I have to say I agree entirely with what he said. I remember watching a Torchwood finale having read every last little leaked detail about the plot, and it was boring as hell to know there'd be no surprises.

The thing is, I don't mind reading the semi-spoilers (such as, a particular creature will be in an episode, a line of dialogue etc) but I don't want to read the big reveals which will genuinely ruin the story for me. And on here, you can't tell which is which before clicking on the spoiler. I ended up knowing about the little girl regenerating, so that when it cut back to her at the end of the episode I was just thinking 'Oh, here we go...' rather than the genuine shock and amazement which unspoilered friends whom I watched it with were feeling. That was upsetting From now on I'm not going to click any at all I think.

That was probably the last time I was surprised, before the dark days, before I joined DS

Reading spoilers is down to choice though, no one is forced to go onto DW forums and read them.
I have never read a TW spoiler as I love it too much to want to know what is going to happen.

Just because spoilers are there, doesnt mean one has to indulge.

Oh , the Rose scene was shocking, a real sharp intake or breath time, loved it
The other times she appeared were good, but never as good as that first time in PIC.

I do think there has to be a distinction between speculation and spoiler thought. I would say that these are mixed up quite often

from the man himself on twitter lol

Glad he realises how he came across

Would differentiate spoilers into ‘leaks’ and ‘speculation’.

Leaks are perpetrated by those with inside information. They have seen or read something not available to the wider public. This is wrong as it is a breach of trust, quite possibly illegal it could be a breach of contract. Moffat is right it is utterly unacceptable.

Speculation is by those who through their knowledge are able to infer something which the casual viewer can’t. Their deductions may be wrong or not. Indeed whether they are enhances their viewing experience. It is further enhanced when there are rival speculations competing.

Finally there is the matter or responsibility. Speculators should always distribute in a way the casual viewer cannot simply stumble upon it. The use of SPOILER tags, warnings etc is fundamental.

I wouldn't class speculation ie someones idea (regardless of how informed), as a spoiler.

This is mostly fair.

But just to let you know that a major reveal from the detailed summary SM complained about was posted in a thread title posted in the early hours to guarantee being at the top in the morning. You had to click it to alert - and the whole thing was there with no spoiler tags. Bang.

I think it is fair to expect the thread title to warn but not reveal and then the post itself to have tags. That way we can all play together nicely.

Was going to insert a gentle boot in at this point, only to find the man himself was a lot harsher than I was going to be.

I understand the frustrations he must go through, but the nature of his work almost invites a slavish need to find out what's going to happen in the future. Sometimes that's going to involve spoilers.

The reality is, I'd be happier without them out there but I look anyway due to my spectacular lack of willpower on the subject. As long as they're marked up as spoilers then that's my choice and my problem really.

I think if you choose to frequent a DW forum, then you risk the possibility of seeing a major spoiler in a thread title, if you want to be truly spoiler free, then those kinds of forums are not the best places to go IMO.

I do not agree with idiots posting spoilers in thread titles, , but it is the chance that we all take, even when coming here.

And with his complaint, Steven Moffat has gone up 1000 fold in my estimation. Very damn right! Well done Steven!

I 100% agree with this. If they were asked not to release spoilers then they shouldn'y have done - maybe a few little things and that's natural to hype things up, but certainly not the entire plot itself.

what show was he on on 5 Live?

I agree, and it's really easy to do if you a considerate and well balanced individual. You don't have to make spoilers obvious (although I can see that there may be the occasional spoiler accident, when someone may just have been careless).


Fair enough, it's your opinion. However, the forum rules are quite explicit when it comes to spoiler. If people follow these rules, the forum would be a safe place for those of us who like to discuss our favourite programme without finding out the whole episode plot in advance. IMO if you frequent a forum, you should stick to the rules of the forum. At the end of the day, getting run over in the street is a risk I have to take every day, does not mean that it is right (and yes I know it's a stupid comparison).

Yes, my comment was just extra info to your original, pretty fair, post. I didn't really think of me visiting here as "choosing to indulge" in spoilers. But granted I suppose I am knowingly running a risk. This has, at least, been made painfully obvious to me recently! Oh well, worse things happen at sea (Sirens and suchlike).

This view has been expressed a few times in this thread. I have to admit, for me it sounds like, "if you don't want your belongings stolen, then don't let anyone into your house", or perhaps more accurately, "if you don't want your book to be ripped off, don't show it to any publishers".

I am interested in seeing what he was actually referring to.

Been said already. there is a difference between speculation and a major plot spoiler set before before the show is to be aired.

I believe what we do on here is only reinforcing our enthusiasm for this show!
I also agree with Moffat, to leak information about the plot before the show is going to be broadcast is vandalism.

However just simply speculating with other fans about what you think is going to happen to the characters is heathy for a show with such a complex story.

9 times out of 10 the speculations are proven to be wrong anyway.
When one of the ideas i come up with is proven wrong, i like to see it as Steven Moffat laughing in my face: "Was that what you thought would happen? well, you thought wrong. Here's something new for you to speculate over!"
i am convinced he reads the fan's speculations!

Speculation is the lifeblood of a show like this. That's exactly why someone coming along and stomping all over it is such poor form.

There's a marked difference between little teasing hints that X is going to appear, and a step-by-step account of what is going to happen.

What was played on radio 4 news this morning was SM complaining about the person who was invited to a screening of first two episodes for fans . Asked not to reveal but posted every detail online.

I do not know if he has said anything about the wider thing of different types of spoiler and spoiler behaviour in forums.