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Well, I doubt it's a shock to anyone who cares in the first place, but after the 2009 specials (in lieu of a full season next year), Doctor Who's executive producer/head writer Russell T Davies is stepping down to pursue other projects. Five years is a pretty long run for a Doctor Who producer. I think only 1980s producer John Nathan-Turner lasted longer, and that's because the BBC told him no other producing jobs would be available if he stepped down.
RTD brought Doctor Who back and made it a hit. I know fans -- and hey as a former fanzine editor I'm one too -- like to complain about Davies. And sure, I could nitpick some plot points too. But a lot of the criticism seems silly to me. Complaints about Davies's "gay agenda" smacks of homophobia. That there are gay characters in Dr Who is just an acknowledgement of life. It's not some great plot to turn Britain's children gay. The 21st century Doctor Who might make kids a little less bigoted than some posters on Outpost Gallifrey.
Aside from the 1996 TV movie, Doctor Who had long been owned by an increasingly small number of fans. Many novels and audio adventures felt either like an anemic copy of the show or something very different. Some would say "adult". But I think many Dr Who novels felt like a teenager obnoxiously trying to prove they deserve to a place at the grownups' table by acting very humourless and self-important. Some fans refused to acknowledge they loved a show that was meant to have a large children's audience. Sure, there was good spin-off products. Rob Sherman's Jubilee and Paul Cornell's Human Nature were both excellent, and adapted to the new show. But for more than a decade, Dr Who was the province of the fanboy.
Davies grew the fan base. He made Doctor Who appeal to a vaster audience than it ever had before. And this wasn't just through stunt casting. It was understanding the emotional weight the series needed. The attention paid to the companions is a big example of this.
His contribution will be missed.
Fortunately, the new head writer is Steven Moffat -- award-winning writer of the show's best episodes. Moffat has the greatest gift for clever twists, witty dialogue and diamond-hard, play-fair plotting of any Doctor Who writer. So, I think Doctor Who will be in the best of hands.
Fans on message boards are analyzing Moffat's episodes to see what we can expect from his reign as producer. But I think we need to look back at an earlier piece of writing. One where a character based on Moffat himself explains art theory and how to run a film studio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0rLBnctW4A
Allen
RTD brought Doctor Who back and made it a hit. I know fans -- and hey as a former fanzine editor I'm one too -- like to complain about Davies. And sure, I could nitpick some plot points too. But a lot of the criticism seems silly to me. Complaints about Davies's "gay agenda" smacks of homophobia. That there are gay characters in Dr Who is just an acknowledgement of life. It's not some great plot to turn Britain's children gay. The 21st century Doctor Who might make kids a little less bigoted than some posters on Outpost Gallifrey.
Aside from the 1996 TV movie, Doctor Who had long been owned by an increasingly small number of fans. Many novels and audio adventures felt either like an anemic copy of the show or something very different. Some would say "adult". But I think many Dr Who novels felt like a teenager obnoxiously trying to prove they deserve to a place at the grownups' table by acting very humourless and self-important. Some fans refused to acknowledge they loved a show that was meant to have a large children's audience. Sure, there was good spin-off products. Rob Sherman's Jubilee and Paul Cornell's Human Nature were both excellent, and adapted to the new show. But for more than a decade, Dr Who was the province of the fanboy.
Davies grew the fan base. He made Doctor Who appeal to a vaster audience than it ever had before. And this wasn't just through stunt casting. It was understanding the emotional weight the series needed. The attention paid to the companions is a big example of this.
His contribution will be missed.
Fortunately, the new head writer is Steven Moffat -- award-winning writer of the show's best episodes. Moffat has the greatest gift for clever twists, witty dialogue and diamond-hard, play-fair plotting of any Doctor Who writer. So, I think Doctor Who will be in the best of hands.
Fans on message boards are analyzing Moffat's episodes to see what we can expect from his reign as producer. But I think we need to look back at an earlier piece of writing. One where a character based on Moffat himself explains art theory and how to run a film studio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0rLBnctW4A
Allen
