I don't understand these criticisms. The show is now more layered, more rewarding with each repeat viewing since you never see everything first time round, it's ditched the tedious mawkish sentimentality in favour of strong, intelligent sci-fi. What's not to like? If you don't like sci-fi, why watch Doctor Who? It's not a soap opera, and I'm glad they've finally remembered that.

This was bound to happen.

The RTD series did its best to widen the demographic by including "romances". A generation of - shall we say fangirls - only know Who through its romance. They dont know any different.

We are now in a different era. RTDs crassly painted "emotional development" usually consisted of a nagging mum and siblings. His era of the show was aimed at the Quick magazine readership who thrive on romance. There was an article in RT which said "the Doctor was in the maze of the dead but still has time for romance". That is pitched at a demographic.

The Moffat era is different for that. The Tennant moping over his latest babe didnt feel true to me as I know the character going back to 1976. It wasnt part of the old show because it wouldnt have worked with the old show. The old show just with the Moffat show stayed true to character.

Newcpmers are used to the gooey romance of Wose, the unrequited love of Marfa and the old baggiiness of Donna. We are now in a different era and we have a companion who keeps her feelings to herself.

The story comes first.

It was the human touch which initially made the show so popular IMHO. I watched it because I liked CE and then carried on watching it when DT took up the challenge. I see nothing wrong with combining sentimentality with sci-fi. DT combined both brilliantly, thanks to good scripts and wonderful acting. Take away the human element from Dr Who and it'll eventually be just the sci fi fans left watching it IMHO.

Again they haven't ditched the so called soap opera....but you have just changed your tune. For sex shouldn't be part of Doctor when RTD was at the helms now has become funny and important to show the character of Amy.

And wait a minute, you have been saying to some people with the likes of the beast below that everything is there for people who were paying attention, and now your suggesting that you never see everything the first time round therefore repeat veiweing is more re-warding?

Seriously....not doing well with gaining any respect for your opinions.

I wouldn't call TEH, Victory of the Daleks intelligent sci-fi at all....not unless it means getting rid of aliens because the Doctor said run, or love defusing a bomb......

Another person who makes stuff up to suit their argument!!! Well done!!!! That little RT line that you just described sums up Flesh and Stones!!! Not an RTD story

And Donna not having a romance angle you then have to criticise as being old bagginess!!! Well Done again!!!
And then we have a companion who keeps herself to herself....so I am guessing that you really didn't watch Flesh and Stone after all did you???



Either you are completely mad, and have been watching a different show....or you are one hell of a good joker!!!!

I hate to tell you this but back in 1979 it was getting ratings of 15 million. There was no romance but good stories and a good Doctor.

If it remains the quality it has been doing for the last few weeks then it wont be "just Sci-Fi" fans. It will be everybody.

You mean the time that there was only one more channel....and for an episode that had the Doctor and Romana running hand in hand in Paris!!!!


There was no romance in series 4 either, and it was the biggest ratings bag winner in terms of averages!!! So not everyone is looking for roamnce right now either!

A lot of programmes got high ratings back in the days when there was no satellite channels. If it's ratings were so darned high then how come the show got cancelled?

Besides which, I'm not in the slightest bit interested in Old Who, from what I have seen it is full of bad acting, wobbly sets, cobbled-together aliens and not much else.

Difference is, the characters are now actually fleshed out and real, and their presence compliments the plot rather than being an alternative to actually having a plot.
Most of the stuff that people complain about missing is blindingly obvious, but there's still stuff going on in the backgrounds that's clearly intended to be building up to something-and that's what you don't always see first time around.
I don't really give a damn whether you respect my opinions or not, but i am getting tired of you continually attacking me, and I have politely asked you to stop doing it. What is your problem?

Sorry I must have missed the episodes in Classic Who in which the companion threw herself at the doctor. Let me know which one it is and I have a look.

I think the problem with generalisations is that they are hardly ever true. If someone now can't take to a new doctor or the companion, it's because they are a fangirl (or they are gay men). Some people struggle when the doctor changes, it's normal, it's happened in the 70's, 80's and it happens now. However, now it's been attributed to hormones. I'm lucky, it didn't happen to me this time, I loved CE, it took me some time to take to DT (because I liked CE), and now I'm loving MS.

With regards to romance, I personally don't need romance in Dr Who, but I don't mind it if it adds to the story and IMO it made the characters in RTD's time more believable. It's not possible to write a story without giving some of the characters some background story, otherwise you end up with cardboard characters.

Then you clearly haven't seen much of it. Like it or not, Who is a sci-fi show first and foremost. If you don't have any interest in that, don't watch it. It's simple.

In what? Cause you can't possibly mean Doctor Who. After all we have just had the delight of a truly classic story, with the creepiest new monsters, packed with delightful story arc teasers. Wow. How lucky are we?

We also have in Matt Smith an actor that's able to project an "old" personality from a young face and a Doctor that harkens back to the Troughton era and is once again "alien".

Marvellous, truly bloody marvellous

As I said, I have no interest in Old Who and, in addition, I do not need to be patronised by you for stating such an opinion.

And did it ever occur to you that I might not need to hear someone witth no interest in it declare that a show I loved was:

because frankly, that's just guaranteed to get people's backs up.

I stopped watching the CE series because the "Eastenderiness" got on my nerves. I later grew to love Doctor Who again mainly because of the brilliant portrayal of the Doctor by DT. The 5th series feels more like Old Who. Amy is an intriguing character who has a lot of mystery in her past which I can't wait to find out about. MS portrays the madman in a box perfectly. Iwas abit disappointed in a couple of the episodes, but not any more. SM is just as soapy and romantic a writer as RTD, not a bad thing.

I find it odd. This is the first series that my other half is making my record so he can watch it with me. It's also the first series that my mum and dad have voluntarily sat and watched off their own back without me forcing them to.

My mum has even taken to calling to ask me when it's repeated on BBC 3 now....

I hate to tell you this but back in 1979 there were only three channels to choose from so ratings from back then mean nothing in the current digital age.

Also, whilst there many good stories back then there were also a fair share of clunkers, just like New Who in fact.

What I really don't get is this 'it's now much more like Classic Who' line that's being trotted out. I've watched Who since 1972 and I just don't get this apparent throwback to it's golden age, all I see is a show ever so slightly tweaked from the last 5 years, and not always for the better IMO...

It is my opinion, which I am perfectly entitled to hold. Not everyone who watches Dr. Who is a sci fi fan. If I like watching New Who then I fail to see what that has to do with you? I happen not to like this series very much and I'll state my opinion on the subject as much as I wish to. I do not require your permission.

Quite frankly I'm sick and tired of some people who have watched this show when it started eons ago think they are so much better than the people who haven't slavishly followed it since it first began.

And i'd argue that Rose, Martha and Donna were fleshed out as well....so thereis no difference really...and they to complmented the plots too....you may have not liked them, but it doesn't become different all of a sudden does it?

And now you are just picking and choosing of what should have been picked up immediatly and what with a repeat viewing. If I had said the same to you about Midnight, you wouldn't have given a toss...for you it would be enough that it was cr*p on first viewing that it wasn't about creepy monsters and spaceships...that you didn't care about its depth and rewarding repeat viewings...


I am not attacking you....but its hard to have a converstation with you if you can't stick to one thing! That you keep change your tune like I said. From all the things you have said in the past, this series should be also one that you shouldn't like, for the very reasons you didn't like the RTD era.....but your making stuff up, and changing your tune. If I challenge you, you ignore me...and then later on making a contradicting statement, that leaves me feeling even more bewilderd. Surely if you have nothing to hide from, you'd be upfront and tell me why all of a sudden sex is fine in Doctor Who when it wasn't in the RTD era...that human nature and depth is fine now when it wasn't before, and that why is it okay for you to tell others not to watch it, when you yourself hated being told that?


Seriously, I am just asking questions...not attacking you...I don't know you personally to attack you. Just be consistant, at least then I know where you stand, and then not only me but others can say that even tjough we may not agree, at least he is firm in his beleifs about his love for the show. Its not just a matter of respect even, its a matter of even believing what you have to say, and I want to...i don't want to come on here and start stupid fights, difference of opinions i can live with, hypocrisy on the other hand needs to be challegend....

You see? telling people not to watch it! Come on Tony...is that really fair...considering that you hated people telling you the very same thing? Just answer that truthfuly please?

You'll come across fans like that with every show, however (this is all my personal experience with someone who was a mingmong) basically when it came back most people would ask this guy about the show and he would talk down to you (Ok granted this guy was a grade A pratt), however some of the classic who fans who I've spoken to since can be down to earth people.

Fair comment. People have very strong feelings about Dr Who. But we need to realise that the reasonably decent ratings are more due to the large numbers of average TV viewers than those who are long term Cult Who fans. My wife hated old Who but loved the last 3 seasons with David, Billie, Freema and Catherine etc. To be honest I am not a big fan of the new Doctor and Amy but I enjoyed the most recent episodes. I am willing to wait and see.

I perfectly accept this. There are some knowledgeable people on here and on OG who don't sneer at people because they don't wish to watch Old Who.

Oh so others can get people's backs up for having a consistant opinion about the classic series....but no one is allowed to point out your inconsistant views of the new series? It works both ways you know...difference is that the one you are criticising is consistant, and you are backing your arguments with change of tune in order to prove yourself right.

I am being consistent! All I can tell you is that for whatever reason, the show is now suddenly working for me, it feels like Doctor Who to me again, and yes, even some of the things that irritated me about the last few series are now, for some reason, actually seeming to fit! Yes, I hated the emphasis on the companions in the last few years, I had no interest in them; now, we have a companion I genuinely think is a fascinating character, not a walking cliche, and yes I'm rather oddly finding myself thinking about that character-BUT, the characters are no longer totally dominating the plot, which was a big gripe of mine. The stories just seem stronger, more complex and better written, and so the characters are helping the plot rather than taking it over. It just...works. For me, anyway.