I did warn you guys about that regeneration limit...

Yes. Moffat has a "really brilliant" idea for the Daleks.

(DWM 433 page 30)

I think the whole 12 regenerations limit has been sorted by now, to be honest. So the next (12th) Doctor will be one of many more. There are no limits since the end of the Time Lords (didn't they make that rule up in the first place?).

However, if the BBC decide to cut costs...maybe Dr 13 WILL be the last!!

The regeneration limit is irrelevant. BBC wouldn't cancel one of it's most successful shows worldwide over some minor continuity issue...

Plans are certainly under way in relation to the shows 50th anniversary, by all accounts.

Doctor Who makes the BBC money a ton of money, it doesn't actually cost them money when the books are actually balanced.

By the time we get round to the 8th series, I'll be starting at 4.30 in the afternoon

Well I was joking about the regeneration limit, (mind you some people think it's not been solved) I just wondered if there were any ideas for it, like do the Time Lords get reincarnated but come back evil and bloodthirsty (badly enough to make that kid in Pet Sematary look like Christopher Robin), and - well never mind, I plan to still be on here by next Saturday!

BBC aren't there to make money they're there to make programmes.

Talk about missing the point , the poster i quoted suggested that if the BBC were looking to cut costs they might end the show, since the show makes money for the bbc to plough in to other shows they are unlikely to look at it as a means of saving money, as long as it remains such a success.

Well I hope it involves more taunting the Doctor about burnt dead Time Lords and a Lot less rainbow colours, - they're not the f-king Power Rangers!

Nothing much wrong with the new daleks, imho, too much hyperbole in fandom over that redesign in my view. What i do know is the new dalek merchandise has been very very popular, so they can't be that unpopular, can they....

The new Daleks are absolutely dreadful imho, and I hope I never see them again. It's not the colours so much as the bulk and shape - ridiculous, to my mind.

Merchandise is for kids and collectors, neither of whom would necessarily reflect the feelings of long-term fans I'm sure. (That's to say, they may share many/some of the same concerns, but those wouldn't affect their purchases in the slightest.)

purely subjective though, isn't it, which was my point.

and you will see them again at some point, not a doubt in the world....

Of course it's subjective, but you seemed to bring the merchandise into it as some sort of supporting evidence

And yes, we'll see them again, just as we will Gatiss episodes no doubt

I'm a "long-term" fan and I have a vast amount of merchandise, including several new Daleks of various sizes.

people don't tend to buy merchandise of things they don't like, so it does indicate that there are people out there that like them. If you look somewhere like Forbidden Planet, which is definitely a shop for more hardcore fans rather than the casual audience, you'll see that the new Dalek merchandise is consistently one of their biggest sellers in the DW range.

Brilliant idea? Does this mean the Daleks won't be back next year, but will be back in series 8?

Not sure if I can handle the lack of Dalek next year too, but if it's for a "brilliant idea", then I suppose I'm all for it!

That's why I said 'necessarily'. And, you do sound like a collector to some extent.


People absolutely do buy merchandise of things they don't like - especially hardcore fans and collectors.

Absolutely agreed, Muttley, there are people out there who like them - I never said there weren't. I just said I didn't (and I'm sure IANA).

My first post reads as condescending when I read it back, or at least not what I meant to say. If I could I'd change it to 'merchandise is largely for kids and collectors'.

I wouldn't describe myself as a "collector" - though I probably am - I just like to have things with the Doctor Who logo plastered all over it!

I'm not a massive fan of the new Dalek design but I like to think that, with the right script and direction, they would work well on screen and fulfill their potential.

I love them. They look futuristic and scary!

I think the new design was a brave move. If you think they look stupid… well, the upside is it’ll just make the writers / producers / artists work even harder to make them more fearsome when they return! I also liked the way a single Dalek was used in The Big Bang. Creative use of the budget / fear factor.

I have a feeling though that series 7 will be the last for a couple of years, like 2008's was the last until last year! 2013 I think will feature a huge Anniversary Special two parter and and a Christmas Special, but I have a suspicion that every three or four years we may get a break.

That will certainly keep anticipation levels high! That means series 8 may not start until 2014.

I think the new shape of the Daleks worked with the stone Dalek - it felt threatening and imposing. The smaller RTD era Daleks possibly wouldn't have the same impact, IMO.

I hope they do finsh the show with the 13th Doctor. Its silly to alter the goal posts so late in the history of the show.

Its like saying a football match lasts 90 minutes but as the team that earns the city loads of money are 1 -0 down they extend the match until they win.

One of the enduring qualities of Doctor Who is that it is subject to change. Why should the regeneration limit be the only thing to be set in stone, when lots of other things we know and love about the show have changed?

If something is still popular, why consign it to the grave before it's time?

And I'm sorry, but the football analogy doesn't really work...