WHO'S VIEWS REVIEWS: SPACE BABIES - DOCTOR WHO

[@josapienza5]

How did we go from space wizard from Gallifrey teaching us about morals and science to fashion alien teaching us gender ideology...I won't even start on the next ep :( almost in tears

[@meddlingfunk7962]

Missed the last part of the show, but caught up now. Joady's daughter nailed it. ' It wasn't Dr who' . A snot monster? It's Dr who,not red dwarf.

[@WhosViews]

She's not daft is she?

[@CriticalPenguin]

The phonecall gag made my day 😅

[@WhosViews]

Thanks Critical Penguin - stay tuned - hope you well!!

[@Riversong602]

RIP Doctor Who

[@WhosViews]

Sad days Riversong! Lovely to see you and hope you well

[@timetracks353]

Making television or films used to be called death by committee, with stories and ideas constantly whittled away and changed by various producers, network executives etc. Unfortunately based on these two episodes nobody at the BBC or Disney has any control over RTD because Space Babies was a horrendous concept and it should never have been greenlight especially as a season opener for a new doctor.

[@WhosViews]

Hello TimeTracks and welcome to Who's Views! Great comment and of course, i totally agree. But as we have reported in our HEADLINES show - RTD knows that nobody n the industry can or will stop him, so he's gone utterly bully boy style mad. It's about time he was brought down a few pegs!

[@tortysoft]

@@WhosViews Can you suggest a crew who would do better? I'd love to inject a positive note.

[@codyw1]

So glad I noped out in 2017. Sad though. 7 years now and counting since I quit what was once my fave show ever... who'd have thunk it.

[@WhosViews]

I can't see our DW ever returning. This lot have messed around with it too much.

[@codyw1]

@@WhosViews I agree sadly. It's a great shame. Really don't understand it. So easy to do it properly but no.

[@moonpawooe7134]

Scorchio 🙂

[@moonpawooe7134]

Good game good game let's look at the scoreboard

[@smeghead135]

I had to give up watching this as my brain was rebelling.

[@WhosViews]

I am not surprised! If we hadn't committed to reviewing this ....

[@alexanderbeta-werburghii6176]

A great show JT, thanks to you and the panel. 'Space Babies' was an exercise in 'tell don't show'. In terms of content it was nauseating, boring, puerile, patronising, cringeworthy, shallow, narcissistic, coathanging, nonsensical, flag-waving, derivative, smug, brain cell killing, entitled, bubble-headed, emotionally stupid, anally-expressive tantrum-induced dribble. It was seemingly unwittingly produced in bad faith to serve geopolitical ends. Apart from that not as bad as expected, so my score on the TARDIS door Isla is approximately -4 nappies/ 10 excrements.

[@michaelwebster8666]

Well said! 👆 In space nobody can hear you fart 👶

[@robalexander8065]

I thought you were going to wrong foot us at the end of the list by saying you loved it! 😂

[@alexanderbeta-werburghii6176]

​@@michaelwebster8666😅

[@alexanderbeta-werburghii6176]

​@@robalexander8065x😅

[@WhosViews]

Thanks Lex, nicely said! Great to have you with us my friend

[@normandunford5747]

The whole first episode of this particular series WAS UTTER GARBAGE, it was truly awful.

[@WhosViews]

I've been saying Embarrassing too!

[@crimpleendoubloon]

Great show. Many thanks, JT, Paul, Kirsty, Ian and Joady. I gave it a 2 out of 10 because I liked that the Doctor saved the snot monster, showing him to be the Doctor and not some other character who would have just killed the creature. The moment was heavily handled, but it was better done than not done. It's odd that in the future there isn't the technology to have done away with nappies. Shouldn't the nappies themselves, the poo and the gas, all have been recycled? There was a comment in the 2nd episode where someone said that genius was sometimes just hard work. Clearly, Russell's not a genius, and nor can he be bothered to put the hard work in for him to appear so. As I said in the chat, it doesn't matter if the rest of this series is brilliant; first impressions last, and to those members of the general public who gave it another chance, this is the show that opened with talking babies and a snot monster, and continued with a drag queen and the Beatles who don't look or even sound like the Beatles. Even on paper that must have seemed stupid, let alone once they'd spent all that money on putting it before the cameras. It's as if those making the show aren't taking their jobs seriously. Just take the money and run.

[@michaelwebster8666]

You summed it up very well. It's like they want the show to fail.

[@RaymondWilliams-uu1ns]

@@michaelwebster8666 Babies die if they don’t get hugged. They need human contact. Something a man in his 60s should have known. I could never get into the episode because of that fact.

[@robalexander8065]

@@RaymondWilliams-uu1ns Well it IS a fantasy! I know what you mean though. RTD is a better writer than Chibnall so the episodes were at least vaguely entertaining. However, no matter how great a writer he may actually be, I think he seriously believes his own hype far more than in 2005. His frame of reference - as a childless man of sixty, can only only inform his writing so far.

[@WhosViews]

I think it's exactly that. Several years ago when the BBCBooks/Penguin 'Target' range was reintroduced, RTD said to Moffat, that the range would be their pension. Now, he's found another way....

[@WhosViews]

@@robalexander8065 oh totally Rob, and as we have covered in 'Headlines' he knows no one will or can stop him...

[@shada_nox]

It also makes me laugh that a significant number of people thought that RTD was going to return like some knight in shining armour to de-woke the show. He's the reason it went down this route in the first place. I find it quite funny that he's now being criticized for doing what he has always wanted to do. I never thought it was a good idea to go backwards and take on a showrunner that had had his turn and I guess it's beginning to look that way.

[@moonpawooe7134]

Good to see you have been joined by legend Brian Bolland

[@RaymondWilliams-uu1ns]

Great stuff!

[@WhosViews]

Thanks Raymond and thanks for being in the chats!

[@josapienza5]

Great point on Ncuti...great in sex ed...still seeing that charater here. Matt Smith in House of the Dragon is NOTHING like Dr Who...and this is the thing...we need the core of the doctor regardless who is playing him...Jo Martin for me actually did even though I don't want a female Dr...Ncuti can't seem to :(..Ok I'll shhh now haha x

[@WhosViews]

hahahha, don't dare shhhhhh, keep it coming!

[@jackdexter9439]

I'm no fan of Chibnall- by any stretch of the imagination - and I confess i didn't watch these 2 episodes because after nearly 50 years of being a fan I'm finally done with Dr Who... however I've seen a dozen reviews and from what I'm hearing Series 11 and 12 would seem good in comparison.

[@WhosViews]

Hiya! As you see, a couple of the panel here seem to think that! How this show has fallen

[@boomerdoug4242]

At the risk of a life ban from the Who's Views community I didn't completely hate these first episodes. There was cringe, clumsy messaging and very little substance and literal sh*t. However I was entertained. Let's be honest Doctor Who has always been daft ( The Web Planet anyone?). No matter how good or bad an episode is, it all hinges on The Doctor. Gatwa definitely has charisma. Which is great, but I've been waiting for the Doctor to appear. I am gradually seeing more than just a grinning winker😉 . There is hope that Mr Moffat's upcoming "Boom" will give us the Doctor we desperately need. Space Babies itself was very silly. An actual "Bogeyman" & farting Spaceship WTF? The production values are excellent.The visual effects convinced me ( being a long term Who fan I'm very forgiving of DW SFX).Millie is charming as Ruby Sunday and I'm engaged in her journey. As opening episodes they were forgettable, but I do find myself curious to see how all this pans out. Judging by the UK overnight ratings and no definite 3rd Series commitment from Disney (yet), I feel this is the end of Doctor Who. Hopefully it goes out with a bang not a wet fart.

[@kirstythewitch]

We still love you even if you did enjoy it. That's the joy of this place. We can all have different opinions and just enjoy each others company for the love of Who!

[@boomerdoug4242]

​@@kirstythewitch phew😉. Don't get me wrong there was much to hate. My expectations were low and I'm hoping for better next week. What shocked me was Ncuti he is actually growing on me

[@crimpleendoubloon]

@@boomerdoug4242 I too was surprised to find myself warming to Ncuti through the 2nd episode. For the past few weeks I've been absolutely sick of the sight of him, to the point where even seeing a photograph I'd be telling him out loud to "go away", but without using such a polite turn of phrase. If he can be beginning to win me over, after such recent bad press, maybe there's a slim chance he'll be able to charm the general public back to their TV sets.

[@boomerdoug4242]

​@@crimpleendoubloon yeah that's exactly how I felt. I was so over Mr Gatwa and his sh*t eating grin. Then I thought to myself most actors can be tossers. Let's see what he can deliver in performance. I'm also reluctant to admit because he didn't represent my idea of The Doctor I was biased. He is starting to show depth and range and I'm hoping Moffat's writing will change (Who's) views😉

[@WhosViews]

As if you'd ever get banned Doug! Nah. I'll just pop the oil on...

[@bobbyd7524]

I'll keep checking, JT! "Disney Who" can't stay in the Top 10 in the US or worldwide for more than a few days so far.

[@WhosViews]

Thank you!

[@lenlooksback7981]

Those ratings ARE pretty abysmal, alright. What are the defenders gonna have to say to cope with it? Phew!

[@Jacob-rm98]

They’re not great figures taken at face value, but given we’ve no idea of the iPlayer numbers yet, surely pretty meaningless currently given the nature of the show’s release? I think some set their expectations for the overnights much too unrealistically high and I feel it’s a bit early to write off the show just yet (and I say that as someone who wasn’t exactly enamoured by the first two episodes).

[@robalexander8065]

​​​​​​​@@Jacob-rm98 Agree, though if the most rabid Who fans (who will enjoy it regardless of the quality) number say 20% of the 5 million who watched the Christmas Special live on Christmas Day. Then I would estimate 1 to 1.5 million for the downloads at midnight on iPlayer. So maybe around a 4 million base figure, perhaps a consolidated of 5.5million - tops and maybe 6million on the 28 day figure?? I am being very generous. It could be as low as 500k iPlayer views, so a 3 million base figure, maybe just over 4 million consolidated and just under 4.5 million after 28 days....

[@robalexander8065]

Obviously EastEnders is a good frame of reference given it is streamed first on iPlayer, the morning of a new episode. It regularly posts overnights on BBC1 of between 2 and 3.25 million. Its iPlayer figures are allegedly around the 800k to million mark. BARB only publish the BBC1 rating consolidated numbers which (in late April 2024) averaged 3 to 4.25 million. Suffice to say, EE rarely troubles the Top 10 these days let alone the Top 5.

[@codyw1]

@@Jacob-rm98 They'll conflate the figures for the ep for the entirety of the modern show, like they tried to do at Xmas (and got caught).

[@WhosViews]

Everyone needs to remember that the I Player is not reliable. First, people outwith the UK can access it. Second, how many of this versions fans go back and watch it again and again and again inflating the views..?

[@garybryant5946]

How can you guys carry on watching this travesty and be proud Doctor Who fans even hate watching it is wasted precious time why don't you have a new channel Classic Who's Views and just ignore this rubbish being broadcast in the next couple years I personally have finished with the series old and new it all gives me a headache and blood pressure a tv show isn't worth a stroke or heart attack just wanted to say my piece I'm off to watch Captain Kirk fighting a Gorn

[@WhosViews]

Proper DW is covered extensively on this channel Gary throughout the year.

[@supalev]

I'm so glad I didn't watch it lol

[@cybermatstrikes7557]

Wow the show did better when the whole BBC was trying to kill Doctor Who, now despite their best efforts they can't pull 3million. Shocker.

[@888bangthory]

To early to tell , it already debuted on iplayer approx 19 hours before broadcast

[@WhosViews]

The British public are done with this show. And so is most of its fandom!

[@friendlyotaku9525]

@WhosViews source?

[@WhosViews]

@@friendlyotaku9525 How can an opinion have a source? Grow up.

[@friendlyotaku9525]

@WhosViews your source for your claim. Nothing to do with opinion, you claim that most of fandom are done with the show, where's your source for this? It's a genuine question

[@josapienza5]

The familiarity with Doctor and Ruby was odd so fast..how can we have a historically stiff character now mr huggy bear...? And to be honest.what does an ancient alien see in a teenager? I personally don't much like Doctor in l'ove' situations at all...only time I could see it actually working was River and Capaldi on that planet with the towers,that was sweet because I could see it...her intelligence etc being attractive...how the doctor liked Rose..a teen...I never quite was able to see...anyway..sorry on a rant

[@WhosViews]

you rant away! Anytime. Its great to hear what you want to say

[@josapienza5]

I so just feel sad...I would go to bed feeling a very real threat from Cybermen...yet knowing the doctor would show up if they came to my door....it was magic

[@WhosViews]

@@josapienza5 Yeah... and now its unlikely the Cybermen will be seen in the immediate future.

[@robalexander8065]

The Doctor being so tactile is clearly "who he is now", yes previously the character would be stiff and often suffer regeneration trauma. So it was a welcome change to have a Doctor just diving straight into the action. Smith and Troughton being the only other examples I can recall "getting on with it" so comparatively quickly.

[@josapienza5]

@@robalexander8065 I actually saw The doctor as simply more stiff upper lip...and getting job done...his trauma would erupt out now and again...I don't see his healing time leading to a bouncy queer outlook...only less anger...lighter possibly yes...but he still would have residue..darkness, it can't and shouldn't be removed if no one is born wrong now

[@girthbloodstool339]

Maybe the upcoming non-RDT episodes will be better - there's a Moffat stand-alone coming up - gives me hope!

[@WhosViews]

Thats's this weeks story, 'BOOM' - fingers crossed its a good one!

[@girthbloodstool339]

@@WhosViewsyep - stoked!

[@Alfie82-fj9zg]

BBC make nearly 5 billion A year, not sure what that is compared to ITV e.c.t.

[@nevillewatkins4997]

I didn't watch either episode, so couldn't really make any informed comments and zoned out I'm afraid. But as a general observation it does seem that the pendulum of fan opinion has shifted quite noticeably in favour of the nay sayers.

[@RicStorm616]

If iplayer and Disney+ figures count for new show Then iplayer, britbox and BBC repeats also count for ALL Doctor Who Which, over 61 years would drown new woke Who viewing figures into oblivion 🤣🤣🤣

[@WhosViews]

EXACTLY!!! well said sir!

[@shada_nox]

Came here just to say that SB is the single worst episode of Dr. Who ever, quite an achievement given that the show has had a few clunkers over the years. And why oh why would you start a season with this atrocity?

[@BestPaulSays]

I will subscribe

[@WhosViews]

Well thank you kind sir! Welcome aboard and hope to see you in our live shows

[@joshuajoshua2732]

This episode makes me appreciate the Jodie Whittaker era even more the episode was that bad ok Chibnall had some crap written episodes but atleast it was taken seriously but "Space Babies" was just juvenile and their was no villain or death this is like the Moffat era all over again which i know this will be controversial but one of my least favourite eras from the show RTD2 is heading down the same path.

[@robalexander8065]

The farting jokes in the Slitheen episodes of series 1 or the burping dustbins in Rose? Russell "Tough!" Davies DOES have form! These eps were just light Fluff and (knowingly) repetitive of the ideas of The Church on Ruby Road - Adoption (the series theme), babies, musical sequences etc.

[@WhosViews]

Hiya Joshua! Thanks for the comment and being with us, totally agree

[@brianmason2378]

Didn't watch either of them..

[@WhosViews]

HI Brian, hope you realise from our show - you didn't miss a thing LOL

[@cyborg03]

3

[@WhosViews]

Thank you Cyborg!

[@tortysoft]

I left before your various comments were broadcast. Garbage said I was showing animosity. That is what I felt from you, that is why I left. This is in no way a welcoming, comfortable or pleasant review show. It is filled with insulting comments, poorly directed jokes and inaccuracies. No, I won't list them. I respect your right to have views obviously, but I don't have to be subjected to a barrage of negativity. It is very clear from your comments that my views are not respected. I shall not offer any more.

[@WhosViews]

Absolutely fine Simon. Cheers.

[@kirstythewitch]

Simon, please stay with us we want you here. Your opinions matter and are wanted. As a mod and seen aswell we want comments and opinions through to chit chat and express but just being negative about us being sad about it is what garbage has been mentioning.

[@tortysoft]

@@kirstythewitch I don't expect or want special treatment, but I don't enjoy participating. I know how much effort is put in to these shows and it simply hurts to continually hear people basically rubbishing the work of professionals I respect. Have a listen yourself ! It's just - not fun.

[@WhosViews]

@@tortysoft Then perhaps they should stop pandering to the extreme left wing ideological BS and start making proper TV accessible to all. #LGBwithouttheTQ

[@boomerdoug4242]

Sorry to see you go mate. You represent a refreshing counterpoint. While I don't always agree with the Panel's views I love their honesty and genuine passion. I must admit even I was a bit deflated by some of the harsh comments, as I came away from these new episodes unimpressed but moderately entertained . However in the short time I've been part of this community I've found it very welcoming. I'm still optimistic that an episode airs that will prompt a "We will eat our Hats" Review. 😉