RTD, goodbye?

[paulvonscott]

Just heard from a long time super-obsessive Whovian that Russel T Davies is no longer head writer for Dr Who.  This may or may not be true.

If so I'm sure many people have good things to say about him, he brought the show back and made some very good choices for the show.  

But for me he's far from being a great writer, and his interference in other people's scripts hasn't been for the better.

If he goes I'll be more than prepared to give Dr Who another chance.  I haven't been able to watch the 'success at all costs' approach to the show.

It's about my favourite TV show of all time, so I'd like to think it could become a show I could happily again, but just because Russel T Davies leaves the show, doesn't mean it will.

No doubt this will all turn out to be bollocks anyway.

[Dunk!]

Just breaking on the Beeb.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7411177.stm" target="_blank">Going, going...

[paulvonscott]

I have a lot of time for Moffat, and many of the writers on the show

Ultimately it's a kids show, so I hope this fifth season is a success, even if it still isn't a show for me.

[Richmond Clements]

Moffat is a superb choice- but I'm suprised he's doing it.
Isn't he scripting the Tin Tin movies for Jackson and Spielberg?

[SamuelAWilkinson]

Get. The Fuck. IN!


I promise to be very sorry if series 5 turns out to be really really shit and RTD was the only thing holding it together.

[LARF]

You've got to give RTD his due - he might not be the best writer on the show but he is the driving force, and if it was not for him then I don't think Who would be as good as it is now.

Being in the creative industry and leading a team of designers, I'm not the best designer, but I am the best person to forge the creative through the studio and direct the work. RTD is the same, he creates grounding and guidelines, rules and regulations and maintains consistency in the writing. I think he's a great influence, and I hope that he's provided inspiration to some kids out there who want to go on and create in whatever field - in a sense he's the Biddy Baxter of his era.

[Eric Plumrose]

>> and if it was not for him then I don't think Who would be as good as it is now.

It might not have been as *popular* without him but I'd like to think new Who could have been a helluva lot *better* if RTD hadn't done to the show in his first season what took JN-T three.

[Leigh S]

How much of new Whos success is down to RTDs approach, and how much down to the innate "rightness" of its formula?  He certainly placed the show in a position where it stodd best chance of attracting a 'modern' audience, for good or ill.  Personally, I think the show would have been successful to a good degree so long as it could keep a focus on its audience - almost 11 million tuned in to see what old Dr Who could be, so thats a lot of people already wanting to be impressed in he first place.

Even if he keeps a lot of the cliches of new Who (which i think would be a mistake, but i suspect will happen to a greater extent) I imagine the quality willl still be higher.  Moffat has been able to (mostly) make the RTD approach work for me, by actually applying a bit of thought to the whole affair - just a tad, but enough to make me think someone cares, or at least assumes there are semi-active brains at the other end of the TV signal.  If he can extend that to more scripts per year, then I'm sure I'll be enjoying more scripts per year, so this is certainly very hopeful news for me and new Who.

[Floyd-the-k]

I thought you said you didn't watch new Who PVS.

 quibbles aside, it's been brilliant up to now ('now' for me means before the Kylie Christmas special, since I haven't seen anything after that)

Here's hoping Moffat's genius as a writer makes him a good producer

[Leigh S]

"If he goes I'll be more than prepared to give Dr Who another chance. I haven't been able to watch the 'success at all costs' approach to the show."

[paulvonscott]

"I thought you said you didn't watch new Who PVS."

I came to an informed decision after watching the first two series that the show really wasn't for me, that's despite it having some very good episodes, good actors and writers on the show, and have not watched the last two series.  I suspected it from the very first episode, and some very good episodes kept me thinking it might develop a bit more into my type of show.  It didn't.

I've been as even-handed as I can be with RTD.  For me he did some things right and some things wrong. He certainly had a very canny eye for giving the audience what they want and made some good choices on casting, as well as having some good ideas for the show.  He certainly made it a success.  His expertise is writing emotional character based stuff, personally I think more is needed for Doctor Who.  Again, many disagree.  My opinions is all but worthless, but it's all I have.

I'll start watching again from Season 5 (after these specials) and see if it's for me with Moffat at the helm.  It would be great if I loved the show, if not, that's fine.

I shall now lapse into a long silence on the matter and spare those who disagree.