So they don't start filming until June.. that's only a few months away from when the show would of aired had there ben no gap (late august, early sept)... shows how big the gap is...

Personally I think DW has been handled so poorly, I remember being so excited when Moffat was announced as taking over the show but he's been bad for the show .. we've lost out on a lot of DW content over the years he's been in charge... a whole season was lost.. and seasons delayed... if they had other people who were capable of delivering a series each year (like DW was able to do before Moffat) then we would of had so much more content right now compared to what we have had.. its also effected the shows momentum, it could of been much bigger here and in America where it was growing but these gaps don't help the show capitalise on its built up good will.. and instead will loose people because its not around and other things will take its pace..

I know some people will say the show won't be so successful with out Moffat, I don't buy that, the show would have grown just the same as it did with someone else providing good conduct... DW was starting to kick of in America for example towards the end of RTD time so to say it was all Moffat is grossly misplaced.. the people getting into it are usually starting by binging through the series starting with the revival with CE.. so the increase in America would of happened anyway.. it was the show as a whole finally getting noticed over there not Moffats writing...

In-fact I would say his writing if anything has just damaged the show.. with arcs that are convoluted or go no-where and make no sense.. which breaks peoples ability to invest... its like Lost, promises but doesn't deliver or presents stuff that people just find ridiculous (hello moon egg, the tree problem, dust eye monster).. that turns people off..

I think the show would of actually been in much better hands and a better position today with some other person or duo that could of delivered a series each year and Moffat just continued as a writer delivering a awesome story each season like he did under RTD's time (and he would have Sherlock) as he was so much better when he was just a writer concentrating on delivering one story a year than he is as a showrunner where frankly he's faltered and hurt the show... and wasted the potential of growing the show even further...

I don't see why anyone is getting upset about when they start filming...we already know more or less when Series 10 is scheduled to go out and that's not a new revelation. In extension of that it's hardly fair at this stage to blame Moffat either - in fact it seems incredibly likely that without him (and a big bag of money courtesy of the Beeb, who ironically made such a mess in the first place) there's a chance there'd be no Doctor Who in 2017 either.

But as the filming for an autumn series would have only started in January, that's 5 months later than S8 and S9, annoying but I can live with it.

Indeed, this schedule sounds more like the S7b filming schedule, in which S7b and The Snowmen were filmed between May and November 2002.

I don't think anything can surprise any of us when it comes to reasons for Doctor Who fans to be upset

Now he's on a Birthday holiday in Venice - chasing sexy fish vampires, I suspect.

I've got a bad feeling about this. It might be just me, but the lack of news, the companion delay, the filming slipping back, I hope I'm wrong.

What do you think is going to happen?

Latest they might start filming will be around June/July and Series 10 isn't likely to air until April 2017.

That would mean that the year after will end up slipping to an Autumn start again.

I don't know. It's a feeling just; Weren't we led to believe filming would start in April?

It's reminiscent of 1989.

Michael Pickwoad said May back in November. Radio Times backed it up in February.

A May/June start for filming 13 episodes and a spring start is completely in keeping with what's been done previously.

It's nothing like 1989? :P

When Moffat or Chibnall start talking about "doable barkers" at Who conventions and they cast a child Broadway star as a companion, then we'll start worrying about the late 80's repeating themselves.

Except it isn't. At all. But never mind....

Are they the new Companions

Were you around in 1989?

Yes, I was - very involved in fandom in 1989 and very aware of the what was happening due to various friends at the BBC.

In 1989 Doctor Who was seen by the BBC as little more than a joke, it's critical stock was very poor, public perception was of a show on it's last legs, and most BBC chiefs couldn't wait to be rid of it.

Today Doctor Who is a major world wide brand, one of the BBC's most impressive success stories, critically acclaimed, enormously high public profile and BBC chiefs are understandably very keen for the show to continue, hence the hiring of Chris Chibnall to further the show.

So I personally can't see any similarities between the next series being delayed a few months due primarily to both the outgoing and incoming showrunners' other commitments, and the BBC quietly dropping the show in 1989 in the hope that it would disappear without trace to avoid further embarrassment.

It seems to me to be two entirely different situations.

I was, and if I'd heard JNT would be overseeing one more series, but that from Season 28 there would be a new producer on board to start a new era, I would've been well chuffed!

Most people who were around in 89 have a very different perception of what was going on then compared to what's going on now. The late 80's are the go-to comparison when people feel something is wrong with the show, when the truth is it still has yet to be that bad again.

It's been the same thing for a decade, though. An episode has lower ratings than the week before? "It's the 80's all over again!"

People can watch Doctor Who now without cringing in embarassement, so it's not the 80s.

Saying that, considering that DW is supposed to be a 'flagship' show, I can't imagine them putting Eastenders or any other supposedly big name on hold for a year without a major drama explosion.

That's what I'm getting at.

You know there might be something to get at, if we didn't know that we have two new series ahead of us. Doctor Who is not "on hold" in any way.

As for the rest... well the biggest dramas on British television air every two years as it is.

Yup. I mean, I'm never complacent, as one of the 'veterans of 1989' () but the fact is that we've got at least 2 more series, and I would be v suprised if Chibbers is just going to do one and then be politely let go! And the last broadcast episode was generally well received and got about 8 million viewers. I think we're okay for the foreseeable....

As I recall, we used to start seeing 'teaser' pictures from the set of the Christmas special very soon after the conclusion of each season (towards the end of June).

For instance, filming for 'The Runaway Bride' took place in July 2006 (and was broadcast on Christmas Day 2006) and filming for 'Smith and Jones' took place in August 2006 and was broadcast on 31 March 2007.

So I don't see there's anything at the moment that would make a spring broadcast impossible.

Filming commences next month in May, so Series 10 will most likely air in April or May next year.