RTD'S DOCTOR WHO HURT BY FALL OF BBC: DECLINE OF PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING

[@Changeling_cosplay]

I read an academic paper when I did media studies about the Good Life. The thing that was revolutionary about that show was their portrayal of two middle class couples who did not have or even want children.

[@noblerees1]

Good point

[@GilliamSL]

@David Harding (10:35) you killed me with Little Mosque on the Prairie. 🤣🤣🤣

[@noblerees1]

Very funny

[@madmakam9841]

An evening treat

[@michaelstewart3532]

Wasn’t expecting this dropping. Happy Days

[@iluv2b]

I've said it before, Brendan, but I love the detox, admiring of the breadth of the covered topics. Also, whilst I made light of it in a previous comment (honestly being unable to fully process it), you must know that I agree wholeheartedly about the extent to which our hometown of Middlesbrough is being grotesquely misrepresented by this cheap, wilfully inane production. Many thanks and all the best for now. Paul

[@MichaelHerbert-ex3iz]

"Smoggie Queens" sounds like something that Chris Morris and Armando Ianucci might have dreamed up for The Day Today... beyond parody!

[@gladiator652004]

SUPER point that has been preying on my mind too - Jodie wasn't the best casting for the first woman Doctor and Ncuti certainly wasn't the best casting for the first Black Doctor. Why were such poor casting choices made?

[@nigelwalker6103]

I always thought that Jo Martin was better as the Doctor than Jodie and provided the scripts and other actors were good I would have been happier if she was the Doctor instead of Jodie. She would also have been better than Ncuti as the first black Doctor.

[@gladiator652004]

@@nigelwalker6103 I absolutely agree. She has great screen presence, wit and a Doctory feel. Watching C5's recent "Ellis" has made me think that Sharon D. Clarke would also have been a rather good pick. It is a great pity that better casting choices weren't made. Mind you, I am not sure I would wish the scripts of the past few years on them!

[@nigelwalker6103]

The All Creatures Great and Small point is well made. They tried to appeal to a younger audience instead of just making a good programme. Young people don't really watch tv in the same way that people used to but boomers, older millennials, and Gen x are more likely to, and I'm only in my 40s. I'll hopefully be around a while yet, so appealing to people my age who might actually watch would still give you a viable audience of millions for decades to come.

[@boomerdoug4242]

Shout out to Dan(Cybermat). He really kicked ass in this debate 👍

[@robfellows4096]

There is a big disconnect between how many people watched a programme and how many enjoyed it and approved of it or disliked it and were critical of it (Audience Appreciation Index for the last season of Doctor Who anyone? Anyone?) Awesome show as always 👍

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

If Disney had no part with The War Ganes does that mean countries like Australia might get to see it on their national broadcaster for free like in the good days?

[@nigelwalker6103]

I agree totally. You can't just cancel things because one person involved did something wrong. I'm not saying there aren't exceptions. I mean, I enjoyed Jim'll Fix it when I was a kid but I've no desire to see it repeated. As for the trans issue. I agree it would be so good and I think even more progressive if you hired a trans person and didn't make a big deal about it. Say you had two characters, and one was trans but instead of going "Look we're so progressive!" You just made a show, and it wasn't a big deal, and you didn't have the character going."I identify as this, and my pronouns are blah"

[@noblerees1]

They have got to stop infantilising the viewing public. Let us make the decisions

[@mUbase]

I wrote to that saville program because I wanted to meet debbie Harry ( i was a massive Blondie fan) I didnt get a reply. I'm bloody glad I didnt !! Awful !!

[@2511dhall]

BBC Radio and ABC Radio is good.

[@daryljoyce1211]

Remember when the BBCs remit was 'to educate and to entertain'? Now there's this pandering to revisionism which would never have flown with producers and directors back in the day. A programme like Doctor Who is definitely not the place to be pretending that history was all lovely and inclusive; it should be using history as analogy and the audience should be caught up in the drama that involves threat and danger.

[@noblerees1]

Agreed

[@Changeling_cosplay]

There was nothing indecent about Rose Nobel. However, putting Ncuti in his pants was absolutely unacceptable.

[@noblerees1]

Nothing indecent about rose noble. But whether she was trans or not should be irrelevant - not a poor excuse for cheap lines that bear no relation to the narrative

[@Changeling_cosplay]

@ I agree. That was embarrassing and unnecessary. The Meep bit could have been ok if treated the same way they did Alpha Centuri. We shouldn’t expect aliens to conform to mammalian gender norms because they’re aliens.

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

New News: Doctor Who 'The War Games' COLOURISATION Announced!

[@noblerees1]

We debate the war games edit fully at 6pm Sunday

[@Changeling_cosplay]

Doctors severely misrepresented trans kids and a lot of people who are actually trans were very angry about that storyline. If they actually researched things properly and made an effort, no problem. But this was absolutely wrong.

[@noblerees1]

I agree that trans people want accurate, non sensational representation and some soaps do no service

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

I can't speak to the BBC, but funding for the ABC on the whole has been in a downward trend for decades. Considering scripted drama is some of the most expensive television, it's little wonder that the ABC makes very little content beyond news and docos. But Australian television production as a whole is not doing well. After John Howard cut the quota system that forced the commercial networks to create local content, Aussie production has died off massively because his guff about "Australians will insist on hearing local voices" was exactly that. The networks work on $, and wont fund something that they can buy cheaper elsewhere. As far as the decline of the BBC (and ABC etc) - terrestrial television is dying globally. The BBC, I imagine, are committed by law to keep the lights on, rather than move fully to a streaming service, and as such they are going to struggle just like the ABC will. The only benefit being that BBC's iPlayer is of a higher standard than the ABC's crappy SD output.

[@yellowpete79]

Also, local content quota was further slashed again about 12 months back.

[@JamesDavis-pt7ju]

You guys over their need to hurt the BBC, with no paying your licensing fees. Disney thank goodness only has the rights to Whittier and Gatwa. Nobody's watching that here on Disney+. 2005 - 2017 plus classic Who is everywhere else to still enjoy...

[@grahamdawson-lg5mq]

Cancel the show. It's total crap.

[@Cpt.BawsaK]

Dr Who has already been ruined. I will take my fandom and live in the classic series and selected parts of the show post 2005. I honestly don't mind a degree of messaging but please please please wrap it in a great story. Think more 'Green Death' and less 'Orphan 55'.

[@noblerees1]

Agreed

[@Cpt.BawsaK]

In the Star Beast they could have just put a trans actor in the show, no need to have loads of clunky messaging attached to their appearance. The 4th Doctor comic is a great example of how to tell the story minus any clunky agenda based messaging.

[@noblerees1]

Yes the story was there but RTD could not show self control

[@MichaelHerbert-ex3iz]

Sorry but Peter Hitchens is a mad right-winger !

[@Ettrick8]

The decline is due to terrible scripts Nd stories rather than coming from the BBC.

[@noblerees1]

But only certain writers are chosen according to DEI representation policies so only certain scripts are written about certain people in a certain way - it’s certainly not creative

[@Ettrick8]

@@noblerees1 Nah it's just bad writers.

[@Ettrick8]

@noblerees1 it can't be true about the BBC only picking certain certain writers and depicting people in a certain way. Have you watched BBC's Ludwig which didn't tackle any issues at all and was just a straightforward comedy drama. Basically it comes down to Showrunner and the writers. This explains Dr Who under RTD and Moffat and Chubnall

[@JamesDavis-pt7ju]

Doctor Who is dead. How can you save a show the has had it's core ripped out. If the timeless Child isn't reckoned why is the point of the DR. An american fan for 50 years. The Doctor to me is dead to me. DW 1963 to 2017

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

Sorry indeed I was way too late. I really wanted to make this point about the race swapping. Isaac Newton an Englishman who went to King’s Grammar School had the fortune to have had enough wealth and heritage to have the opportunities to gain the greatness and achieve incredible scientific and mathematical discoveries and theories. People of colour would not have had the opportunities that Newton was given due to racism so when then portrayed him as a man of colour on DW the writers seemed too stupid to realise they were being racist. By denying the truth of the past by suggesting a man of colour would have had the same privileges as a white ‘English’ gent is to hide the truth of the injustices people of colour received. What RTD did was racist towards people of colour implying they had the same opportunities as white people especially of privilege, and over 300 years ago. Changing history is disingenuous and harmful. It is denying truth and is anti-educational. Wrongs of the past need to be acknowledge not denied and played with.

[@boomerdoug4242]

Well said 👍

[@MichaelDisney]

Do you think people from other cultures had leaders and stratified societies too? What about the majority of poor native peasants? Do you not think the modern freedoms of travel reveal that societies were all more homogeneous in the past? I think your accusations of racism mirror the muddled thinking and excessive sensibilities that got us all here in the first place.

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

@@MichaelDisney Maybe. I am not sure I conveyed my thoughts very well and articulated my intention without blurring. My apologies for that. I see your point and too an extent primrily agree but with some points of subtle difference.Sometimes late at night I should refrain from commenting until I am up to writing comments with clearer clarification and articulation.