BBC Cuts hit Dr Who on it's 50th Birthday.

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  • Shawn_LunnShawn_Lunn Posts: 9,353
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    80sfan wrote: »
    Doctor Who should have been axed after Eccleston and Piper left. Apart from the first one, the Christmas specials are awful at best too!!

    No it shouldn't have and I'm more than grateful it's not been.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,753
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    It's true.there is no contract. But at the same time you can't expect people to just roll over and accept the cancellation of their favourite TV show. Especially when there is no sense to it.
    Ok it is not being cancelled at the moment, but the BBC are not playing straight with the public. They are messing around the scheduling, giving us less than we usually get and telling us to just like it. This is a show that makes them money. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
    I really hope we get some secret episodes shown this year that we don't know anything about, but its looking less and less likely. Still hoping though.

    I just can't shake the thought that some bosses want to cancel it altogether.
  • mossy2103mossy2103 Posts: 84,307
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    It's true.there is no contract. But at the same time you can't expect people to just roll over and accept the cancellation of their favourite TV show. Especially when there is no sense to it.
    DW has not been cancelled though, neither is cancellation even likely.

    Since when has any programme not been messed around in the schedules? It happens. There is no god-given right that any programme has its slot in a schedule set in stone, neither is there a rule that states that a show has to be broadcast annually.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,753
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    I know its not been cancelled. And looking at it, it would be very unlikely to be cancelled. BUT I would also say it would have been unlikely the BBC would cut production on a show which was doing so well, yet that's what happened. A lot of fans are just worried, that's all, and really do fear cancellation. Especially as it is anniversary year, and hopes were up A while back that we might be getting extra for that. Now it doesn't look like so much, although we are getting something at least I suppose.

    There is definitely a worry about cancellation, and messing the show around doesn't help.
  • allen_whoallen_who Posts: 2,819
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    80sfan wrote: »
    Doctor Who should have been axed after Eccleston and Piper left. Apart from the first one, the Christmas specials are awful at best too!!

    Is it even possible to do that seeing as they left at diferent times??
  • AidanLunnAidanLunn Posts: 5,320
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    D.j. wrote: »
    I wouldn't be at all surprised if Doctor Who goes on Hiatus after the 50th anniversary year. I'm pretty sure the BBC is planning on pulling the plug again. The Problem with that organization is that they never know when they are on to a good thing. They'd rather we shut up and just watched some crap like EastEnders and be happy with that. I honestly sometimes just wish they would sell the idea out to someone else and let them do new Doctor Who.

    Total horsemeat.

    The BBC realise they have one of their biggest money spinners having its 50th anniversary this year. They will exploit it to the hilt without overexposing it to have as little reduction in quality as possible.

    The reason for the cut is money. Doctor Who costs lots of money. The BBC are having to make cuts due to the LF freeze and Doctor Who is no exception. The BBC are allowed capped, by law, on how much money they can spend on programming coming from BBC Worldwide. So they don't have an endless pot of money to spend on programmes.

    As stated above, the OP is total speculation, not fact.



    Even if the BBC were to get rid of it now, I'd welcome it. Not because I hate it, quite the opposite. I wouldn't want it to run for so long that it looks old, tired and runs out of ideas. It happened to Who in the 80s, it happened to Last of the Summer Wine etc.

    Blakes 7 is one of the finest sci-fi shows to come out the BBC and that only ran for 4 series. Day of the Triffids just one series. Fawlty Towers and Young Ones two series each. Blackadder 4 series.
    haphash wrote: »
    I can't understand why the BBC don't want more Dr Who. Merlin has finished now as well.
    They really are shooting themselves in the foot. It must be one of their most popular programmes.

    So much for Dr Who taking over TV this year !!! :mad:

    It is. That's why they have commissioned it repeatedly every year (bar 2004) fr the past 10 years. And it has been recommissioned again for a few more series.

    As I said above, it's not the BBC shooting themselves in the foot. It's this damn Tory-led coalition shooting the BBC in the foot.

    Doctor Who was cut as part of a harsh LF settlement under Mrs Thatcher in 1985/86 for the BBC daring to criticise her Government (much like it has been doing with Cameron's Tories). Can't we just ban power-crazy Governments interfering with the BBC?
  • AidanLunnAidanLunn Posts: 5,320
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    It's true.there is no contract. But at the same time you can't expect people to just roll over and accept the cancellation of their favourite TV show. Especially when there is no sense to it.
    Ok it is not being cancelled at the moment, but the BBC are not playing straight with the public. They are messing around the scheduling, giving us less than we usually get and telling us to just like it. This is a show that makes them money. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
    I really hope we get some secret episodes shown this year that we don't know anything about, but its looking less and less likely. Still hoping though.

    I just can't shake the thought that some bosses want to cancel it altogether.

    If by messing you mean just shifting it forward or backwards by 15/20 minutes every Saturday, then why are you complaining? This schedule shifting has *ALWAYS* happened with Saturday TV, including Who, because of the varying lengths of the sporting fixtures shown earlier in the day. It's nothing new at all, so why prattle on about it?

    Not likely with how prying the tabloids are now. At one point - 1982 - the BBC could keep totally secret the return of the Cybermen and the death of a companion because the tabloids weren't as obtrusive nor as persistent. Unlike now.

    Of course some in the BBC want it gone. It's not a consipracy or whatever the rest of fandom want to call it. It's simply a difference of opinion held by most people. TV execs are like that. If they despise a show enough then it will go, regardless of how successful it is.

    Am i missing something here? Are BBC staff not allowed to hold private opinions of BBC shows? Are the BBC not allowed to do as they please with their own shows?

    Why do people worry this much about it being axed? It won't be the end of the world if Doctor Who is axed. You'll still have your life, health, wealth, family, friends, and other ways to enjoy your life.

    And I say that as a Who fan of 20 years!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,753
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    I don't believe in conspiracies anyway. I think all those theories are just all made up by a bunch of mysterious people in a dark, smokey room somewhere:)

    Of course people working at the BBC can not like certain shows.that's up to then, but its certainly not THEIR show. It belongs to us British people who pay our taxes and license fees. They should do some kind of vote to decide what to cancel out something.just make sure eastenders is on the shortlist:)

    I guess I'm just miffed that possibly the best thing on TV appears to be getting shafted.

    I certainly agree about the tories. Not content with seeing how the first lot of cuts has damaged the economy as a whole, they are determined to go on cutting, leaving people with no money to buy things, which could help jumpstart a recovery.
  • Sophie ~Oohie~Sophie ~Oohie~ Posts: 10,395
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    I don't think they're about to scrap it, although a one-year break like some other things have had would not surprise me. :)
  • Sophie ~Oohie~Sophie ~Oohie~ Posts: 10,395
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    I don't believe in conspiracies anyway. I think all those theories are just all made up by a bunch of mysterious people in a dark, smokey room somewhere:)

    Of course people working at the BBC can not like certain shows.that's up to then, but its certainly not THEIR show. It belongs to us British people who pay our taxes and license fees. They should do some kind of vote to decide what to cancel out something.just make sure eastenders is on the shortlist:)

    I guess I'm just miffed that possibly the best thing on TV appears to be getting shafted.


    I certainly agree about the tories. Not content with seeing how the first lot of cuts has damaged the economy as a whole, they are determined to go on cutting, leaving people with no money to buy things, which could help jumpstart a recovery.
    Well if later on you need people at short notice to attend/help with a protest I seem to be getting plenty of experience in that department. ;):)
  • Sophie ~Oohie~Sophie ~Oohie~ Posts: 10,395
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    AidanLunn wrote: »
    If by messing you mean just shifting it forward or backwards by 15/20 minutes every Saturday, then why are you complaining? This schedule shifting has *ALWAYS* happened with Saturday TV, including Who, because of the varying lengths of the sporting fixtures shown earlier in the day. It's nothing new at all, so why prattle on about it?

    Not likely with how prying the tabloids are now. At one point - 1982 - the BBC could keep totally secret the return of the Cybermen and the death of a companion because the tabloids weren't as obtrusive nor as persistent. Unlike now.

    Of course some in the BBC want it gone. It's not a consipracy or whatever the rest of fandom want to call it. It's simply a difference of opinion held by most people. TV execs are like that. If they despise a show enough then it will go, regardless of how successful it is.

    Am i missing something here? Are BBC staff not allowed to hold private opinions of BBC shows? Are the BBC not allowed to do as they please with their own shows?

    Why do people worry this much about it being axed? It won't be the end of the world if Doctor Who is axed. You'll still have your life, health, wealth, family, friends, and other ways to enjoy your life.

    And I say that as a Who fan of 20 years!
    I don't think people can only be bothered about huge things, just because you have more important/serious things to worry about doesn't mean you can't be a bit concerned about something you really like being ruined. When I was sure we were about to have WW3 (as in an actual world war, not family arguments) in September I still worried about my course enrolments and not being able to afford to go to the cinema. :o:)
  • AidanLunnAidanLunn Posts: 5,320
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    I don't believe in conspiracies anyway. I think all those theories are just all made up by a bunch of mysterious people in a dark, smokey room somewhere:)

    Of course people working at the BBC can not like certain shows.that's up to then, but its certainly not THEIR show. It belongs to us British people who pay our taxes and license fees. They should do some kind of vote to decide what to cancel out something.just make sure eastenders is on the shortlist:)

    I guess I'm just miffed that possibly the best thing on TV appears to be getting shafted.

    I certainly agree about the tories. Not content with seeing how the first lot of cuts has damaged the economy as a whole, they are determined to go on cutting, leaving people with no money to buy things, which could help jumpstart a recovery.

    It is their show. That's why it's copyrighted BBC TV. You pay for it. Doesn't mean you own the show. Taxation or not, do I own Heinz whenever I buy one of their baked bean tins? Do you own every textbook in every state school? Every NHS hospital bed?

    If we did do a vote then most people would vote against every TV show - no TV show is watched by the majority of the public for a reason (bar special events such as the Olympics) - the majority don't like them. Doctor Who got nearly 9 million UK viewers for the Christmas episode - what about the other 51 million UK population?
  • Shawn_LunnShawn_Lunn Posts: 9,353
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    I don't think they're about to scrap it, although a one-year break like some other things have had would not surprise me. :)

    Breaks are possible, scrapping - can't see that happening right now.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,753
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    Theoretically the BBC is publicly owned. Until it gets privatised, we technically own it and people are appointed to run it for us.
    The public used to 'own' so much until the 80s, when almost anything that wasn't nailed down was privatised to provide tax cuts so the tories could win another election. Lots of people don't think they miss what was sold off, but we have to pay so much more now in taxes etc. because of that. Now any money coming in goes to private companies instead of to the government, so we have to pay more tax to make up the difference. Just one reason why this country is in such a state:)

    And I think if they gave some options it would be more a case of vote for the ones you want to keep. Also, of course 50 million people aren't going to vote.if be surprised if the number that watched the show voted.
  • AidanLunnAidanLunn Posts: 5,320
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    Theoretically the BBC is publicly owned. Until it gets privatised, we technically own it and people are appointed to run it for us.

    I can see where you're coming from, but it isn't "owned" by us - it is paid for by us.

    When I did coursework in college, I was told I couldn't give it to anyone else because the College commissioned it and therefore owned it. It didn't belong to anyone else - not even myself or the public - despite being paid for using public money.

    So many people - even governments themselves - get confused between publicly paid for and publicly owned.

    Nationalised industries were and are technically owned by the Government because it's the Government who demand they be nationalised and who commandeer them.

    I think we're going a bit OT.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,753
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    Lets just make this the revolution thread:)
  • mikwmikw Posts: 48,715
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    I don't believe in conspiracies anyway. I think all those theories are just all made up by a bunch of mysterious people in a dark, smokey room somewhere:)

    Of course people working at the BBC can not like certain shows.that's up to then, but its certainly not THEIR show. It belongs to us British people who pay our taxes and license fees. They should do some kind of vote to decide what to cancel out something.just make sure eastenders is on the shortlist:)

    I guess I'm just miffed that possibly the best thing on TV appears to be getting shafted.

    I certainly agree about the tories. Not content with seeing how the first lot of cuts has damaged the economy as a whole, they are determined to go on cutting, leaving people with no money to buy things, which could help jumpstart a recovery.

    Don't worry, i'm hearing NO whispers about it being cancelled.

    Not at all. "Shafted"? No, not in the slightest. Moved around a bit by a few minutes on a Saturday, but that's nothing unusual, Saturday evening programmes are often moving around. Often because of what's on the other side (ITV) or by sporting events held earlier in the day.

    Not only that, but money is only partially the reason, the other is Moffatt - he's busy doing a lot of things at the moment, Sherlock being one of these. Don't Worry, "Who" is doing very well, nobody wants it axed.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,753
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    I don't think it is likely for the chop either, but it is a slim possibility still, that people with power do want it scrapped. So-its a worry. Seeing the show getting less airtime in 2012 has just increased the worry people have about that. Now in 2013 people are a bit suspicious.
  • human naturehuman nature Posts: 13,177
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    I don't think it is likely for the chop either, but it is a slim possibility still, that people with power do want it scrapped. So-its a worry. Seeing the show getting less airtime in 2012 has just increased the worry people have about that. Now in 2013 people are a bit suspicious.
    That's just pure scaremongering with no basis in fact.
  • technologisttechnologist Posts: 13,334
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    Theoretically the BBC is publicly owned. Until it gets privatised, we technically own it and people are appointed to run it for us. .

    The BBC is NOT publicly owned - But Channel 4 is a public corporation ...
    and thus all you say is applicable to them - an organisation 1/5 the size who pays its CEO more than twice that of the BBC DG......

    The BBC is a body set up be Royal Charter so it is almost as independent as a PLC.... but under the charter it has the BBC trust to act in our, the publics , interests

    Also the BBC is funded from the Consolidated fund which happens to be where the LF goes ,....
  • king yrcanosking yrcanos Posts: 2,145
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    I agree, while some people like Steven Moffatts writing (personally, I don't see why it's so good), the gaps are enormous and Doctor Who only resonates in our minds, the fans. The public will only consume it when it's there, not when its not on TV. Moffatt has said that doing Sherlock and Doctor Who at the same time is "hell".He has to take care of this before it has an effect on the show, and it's started to show with the lack of episodes.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,753
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    [Pass=human nature;64002490]That's just pure scaremongering with no basis in fact.[/QUOTE]

    Why is it scaremongering to say some people are worried? I've also said i want this show to continue for ever. And I'm only saying people are worried at the possibility. How is that trying to pass something off a fact? I'm not claiming to have any facts. There's not enough facts to go round on this subject which is why we have so many people debating the subject here. We need some more proper facts from the BBC.

    Whether its a public private whatever, we pay for it and it is supposed to provide a certain level.
  • DiscoPDiscoP Posts: 5,920
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    Blimey, this thread is all a bit political.

    As far as cuts go, as much as I like Doctor Who, I am far more concerned about my local hospitals closing down.

    I despise these extended breaks and if the BBC doesn't have the time / money / inclination to make 13 episodes each calendar year anymore then I definitely think they could have handled the situation better and been more up front about things.

    However there is a school of thought that the reduced episode count helps to keep the audience interested and maintains the quality and therefore longevity of the show for many years to come.
  • nebogipfelnebogipfel Posts: 8,375
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    I do rather like the idea of blaming Thatcher for the shortened series last year and this. I'll pop it on the list of things I already blame her for.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,753
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    nebogipfel wrote: »
    I do rather like the idea of blaming Thatcher for the shortened series last year and this. I'll pop it on the list of things I already blame her for.

    It's official then. Chalk another one up to Thatcher:)

    I suppose at least we are getting something, and that is better than nothing, but the problem is we've got used to having lots of doctor who on TV and now it's like we've been robbed of some because it's missing
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