor and has done her level best, but has been horribly hampered by poor scripts and creative direction which have left the show at its lowest ebb since the late 1980s. The companions of this era, likewise, although played by talented actors, have rarely managed to achieve much in the way of depth, in stark contrast to the rich characterisations of the first Davies era. Yes, a change is sorely needed.
Long term, the show does need to pass the baton on to someone new. Preferably someone who didn't grow up in the tight little fandom generation that Davies, Moffat and Chibnall all belong to. I mean, if the show can only be run by a handful of supremely talented ultra fans, then it has no real future, sooner or later it has to move on to someone from outside of that little clique. Someone who approaches the show from a completely different direction. Preferably also someone who doesn't feel compelled to take the show's history and canon apart all over again just so they can stamp their own initials all over it, the way all three reboot showrunners to date have. I strongly suspect that Davies's appointment is designed to provide a bit of breathing space to either find or train that person, he isn't going to stick around for four and a half years this time. I expect the anniversary and one series after that, and then he'll move on. Hopefully leaving the show in a better place than he found it!
So what are we going to get for the anniversary and beyond? A new Doctor, that's for sure. New companions. I'm excited to find out who all of them will be. Maybe more spin-offs, Davies is a big fan of those – he beat the MCU to the crossover punch by four years! My little niece has literally just in the last week or so discovered the Sarah Jane Adventures, the gateway drug to Doctor Who (we watched Revenge of the Slitheen five times last weekend!), and it would be lovely to see more spin-offs of that nature to capture the hearts of a new generation.
Moffat's take on the 50th anniversary had some great things in it (multi-Doctor shenanigans! John Hurt!), but overall was a torrid mess. All I ask of Davies for the 60th is a fun, nostalgic romp that actually celebrates all 60 years of the show in a respectful way, while also looking ahead to the future. That really shouldn't be too much to ask!
(I would also ask him not to revisit any form of Doctor/companion romance, especially not Rose, and to avoid any canon-shaking, universe-in-peril plot-storming, an anniversary special doesn't need any of that, it doesn't need high melodrama and especially it doesn't need to re-write the show's past, it just needs to be a fun celebration that remembers the long history of the show and reminds everyone why they fell in love with it in the first place).
(Not to mention, I really hope he's got over his need to give everyone a miserable ending – let companions leave with their heads held high, Rusty, please! Let them be happy and retain autonomy!)
Overall, the thing is…I know the RTD1 era was flawed. I also know that in spite of his having gained years more experience at his craft, some of those flaws are bound to re-emerge when he's running the show for a second time. And I know that I will be irritated when I see them again.
But I don't care. I really don't care.
I wanted to love Steven Moffat's Doctor Who, but I didn't. Aspects of it I ended up loathing with a fiery passion. And I've tried really hard to love Chris Chibnall's Doctor Who, but I can't. I don't hate it, either, mind. It's worse than that. At least when I loathed Moffat's Who I felt passionate about it! With Chibnall's Who, I just feel completely indifferent. He's had some really strong ideas (plus Jo Martin's Doctor! Who in the tiny amount of screentime she's had has been everything the Doctor should be) but the execution of those ideas...*sigh* Taken as a whole, it's just been really bland and meh. Which is something Doctor Who should never be. At least failure under Davies (and Moffat, for that matter) was never a dismal failure, it was always spectacular. Even on his worst day, Davies put Chibnall to shame, because although his first era had many weaknesses, above all else he knows how to tell a cracking story. His ambition is huge, his love for the show is unconditional, his talent is extraordinary. I am really excited to see what he does with the show next.
