How to Solve Doctor Who’s Regeneration Problem
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- Опубліковано 14 сер 2021
- With Jodie Whittaker leaving soon, we're coming up on our next transition to a new Doctor. These are always exciting times, but also times in which people give up on the show. In this video essay, I explain how companions are the key to a smooth transition.
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I fully agree. Amy also was such a masterstroke for 11 because of the fact that after he seemingly abandoned her she did, in fact, have to come around to accepting him again. It wasn’t the same as a companion carrying over but considering how he was indeed sabotaged by the way RTD ended his run (he really was a bastard there) I think it was the best possible way to do it. The Woman Who Fell to Earth, while a fairly solid start all things considered, definitely was not able to do the same and I really, really think Bill should’ve stuck around-not to mention her reaction to a female Doctor could’ve been a whole lot of fun for obvious reasons. That said, Moffat’s approach to the transitions between Doctors is absolutely stellar in my opinion because he deeply understands that it’s not tragic but instead bittersweet. I also think he took the whole thing RTD set up with 10 about it genuinely feeling like he dies every time he regenerates and turned into something super compelling that still embraces whatever comes next.
I hadn’t considered that angle for Amy, but you’re absolutely right. God, what a fantastic episode! As for the rest of the stuff in this comment, I agree 100%
It was a masterstroke for Moffat to use 10's ending line later on as an iconic "thing."
Considering that Moffat and RTD were in communication and they’d been chatting about Moff’s plans, I think it’s unfair to say that RTD sabotaged the new showrunner. From what I understand, Moffat wanted a clean slate storywise, hence why he goes about reversing a lot of narrative decisions that Davies makes. He still clearly has a lot of respect for the former showrunner’s tenure and continues a number of his ideas in his own run.
There’s a difference between a clean slate and the nonsense we actually got in End of Time
@@Joe_Brennan_ just found your channel
Going to sub
The general lack of connectivity to the previous era has definitely been an issue for Chibnall's run. Even if he wanted to have a fresh start with regard to the main cast, bringing in a supporting character, or referencing adventures from the previous era, or even retaining a bit of the previous era's iconography, even just for the first episode, could've been helpful. The transition from Ten to Eleven is a good comparison, since while we get a new Doctor and new companions, series 5 still has enough familiar elements from the previous era to convince us we're still watching the same show. The Weeping Angels and River Song both appear, there's multiple references to episodes from the Tennant era, like how "The Beast Below" references Queen Victoria knighting and exiling the Doctor, or Amy's inability to remember the events of "The Stolen Earth" are made into a significant plot point, and throughout his first episode Eleven still uses his predecessor's screwdriver, TARDIS and outfit, before getting his own version of all three by the end of the episode. By contrast, with series 11 we have no returning villains or characters, very few references to previous adventures (and the ones we do get reference to are typically those from over a decade prior), and the only bits of connectivity we get with Twelve's era are Thirteen wearing her predecessor's clothes in her debut, and namechecking Kate Stewart in "Resolution". Going into Fourteen's era, I think they should avoid going down this exact same route, and I reckon keeping on Yaz (or possibly Dan), or maybe bringing back a villain from this era like the Sacha Dhawan Master or Zellin from "Can You Hear Me" might help to make the transition a little bit smoother
I wanted to mention Dhawan! You've just reminded me! He'd be another good example of connectivity and I can see him lasting many years and multiple Doctors in the role
I disagree, I think the lack of connectivity may have been a bit jarring, but not completely negative had the show just be written well, with better dialogue, themes, characterisation, and villains
If they keep it up with yaz. She’ll be the longest running companion for nu who as well as the companion with the least developed character.
@@nickchavarria8052 Yaz isn’t a character, she’s a vessel for delivering exposition
@@nickchavarria8052 she's a lot like characters from years ago, decades ago. Little character development is needed when you're just using a character to be there to ask "what's that, Doctor? Or "what do we do now, Doctor?" Or just to scream and be rescued by the Doctor.
I would love to see your video defending “Deep breath”. Personally I think the episode is a bit bloated and Clara can be a tad on the ugh side but she does begin to to get better here. I think the Victorian gang (I can’t spell their name correctly so I ain’t gonna try) might drag it down too much to pre-existing knowledge and when it flounders it flounders. But the few moments it tries to be great it nails it. The doctor grabbing Clara’s hand after such a pause and the “did he push the robot guy or did he jump” left ambiguous are two perfect scenes encapsulating capaldi.
Talking about it made me realise I’d love to make a video on it! I’ll put it on the list
I loved the religious overtones of that arc. The 'promise land', and the nether sphere tying it up nicely at the end. The visceral reaction to the revelation that even dead we still feel. Truly a brilliant nightmare monster. As plausible, and backed by evidence as any other religious interpretation of the after-life...
Capaldi's debut was the only time I didnt buy him as the Doc by episode's end, I loathed Eccleston's costume but I bought him as the Doc by the end of Rose, I loathed David Tennant's era of the show for so many reasons but I bought him as the Doc by the end of that Christmas Invasion episode and I easily bought Smith as the Doc cos he nailed both the personality and the costume which none of the others really have, and even Jodie I bought in the role, but Capaldi you spend the whole episode watching him not really affirm who he is, cos he doesnt know and even Clara is seriously doubtful about him. There's no real stamp on that episode where you feel the actor has arrived and I dont think he really does arrive for the next few episodes. Id say Robots of Sherwood is where he becomes more identifiable as the character.
I agree. Capaldi was the most difficult new Doctor introduction for me. Even in Jodie’s first episode, which is definitely a weaker episode overall, I could at least see her potential by the end, but there were parts of Capaldi’s introduction that just felt wrong.
With hindsight Deep Breath was the perfect set up for Capaldi’s “am I a good man?” character arc and any potential Jodie had was truly and completely squandered. Still Deep Breath was not a good first impression for me personally.
I saw Deep Breath at the world premiere in Cardiff and left it feeling largely confused. I didn't feel I know who Capaldi's Doctor was, but I thought Coleman was brilliant in it.
I like a lot of what Series 8 was trying to do, with the Doctor slowly working out how to be the Doctor again (and, one could argue, Doctor Who working out how to be Doctor Who again).
It's a big ask for an audience used to a cuddly version of the Doctor (ish. It's not as if Eccleston, Tennant and Smith didn't have their darker flashes after all) to have someone actively cold at times, but the pay off ("I am... an idiot!") worked for me.
Matt Lucas should have stayed on for Series 11, in this essay I will-
Ah he would've been great-
I'm a Matt Lucas fan. It's a shame he couldn't return for Series 11.
Honestly they should edit every episode so that every character is just Nardole
MAKE HIM THE MAIN CHARACTER!!!!
@@Vortex-ps6sv yuck... 🤢🤮
I liked how they introduced Donna with out being all mushy with the Doctor Id like a spin off with the Madame and Jenny
I wouldn't really want Yaz to stick around for another season. Maybe for one or two episodes while we are introduced to the new doctor and find their new companions. It would be nice to get Jenny back. Have the Doctor find out she's still alive, have a family reunion. Georgia can play the character again or have her regenerate for a new face. Or maybe get someone like Clara, Martha or Bill to introduce the new doctor. All three of them are still out there doing their thing. It's unreasonable to think they would never come across any of the doctors.
The trick would be to make sure that people don't feel alienated by existing characters and so don't start. However, the MCU probably has proved audiences are receptive to seeing newer parts of a work even if they won't get every detail. It might even have encouraged audiences in that way.
So you'd need a character who had been present, but lacked definition or a particularly strong character arc. A character mostly just defined as the Doctor's companion, who has some hints of a story, but nothing major. A character perhaps in need of characterisation. So yeah, Yaz
I didn’t set out to make the Yaz point, but the more I described the perfect hypothetical, the more I realised I was describing her
screw the mcu
@@kylemccrory2031
No.
I agree with this as a general rule, but think it's a bit tricky at the moment. As much as there absolutely are fans of this era to keep onboard, there are fans that have dropped off the show that need roping back in, probably more this time than ever, and I don't know if that could be done with anything short of a blank slate unfortunately. Personally I'd love to see Yaz or Dan stay, but I don't know if that'd actually be best for the show this time around. Plus Mandip and Jodie seem like besties so I'd totally understand Mandip wanting to move on at the same time.
This is a really good point. I still think Yaz is inoffensive enough for her continuation to not alienate people. Maybe they could bring another character in to act as the insert for the new viewers?
Honestly they should go after new fans. The old ones will come back around in time, especially if there's new interest in the show.
@@elbruces only if the writing and acting are good!! this era has been terrible! the only good thing about season 11 was graham and they punished him for it in season 12! yaz was the worst and most useless companion and a useless police woman, as proven in every episode where she needs to take charge and protect people! and the least said about jodies performance the better! even with rubbish writing capaldi still made it watchable! and we need writers who know sci-fi, not drama writers who shoehorn a bit of sci-fi into their political and social justice messages
@@adamcampbell5977 Yaz was absolutely no worse than a dozen other companions from the past I could name, bam, bam, bam. And I have had zero issues with Jodi's acting, in this or any other thing I've watched her in.
What the problem with this era could possibly be for your kind is a freaking mystery to me, and I've been a fan of the show since the very early 1970s, when I was old enough to understand good guys vs bad guys. 😄😄 If I, who have followed the show religiously for that long, can say no, it's not so bad, I think you guys can get over it. 😉
I've been through #6 choking Peri for their first episode, and the Rani _successfully_ pretending to be Mel(anie) for #7s first episode. You guys don't know when you have it so good, obviously! 🤣🤣
I fully agree with this, I know some people that think that Moffat erased most of the RTD stuff in his first series, even though most of the character themes were still present with Eleventh, it mostly had to do with the lack of a real connection with the old era.
It was a huge misoportunity to not use UNIT in Thirteen's first episode, specially since it felt even more disconnected to the previous era
Kate Stewart could have been the same glue that her father was for Jon Pertwee’s era. Not overbearing connectivity, but SOMETHING
It’s “older” and sexy, ya ageist!
Great video.
Imagine if somewhere in the new season, Graham decides he will come back as a companion, and stays for the first season of the new Doctor.. Pretty sure no one would complain about that!
Just rewatched Deep Breath, and it’s fantastic to see this crazy new badass of a Doctor be extremely vulnerable and scared in his first new moments.
Everything I knew from Doctor Who was gone, in a moment, like "tEaRs, iN, rAiN,"
That was deeply painful to hear. Roy, is that you?
I thought it was funny
@@Joe_Brennan_ I loved that!
Very interesting theory about keeping a companion on through regeneration, I think you hit the nail on the head aswell. One thing I will say, and I don't know how many agree, but we have NEVER in the almost 60yr of the show, had a Bad Doctor, one that no one likes. All have been amazing actors and of course actress (present company included there 🙂) and have all made the job harder for thier sucessor. Yes, I have my favourites but I can never say which I like the most overall. Tom for the classic series as he's the one I grew up with and I really can't pick with new Who. Chris had given the show the massive boost to get it back and his Doctor was brilliant. David was funny and emotional so worked for the new audience and pulled it off fantasticly. Matt, relatively unexperienced actor who grew up with No Doctor on TV was an amazing actor and I think the best actor to play the part ever, what an amazing job he did. Peter is the one I like most from the new series as he made the show feel like the classic era whilst embarrassing the new, he actually oozed with past Doctors and every episode you watched you could imagine Pertwee or Tom Baker or Peter Davison. The guy was a genius and he's acting talent really worked. Jodie is brilliant, what a hard job being the 1st female Doctor and how well has she done it "The Doctor can't be female" were the cries, but now, thanks to Jodie, life long fans like myself can accept a female Doctor and that is an accomplishment in itself. Amazing chaps, all of them.
Absofreakinglutely agreed! I couldn't disagree with you at all, except maybe the 4th Doctor, as many of the 3rd Doctor's episodes I like better than a good portion of #4's stories. 😊❤❤
Interesting thought, if Yaz did stay on for the 14th doctor she'd be the longest serving companion in at least the show's recent history, appearing as a regular companion in at least 4 series, including specials. The closest comparisons I can think of would be Clara or Amy, who were regular companions in 2 1/2 series each.
She would also have outlived her Doctor’s time on the show, which has never happened before
I sincerely hope she doesn’t. No matter how good she’s been and will be. Her being on the show for 4 series will mean that some other companion won’t exist.
I also hope she doesn't, I'm hoping for a clean break and a regeneration starting at the end of Jodie's last episode that leads up to the reveal of the 14th doctor for a full series starting in 2024, I just think it's interesting that Yaz is the longest running regular companion in nuwho, purely because they don't plan character arcs and have no natural stopping point or reason for her to leave
@@ultraemeraldjustice exactly. For all the companions. Rose was the alternate universe, Martha tried and failed to get the doctor to love her. Donna became the doctordonna. Amy was falling for the doctor then realising rory was the one for her. Clara was growing increasingly more reckless. Bill didn’t really have one but missy caused her death and I guess you could say running off with heather at the end.
Series 14 would most likely be in 2023, not 2024.
I do agree for the most part and great video. I liked the edit of Wilf with 10 regenerating.
I do think that Deep Breath falls short because Capaldi is uncertain of who he is by the end, we don't know who Clara is, and most of all Clara's crush on the Doctor, which the episode centres around, feels tacked on and a little confontational to the hetero-female-audience. As if the show is telling the female audience that they ARE attracted to Matt Smith and they should keep watching and be proper fans now because Peter Capaldi isn't sexy and he is the Doctor "whether you like it or not"... And the biggest problem I have with that, is that Capaldi is sexy. He works best when he's a confident Doctor... In fact, scratch that, all Doctors work best when they're confident of who they are so the audience can like them. There's no other character on TV that can change their whole body and personality and walk around saying "I don't know who I am" and we're supposed to care. Why? Because it's not relatable. It doesn't happen in real life (besides long term memory loss I suppose but that's a rare insight to have as your average audience member). Not to say they can't be flawed and have insecurities. Just that introducing Capaldi as a mid-life crisis wasn't necessarily a good move.
It's for this reason that I'm not sure keeping Yaz would necessarily be good if the episode hinges around a character we don't really know yet. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I'd like the Doctor to know who they are!!!
I want to forget about this era not trick myself into thinking it’s still going on
I don't blame you
My feeling entirely.
I dont know what could have bridged the gap for series 10 to 11. Bill could of but I'm kinda glad she left when she did because her being written by chibnall wouldve ruined her character. The only way I could see it linking is perhaps having Graham, ryan or yaz as supporting characters in an episode in series 10.
It’s hard to think of what could’ve been different in hindsight when we’ve seen how things actually were. I guess the most obvious idea of connectivity would be Kate Stewart, just as her father bridged the gap from 60s and 70s
Say hi to me
The doctor falls is one of the best who episodes wouldnt change it. But mightve helped 13
The issue is I think Chibs quietly dislike the Moffat era...Bill would have been a great companion for Jodie. But like the unspoken Jj Abrams and Rian Johnson game of dismantling each other's work, I think Chibs set out to undo everything Moffat did.
Great video, totally agree that regeneration stories are better when there is a companion there to react to it. Regeneration is probably the most fascinating concept in Doctor Who and having a companion have to deal with their friend completely changing is simply compelling storytelling, although I don't think they have to do it every single time. I think it will always be unlikely to happen when there is a change in showrunners however because, as you said, they like to wrap up the concepts they introduced in their last few stories, as well as the new showrunners not wanting to tread on the old showrunner's ideas and wanting to start from scratch so that they have more to work with.
We'll be getting two regenerations with new showrunners in a row unfortunately, so we run the risk of constant fresh starts
I think this is a really interesting idea I hadn't seen before! It is so odd to me people just stop watching when the doctor changes actor, even when the show is still going and has so many of the same ideas too. (but I guess I still plan to watch future episodes even when the quality has fallen a lot recently, so maybe I'm just a sucker for who)
I’m the same. There’s very little that could convince me to stop watching Doctor Who, so it surprises me that people will drop it on a whim
Same I gotta keep up with the show no matter what but I still remain somewhat critical because I want to see the show grow and continue.
This is a fantastic point! I also really like the idea of keeping Yaz around because maybe then she will get to exist under a good showrunner and develop a charicter
It’s so funny that I’ve spent a couple of videos complaining about her and now I’m like “nah keep her around”
I think Chibnall more than any previous show runner set out to PURGE the show of every last trailing thread connecting it to what had come before. Not just from New Who, but from all the way back to Hartnell. Did the words "Time Lord" even get mentioned in his first series? It didn't matter as later he decreed the Doctor was never one of those. He kept the Police box and the sonic screwdriver and replaced everything else.
He didn't just start with a clean slate, he systematically unwrote everything connecting his show to what it used to be. That's going to take some damn good writing to repair.
Chibnall’s first mistake was not keeping Bill on for 13. Baffling decision.
And his second mistake was to start off with three new, under-written, Companions. Even in cyber-form, Bill already had a well-defined character and personality, which is more than Ryan and Yaz were given in S11, and arguably S12 too.
Although I never watched Broadchurch, I'd heard quite a few people say that Chibnall was "good at character-led drama", but on the evidence of S11/12 of Doctor Who, I honestly didn't see that.
Bill and 13 would’ve been a great dynamic!
I suppose it's not impossible for Bill and fourteen to re-engage. Cap'n Jack felt forced, after Chris' relaunch with no recurring aliens. With unfortunate information about John and his favourite way of keeping his colleagues entertained and lower the tension...
@@MrRjhyt Agreed, I thought that Captain Jack was clumsily shoehorned into "Fugitive" and the dialogue he was given was awfully clunky. His later pep-talk to Yaz in "Revolution", about her feeling abandoned by the Doctor, felt particularly inauthentic. Jack's a swashbuckling adventurer, whose path only occasionally crossed with the Doctor; he wasn't a long-term companion in the sense that Rose, Martha.... Yaz were. Would he really have felt a sense of loss if the Doctor had left him behind? I don't think so; Jack and the Doctor didn't have that kind of relationship, and Jack never struck me as the needy/clingy type.
@@ftumschk In her brief screentime, Ryan's mom had more of a character than any of the companions ever did. She should've been kept instead of Yaz.
Remember it was the writers and producers who came up with the story of the Immortal child Jodi Whittaker was just acting out the script so who was to blame for that down fall the company who never should've written it in the first place As you see the fans never wanted to see The Doctor who as an immortal but would die at some time in the future we just don't know for how long so the company should've known this since the beginning It wasn't Jodi's fault she was just following the script
Is that a picture of Scongo in the background? If so, does that mean a future version of the Doctor becomes the Scongo we all know and love today?
It is, and it does
I like a companion staying on after a Regeneration, but no Companion has ever outlived a Doctor, and I kinda prefer that
I hadn’t considered that Yaz would then be around longer than Jodie. Hmmmm you might be right
Technically Rose did? But that was an exceptional circumstance
@@cameronmarnoch5236 Rose is the exception. Given Nine's early years are sketchy and now with Big Finish establishing them that changes that. Yaz arrived as 13 fell to Earth so there's no space for extra adventures. Jamies' the only other Companion who comes close to lasting a Doctor's whole life, but never outlived
Never watched you before, you came up as the third suggestion today. You actually did a great job and loved watching it. subscribing!
i do really love yaz and she has so so much unfulfilled potential that i'd love to see but my two gripes with keeping her on is:
1 - we really are in need of an emotional exit for yaz, so that chibs can have one last shot at making the audience connect with her and 13.
and 2 - if they do go with a romance (even if it's unrequited) between yaz and 13, which i suspect they might, i'm bored of the 'my lover/crush has a new face now, do i still love them?' trope we've already seen it done with rose and clara and i don't wanna see it done again.
what i think they should do, is have an emotional exit between yaz and 13 where yaz doesn't die but she is separated from her doctor in an heartbreaking way, possibly similar to rose. the reason i say, don't kill her off is so that they can restart torchwood/sja and bring yaz onto it therefore she gets a chance with a different, better showrunner. i know it's a long shot but that's what i'd hope they do.
That's a good shout really
Re: 2 - I want to see that question answered with a resounding no for once cause for rose and Clara the answer had both been yes
@@sjacpswbs03162005 ahhh! yes! ok fair play to you. i, too, would like to see that.
Simple solution: there's no need for Yaz to be in love with any Doctor.
@@jonathan.palfrey i think it's a bit too late for that now. **cough** revolution of the daleks **cough**
I don’t know… I’ve never fallen in love with a new doctor as fast as I did with Matt Smith I was enamored minutes into the first episode. In contrast it took me a couple episodes to warm up to Tennent and simply ages to get used to Capaldi - I did come to love him very much in the end though. So my personal experience doesn’t exactly aline with your theory.
That’s fair enough, Matt Smith was my first Doctor and I was on board with him immediately. I think part of it is just gonna come down to personal preference, but I think the smoothness of the transition does have quite a wide effect on the more casual fans
Weirdly, your opinion is basically my opinion. Although warm up is maybe the wrong word with Tennant, as I still missed Eccleston dearly right up until Matt Smith burst onto the scene. I liked Tennant, don't get me wrong, but I never fell in love with him.
@@mattevans4377 That is exactly the reason I had trouble with Tennent. I thought Eccleston really nailed the role, bringing so much emotional depth to the character. Tennent initially felt like a shallow pretty boy replacement. Also Eccleston was my first* Doctor, and the first regeneration is always the hardest. I did eventually fall head over heals in love with Tennent’s Doctor though. Moody, sad boy really filled a need for teenage me.
Honestly, the only Doctor I haven’t eventually come to love is Jodie. Which is sad because the first female Doctor was such a huge moment for me as a female fan. (Also I have a huge crush on Jodie the person she has so much bright infectious energy, she should really be a incredible Doctor). It’s sad that the moment I loved her the most was before she ever said a line in character.
* If you don’t count a couple of Tom Baker episodes my dad tried to get us kids to watch during the gap years. I love you dad, but did you really think that bubble wrap alien was going to win over children used to 90’s blockbuster level special effects?
You nailed it. The new Doctor Who seasons just don't feel like Doctor Who to me. It's like I'm watching a fake copy, and that hasn't changed over time.
It’s a shame because I really WANTED it to be great
@@Joe_Brennan_ Me too, but it failed for many reasons.
I think Jodie Whittaker is a good Doctor, but she has faced the biggest/worst enemy I think the Doctor has ever faced. Chris Chibnall.
I would like to comment on the US TV movie. I grew up in the US. I remember the kids at my school making fun of Doctor Who after the TV movie came out. I had watched a lot of the classic episodes on my local PBS station. For the majority of the kids that I went to school with that was their first exposure to Doctor Who and they hated it. Introducing a new Doctor is tricky. If it isn't done well the show can loose more people than it gains. It's tough to recover from that.
Just have Jedi Whittaker become Amelia Pond, and/or Clara, to throw in a fun twist to the timeline~
It definitely would throw a spanner in all their stories
I consider that a good idea as well. But the main problem with it is besides having to get the actor to return to do this that the audience will probably will be very very sceptical that this work out and wont accept anything than complete success.
Great video! I never thought about the disconnect between an old and new doctor, I think you make some really good points and I agree it would be nice to have a character who could be with us through the change
I started watching with the reboot. Now, Peter Capaldi is my favourite Doctor. I was given reason to stay with the show, and now I watch it religiously. In short, I agree.
i wonder if bringing back a previous companion could also have the effect of making people feel like the new doctor is still the doctor. for example, have a new doctor meet martha and mickey and their friend in their debut episode, and have the friend become the new companion? i think there's ways to do this without having to keep a companion from a previous series (yaz).
My thoughts exactly!
That would be an interesting way to go. Good idea.
They just need to to make it that the last few seasons were in an alternate timeline. Then just continue off with the characters that were around with Capaldi. Except the forgettable Bill.
agree mostly, i liked bill! if only she didn't have to tell us in almost every episode that she was gay! i think we understood that from her first episode! but the writing in that series was terrible! only the greatness of peter capaldi, matt lucas and michelle gomez made it watchable
"let me know if I'm onto something, or if I'm just going mad"
Why not both?
Fair enough
She should regenerate back to Capaldi who had had a prolonged nightmare about being her during his regeneration, which then regenerates to a proper Doctor.
When I started watching Doctor Who it was a bit into the 10th doctor, but somehow I watched a rerun of the 9th doctor first. It was really confusing when the second episode I watched had the 10th doctor and Rose was still there. I thought he was merely recast at some point and didn’t even try to get someone close. Everyone is calling this other guy The Doctor like it isn’t obviously a different guy. It took some time for me to piece together Season 1 of the reboot to realize that everyone knows he’s a different guy and the same guy. When it came time for 10 to end and 11 begin i was just like, “okay, I guess this is happening now.” I quite enjoyed 11. Around series 12 I dropped off of doctor who not because it was bad or anything, but I moved and the TV package to get BBCA was too much. I did eventually get around to watching it on streaming and he did a fine job. I think I may lack an attachment since I didn’t spend a whole lot of time with 12 as the doctor. I didn’t spend years with him, instead a little more than a week. At the time 13 wasn’t on streaming and I think I just weaned myself off of Doctor Who by that point. I’ve caught a few episodes, but not really enough to hook me.
I agree fully, having grown up on Classic Who. This way of chucking everything out and starting again with a totally blank slate is starting to irritate me.
I would love to see Dan have to come to terms with the doctor regenerating but he does know the doctor does that.
Short answer for your prompt:
Retcon Chibnal’s era, hire a competent director, and re-edit everything he did so it *isn’t* god-awful. Because there is potential there, it’s just that Chris is a talentless hack.
/
“The master is a lying bastard, and the the timeless child isn’t the doctor.”
I honestly prefer the second option, because the timeless child is an AMAZING idea, *IF IT ISNT THE DOCTOR.*
It has so much story potential, *but only if it’s a separate character.*
As of now, there’s no reason the doctor can’t kamehama everything into oblivion.
Great video! :) I think a blank slate can be extremely effective if done properly. Personally, I feel that people were alienated by the Smith and Whittaker eras, less because of the newness of the characters but more because of the writing. The "I left after Tennant" people have often said to me that they found 11's series' too convoluted and confusing. Meanwhile, I felt underwhelmed by 13's episodes because the characters weren't compelling enough to hold my interest.
That's fair enough on the "I left after Tennant" crowd, Series 5 is a big shift in a lot of ways
Yaz is already the longest lasting companion of new who but I'm guessing she'll be leaving when Jodie does. It'll likely be Dan if it happens at all
I'm pretty sure that "new Who" had the advantage of many fans already knowing that the Doctor regenerates, because there was the original to back and watch after they enjoyed the first few episodes of the 2005 season.
Oh thanks for the laugh, you beat me to it saying Yaz has nothing to ruin when I was just thinking it. The biggest worry would be making her too antagonistic if she doesn't trust the new doc.
In my view one of the problems Of Jodie's tenure is that there was too many companions and she was swamped in the writing. The Dr is the main chacter and the now all be all that solves the problem in a clever unexpected way. Jody was ham strung
Whenever the new Doctor is announced we are told when the current Doctor is leading the show (Christmas special) and who is the new Doctor. WHAT SERIOUSLY? You have a character in the Doctor where you can replace at the drop of a hat but rather shocking everyone by having the Doctor regenerate in the middle of a episode or heck at the beginning of a episode the BBC and showrunner announces who the new Doctor is going to be TO THE WHOLE WORLD
Doctor who died mid capaldi and there was no doctor after him
I’m new to your content and am very impressed as a long term doctor who fan I loved it and completely agree thank you 🙏
I like the idea of Mandip Gill staying on, Yaz is a contradictory mess at the moment but I'd be eager to see what the next show runner would do with her and how her character would react to regeneration, maybe it'd be too much and she'd completely nope out and the episode would be about the doctor recovering by themselves and slowly regaining Yaz's trust who would be learning to accept the doctor for who they are in the moment. And then the end of the episode would reveal she was secretly working with the new UNIT who wanted to detain the doctor and take control of the TARDIS.
That would be a twist!
I really think that bringing on John Bishop is a mistake. Just having the Doctor and Yaz would actually give them some room to also have some character. Then we might actually wish that Jodie would stay. Maybe.
I normally would be right there with you on this. But this has been such a terrible fiasco that I think we need to go with the... 20 years later ... after he/she has figured out that everything the master said was all a terrible trick... Really they should do "An Eccleston"... Just jump in with a full new team. That we we can distance from this oh so broken era.
Any rewrite that adds more Wilf, I'm onboard for.
I may have started watching pretty late but smith doctor's was my first even tho jodie already started her series, it was because some analysis of the eleventh hour and it made me quite interested in the show so I started from there
I miss Bill. She was a great companion. She didn't love the doctor so we didn't have a usual situation like that. She was the Doctor's student so it worked well with them together. And most importantly, she was a funny Sci fi fan. Best companion. I can't believe I'm saying this but better than Jack Harkness.
i agree it was more like the original doctors! bringing in the love interest with the companions was a bad idea! donna was also good for the same reason! the only bad thing about bills character was that they had her tell us in almost every episode that she was gay! we all understood that from the first episode!!
@@adamcampbell5977 I get what you mean. A few reminders is okay but not every single episode.
Also, Peter Capaldi punching a racist is brilliant.
@@haz2968 not sure if he was a racist or a sexist?? 🤔 In that era it could of been either or both! When I watched it I thought it was sexist but it could have been racist 🤔
@@adamcampbell5977 yeah. I think he was racist. He called her a beast which women were deemed the opposite of in his time.
@@haz2968 your probably right, not something that jumps straight to the front of my mind! Black people in England were extremely rare in those days!
So many iconic quotes in this one Joe. Good job
Like WHAT
@@Joe_Brennan_ my personal favourite was "getting off on the wrong foot" while an attempted murder took place. And of course quality Segway and the brig. But who doesn't love an awful bastard
I agree. BUT, since this season of doctor who has been SOOOO unpopular, maybe it would be better to start from scratch. Carrying Rose over from Christopher to Davids doctor did help keep fans familiar, but only because Rose (and Mickey and roses mom) were quite popular themselves.
I’m back with the first view and comment wooooooo so proud of you Joe!! Another great video ❤️❤️
Thank you Amy. You’re always so good at watching the whole thing in the first minute
@@Joe_Brennan_ hey I have little sister privileges I get it first
It's funny, I've been watching Doctor Who since the 80s and have often thought this, but you're the first I've seen to actually put the point into words. I agree with everything you said, except I'm not sure it's going to lose viewers when Chibnall and Whittaker go, I think a few might even come back. Depending on Who gets hired to replace them, obviously (pun intended).
Lol people who thought Paul McGaan saying he was half human was literal and not meant to build trust with a human because it was an American movie.
The real character growth we see here is Joe using "Twice Upon a Time" as a semi-positive example
It’s good! I love my videos on World Enough and Time and the Doctor Falls but I wish I could take back all my negativity on the followup
@@Joe_Brennan_ I do love your entire trilogy of those videos. I just thought it was a fun way to poke a little fun at the distant past
It really feels like yesterday to me
I would love to see Martha return she definitely has potential to create a bridge to the earlier seasons and brings the story of “it’s the same person in a different body”
tbh you could save Yaz as a character by just having a brand new Doctor who just treats her wildly different to the chummy 'Fam' relationship, and her reaction to this
11 is my favorite . But your right. There needs to be a tie in at new regeneration. I just helps.
regeneration was going to happen in the Celestial toymaker episode originally
If they do start off with a new doctor and companion then have only one. Starting off with 3 was too much
The thing is tho after the era we’ve had we need the show to do a full reset of doctor and companion to distance themselves from It
Thanks Joe.
You’re welcome
Imagine the BBC had kept that Jodie Whittaker was going to be the 13th Doctor under wraps. Your watching Doctor Who and it's a regular episode then Peter Capaldi's gets blown up in a explosion. He then regenerates into Jodie Whittaker's Doctor, your jaw hits the floor and your WTF. Social media goes into melt down. From schools to work places everyone is talking about Doctor Who which gets it trending and the viewing figures double or triple. That's how you make the show popular again
More a Joe Brennan fan than Doctor Who fan so not an expert here so i'm sorry if this is going to turn into a waffle but i'm not sure if i can articulate it simply. I'm basing some of what I say on what happens with the original Law and Order. Keeping companions around to introduce the new Doctor definitely helps in the consistency during the changeover. Though the average lifespan of the Doctor in terms of viewing years might not be that different, the difference in exposure though episodes is Massive. Even though some of those original episodes may not be as memorable as the newer ones I think that the exposure still has an effect. The older Actors / Doctors had more on screen time to run their character arcs and my instincts tell me that many left at a good time when there was a balance between viewers still wanting more but being open to that reinvigoration. Media and expectations are different now and that is definitely a massive factor in things. it always feels that Actors leave the role swiftly, either by jumping or being pushed. The perception is that they want to move on with their careers or are unhappy with shooting schedules. Every aspect of the good old days and and bad new ones are unrecognisable. Because of the on screen time given to their exposure, the older shows are like an ocean liner and getting off the ship is a orderly walk to the nearest lifeboat. The new ones are like trying to bail out of a speedboat going 100 knots, when you jumps you're probably going to bounce before you make a splash.
I like the visceral abandoning ship metaphors there
After s10 fin, I wrote a word document about how I would retcon Jodie's Doctor. I would make her Jenny(the doctor's daughter) and add elements from s4 ep1 "the next doctor" , making her believe she was the doctor but in fact she was Jenny but with false memories of her father.
That wouldn't work on multiple levels - like you know, the fact we saw Capaldi literally turn into her.
@@friendlyotaku9525 u could still try to retcon/re-create a scene to ignore Peter’s regeneration into Jodie. Remember how John Hurt was brought into the mix to replace 9th cause Christopher had bad blood with the BBC?
@@hanlee3345 you couldn't, at all. And as for John Hurt, it wasn't to do with bad blood, he was brought in because Chris said no to coming back, I don't think there was any bad blood (there was in 2005 but 2013? not as much I'd reckon)
@@friendlyotaku9525 I’m just stating what I would do if I had the power/if I became new show runner of Dr Who
@@hanlee3345 Ah fair
great video, great shirt, 10/10 all round (legit where did you get the shirt i cannot stress enough how much i need it)
I got it for £6 at H&M on sale. Quite the bargain!
@@Joe_Brennan_ John Nathan Turner would be proud of you :)
I do appreciate the hard reset idea when changing showrunners. It means there's literally no hold over connective tissue from a previous series, which makes it less intimidating to new viewers. Yes, as you say, a simpler carryover companion would lessen this, but not completely. It's a double edged sword tho. As you said, the reset is a reason for fans of the current era to back their bags and leave the show, but it also widens the net for new fans. What that does is create distinct sects of the fandom who left after a particular era or started with one and don't have much reason to go back to earlier eras because there wasn't anything from it in their era to make them want to.
Martha taking Kate Stewart's place, or somehow working in partnership with her (since she herself is a tie-in to a much older era) would be a great way to do that. Martha's got history with The Doctor, but she's Lso clearly human and clearly mortal, so it must be recent and therefore not too far back in the show's history to potentially ward off the fans of the (then) new era. It's a damn shame that Moffat left the show with no way to bring back Amy and Rory, though let's be real, rules were never big with Doctor Who writers and Donna was also damn near certain to never come back because of what happened to her mind and well....
Clara, though? She could come back. So could Rose. Via the Testimony things, anyone could theoretically come back, but I'd only ever want them for something like Twice Upon a Time because it's not actually them.
Season 10: Introduces the first Lesbian Companion
Season 11: Introduces the first Female Doctor
Season 11: Ditches the first Lesbian Companion
???
As this era has been so unpopular with a large number of old fans, having it tie in is possibly not the best tactic. It is likely to only remind the fans that did go, why they went or validate their decision to stop watching. I do think that a small break could also be valuable. Not kill the show off, bring it back in a decade kind of thing. Just a year or so gap, no specials, no announcements, nothing. Absence makes the heart grows fonder! I just feel like it's a way of a clean start but if done well can build hype and excitement for a new series/doctor/companion. Best way for that to work would be keep it all under wraps, no announcements of who is playing the doctor, give people a reason to tune in and find out what doctor who is now about
I have a feeling we'll still get a kind of a reboot for series 14. Now that we know Russel T Davies is coming back I imagine he'll want to establish this era in a similar way to 2005s "Rose".
lol. Did you say a lot of people abandoned Dr. Who after 10? Dr. Who reached its audience heights with Matt Smith. The Bow Ties are Cool slogan was everywhere, including repeated by teenage girls who had never watched the show but were into Number 11.
Capaldi waking up on the Tardis floor were Bill left him would solve the Regeneration Problem.
The first Doctor that I saw was Tom Baker back in the 80s and he will forever be the template for the Doctor for me but I’ve enjoyed each in their own way.
Does UNIT as a whole count but with new members. They could fill the companions on info on the Doctor
I think it’s always good to see UNIT, and it’s interesting they were written out. Seems Chibnall wanted ZERO connectivity
@@Joe_Brennan_ I think it's pretty obvious Chibnall didn't want any connectivity initially, seeing how there is no previously known character, monster or institution (like UNIT) in his first series. He then started to paddle back, maybe because of fan reaction, by bringing the Daleks back. And he obviously didn't stop there, looking at the Judoon, Captain Jack and the monsters which will appear in the upcoming series, according to spoilers.
Keeping Sacha Dhawan as the Master would also help, just as Anthony Ainley was the Master through several Doctors.
I would be completely happy if Jodie stayed. After 2 seasons, it still feels like I don’t even know her, (and the companions as-well,) it’s not her fault, It’s Chibnall’s. At least he’s going after this next season, and it’s his last chance to prove me wrong.
Not me.
Bye!
Yeah. That in-character COVID video where she gives advise about what to do in troubling times showed that she had potential to be a great Doctor… if given a better more emotionally engaging narrative.
she wasn't completely innocent! if she had bothered to do her research on the doctor and watch some of the episodes from each doctor she might of understood the character more and played it better! she only watched a couple of episodes from the tennent era! really glad she and chinballs are going and i wish they hadn't bothered with the 13th series (i'm counting the specials as part of the same series as chinballs is too lazy to write enough episodes to count as a series!!) and we could have moved on with someone who can write sci-fi and manage a team of sci-fi writers! (not the drama writers we have at the moment that have to shoehorn some sci-fi into their political and social justice messages)
I checked out come the 13th (14th?) Doctor, hopefully this next one will be good enough to bring me back.
We'll have a brand new showrunner, so hopefully the new era is more in line with what you're looking for!
very true, very correct, i genuinely agree with every point you made
EPIC!!!
@@Joe_Brennan_ ebic
I'm glad you don't seem to begrudge people that do like this era. These days there's alot of people in fandoms that seem to denounce people who like newer content over older content as in some way not real fans and I'm tired of that.
I tried very hard to avoid that- it's not for me, but there are those that love it
Agreed. People like different things and that is okay!
I agreed with everything you said until “they should bring back Yaz”. Honestly while you’re right about this era having fans I think they are overwhelmed by the number of people who would be out off by any of the characterless planks sticking around. Best to wipe the slate clean and have a semi reboot like Rose; don’t show 13 regenerating, just give her and Yaz a happy ending on Darilium and then the next series snaps straight into a new doctor. No baggage, no connective tissue and no reason to ever watch Chibby’s seasons ever again
I do like the idea of having an audience surrogate for regeneration through a remaining companion. However, it should be noted that the times RTD and Moffat did this, was when it was a transition between two Doctors that they had full rein over. Keeping a companion over from a previous showrunner could be seen as extra baggage to the next showrunner, so I would fully understand the "clean slate" approach that their three New Who predecessors have done.
This might be the wrong opinion, but I always think a new doctor's first episode should have a returning monster, maybe in the Eleventh Hour the Judoon could work for the Atraxi and maybe in Chib's first episode we could've had a Sontaran called Sha or a Sycorax to replace T'zim Sha.
That’s not a bad idea at all. I was very companion-focussed in this video but returning monsters and baddie characters can work just as well
Personally I think a bigger problem with regeneration is the early reveals. We almost always know exactly when a Doctor will regenerate and who they will regenerate into. This also applies to other stuff like John Simm and John Barrowman returning; there are just so many points in the show that have made me go "man, that would have been so cool if I was living under a rock". Obviously keeping everything completely secret right up until it happens is a bit much to ask, but I think a major surprise here and there would have much more impact than an early reveal trying to hype up something by spoiling it.
I think they're so worried about leaks (and they probably should be), so they reveal things on their own terms
I think series 11 did it worse than series 5, because at least in series 5 we had the RTD TARDIS for a bit. The episode started with the familiar box and interior, before it changed.
We don't even get that in The Woman Who Fell to Earth. The TARDIS isn't in the episode.
Honestly they should have just kept the Capaldi TARDIS, at least until series 12. They dismantled that set and now we have something terrible (I don't understand how anyone could like 13's interior).
It’s no good!
It feels really weird to have a doctor who companion I'm completely indifferent towards, but I'm indifferent towards Yaz so they'd have to really make her compelling for this kind of regeneration to not fall flat as they'd have to focus on her.
I stopped watching during 11, but it wasn't because tennant left. I actually did quite like matt smith as eleven, and rory and amy were compelling for a while, but after a season or so i found moffat's writing started to get repetitive and clumsy rather than campy. It was around the same time sherlock started declining in quality for me, too.
That kind of falling out of love with the show is absolutely fine! When it takes itself in a new direction that you don't vibe with, that's one thing. When it's just because you lost a specific Doctor or companion, I think it's a bit of a shame
Well stated, Joe! 💥
Thank you!
You're so very welcome! 😊
I agree with ever thing you said. This is best explanation why I found it hard to believe the 13th Doctor was really the Doctor. I found that the writing created an unstable wormhole that the Doctor was unable to stabilize. I will say this that I am looking forward to the new show runner.
I think that 10th Doctor regeneration was important to go the way it did. I would not have it any other way - if there was Will to keep him company it would ruin it for me.The fact that Moffat esablished a character that tied the old Doctor to the new Doctor was a grat idea. Becuase era of Davies felt really connected. The universe was big but it felt small enough at times, which made it fun and easy to watch. The fact that this aspect kind of carried over through one character to 11th Doctor was awesome.
I also don't think the tone of the show did change as much or more importantly as quickly if we compare it to the transition between Moffats and Chabnall era. The show still felt tad bit like Davies era with increasing elements of this dark fairytale aspect Moffat introduced.
I loved 9
Preferred 10
Liked 11
Thought 12 was ok
Hate 13.
Keep my fingers crossed for 14.
Personally I'm hoping for Richard Ayoade.
The reason they introduce a new Doctor with a new companion is because they are also changing showrunners. And, as per the tradition with Russell, they seem to want to start with a blank slate in terms of character continuity. I'd like to see a companion (or even a Doctor) survive the transition to a new showrunner, but Yasmin would not have been my first choice for it. I don't think anyone besides shippers really felt that strongly about her as a character.
*Edit:* Having watched the rest of the video, it seems we pretty much agree. Oh, and I almost forgot John Bishop was in Flux. (I forget most of Flux, but that's another matter.) Bringing him back for the 60th and maybe some of Ncuti's run would have actually been very cool.
They should have kept Jodie Whittaker and changed out the showrunner. The down-slide in viewership was more due to the writing than the character.
I'll admit I was one of the people who fell off watching (I still intend to catch up) but that's not because of her (her version of the Doctor is brilliant) but just because I lost interest in general with the show. She alone wasn't enough to keep me watching each episode as soon as it came out. Which could have been said about any of them.
You're absolutely right about 10 coming out of the gate perfectly. 11 took me a while ("who is this Frankenstein-faced kid, the Doctor is in his 20's now? What's next, a teenager?") but I eventually had to admit that Smith was absolutely crushing it. Moffat's complicated storytelling and fanservice gravy kept me going until then. I had high hopes for 12 at the start ("now THAT'S an appropriately aged Doctor!"), but it actually took a while for him to grow on me - once he got over his "grumpy old Scotsman" shtick and started showing a caring side, he started to really shine. 13 was fun from the start, but the writing hasn't given her much depth to work with. I had already long realized that if you're a fan of the show, every new Doctor is going to be a disappointment at first until you grow to enjoy them. I just don't enjoy the stories as much of late. At least, not enough to want to watch the next one as soon as it comes out.
I suspect that 11's run was the highest point of the show's popularity just by the actual viewing numbers.
Great essay, great conversation. Subbed.
Deep Breath enjoyer club 😎
The coolest club
@@Joe_Brennan_ the scene where vastra talks about masks is so good. seared into my mind when i think of 11 as a character
ye