Its just so twee, self-indulgant and whimsical now. I almost expect Kirstie Alsopp to popup on screen and show us how to make delicious gingerbread men for elevensies.

The plots are rubbish and the irreverent chitchat is cringeworthy.

In what way was the irreverent chit chat good during the RTD years?

Im finding it a lot more harder to care about the show. My kid as well as her school friends have now stopped watching altogether.

Like I have said before it's more of a chore now to watch it, like a habit. I think from now on though I might just watch it on iplayer or DL the episode from the web at a later date and watch it.

The show is seriously starting to lose it's appeal to me.

On a positive note I think Matt Smith plays the role wonderfully. It's like the Colin Baker era all over again. Great actor, naff stories.

...as opposed to farting aliens, burping waste bins, absorbtion into paving stones, flying buses and endless companions' unpleasant relatives...seriously, self-indulgent and irreverent how?

Haha. Indeed. I find these sorts of criticism bizarre. I mean don't get me wrong. I loved the RTD era but has everyone forgotten that one of his season openers featured walking blobs of cutesy fat, a resolution that was a cross between Mary Poppins, In the Night Garden and Close Encounters and a scene where someone watches through a telescope as the Doctor and his companion wave from the Tardis?

Not exactly Dennis Potter.

The Elephant in the room was some people stopped watching when DT left
New viewers or fans of his watching soley for him.
As that vile Daily Mail worded it last week "The Best doctor returns" which is so unfair on Matt Smith because he really is a good doctor.

RTD seemed to have this touch of writing stories a more General public loved.
Blink and the Girl in the fireplace maybe was a curse for Moffat because it showed people the Quality he can create.

I might be totally wrong I still think a lot of the problem is as a showrunner you need to be brutal at times with other writers and say the script storyline just isn't good enough.I just don't think that side of it comes easy to moffat and that's allowed some pretty naff stories to make the TV series.Or some looked good on paper but just didn't translate well onto TV.

Personally, since series 6 I had gone off Doctor Who quite a bit since my obsessive days. Series 5 was fantastic IMO, but since then it started to get a bit weak and I wasn't enjoying the Ponds that much any more. I mean there was a good episode here and there, but too many didn't interest me or had that quick fix feel about them that I really didn't like.

However, with the arrival of Clara I am starting to enjoy the show quite a bit more now. I've actually made the effort to tune in to watch on the day the episode aired and I've enjoyed these two episodes more than most in a while. If anything I'm getting back into the show now

definitely you OP

I did in series 6 but I love it again.

You seem to be ignoring the fact that some people actually liked this week's episode so maybe Moffat did too and therefore had no reason to say that the script wasn't good enough.

Totally agree, moonburn. Perhaps we just set our expectations too high with the "in Moff we trust" business? I know I did. But yes - general public. And really is a concern if the non-die-hard fans interest starts to wane. Unfortunately,(and I do include myself in this at times) I think a lot of fans don't want to see that elephant in the room, and get extremely cross if the matter is raised...

Yes and no.

Loving the Clara arc i think it' very interesting and ha alot of scope if somewhat similar to River in a way.

Excited for the 50th with Rose returning yes i know on here she is unpopular but if not for her my who love would never have happened.

My continuing love for Matt who is always fantastic.

Unfortunately the stand alone episodes and split between series has somewhat stunted my love nad i no longer find myself looking forward the way i once did. Its always a cas eof waiting wondering with very little in the way of much and when the epiode arrives its mediocre and lacklustre. Take tonight's wa good but it reminded me of pat episodes like End Of The World and Beast Below far superior episodes with more interesting premise. I just think it need to go back to basics and start over i will admit i do iss the days of the doctor/companion seeing/policing the universe.

I'm not caring less. While Matt is the Doctor at the very least I will never care less for this show. I absolutely love it, and sometimes I'm not even sure why. Matt Smith is my favourite Doctor, and I will fight anyone who questions him as the Doctor. Hell... does anyone do that anymore?

However

I've recently been watching series 5 and 6 episodes, and I personally feel there has been a rather massive dip in quality since them. The whole River Song arc especially does not seem to be that popular, but personally I loved it. I loved how, in series 6, we were guessing for 13 episodes just how the Doctor would escape his death. In short, I feel these are well written, well structured and incredibly entertaining, with an awesome Doctor leading the way. I loved David Tennant don't get me wrong, but he left at the right time. I've always felt like the 11th Doctor got a full beginning middle and end this way, as opposed to Tennant leaving and Moffat having to address a regeneration, say at the end of series 5.

Then came series 7. And I just don't know what the hell happened.

After such intricate plots from the last 2 years. With many plot points still left to be resolved. Suddenly, series 7 did a massive U-turn. To all those who were moaning about it being too complicated... well it seems the BBC listened to you.

I do not think the 5 episodes last year were the series 7 Moff intended to make. Instead, I think he's been cohersed into making a much simpler version. How? By giving us a string of stand alone episodes, with no reference to the TARDIS blowing up, the Silence, anything. In the first two years of his reign, it all felt like it was leading up to something.One giant story. The 11th Doctor story. Last year, it felt like all that had been thrown out the window. And thus, it was nowhere near as good for me.

Plus, if I'm brutally honest, the episodes weren't that great. Eleventh Hour and Impossible Astronaught had me hooked to the screen all the way through. Asylum of the Daleks, while still good, was just not on the same level as those two.

It's a shame that this happened. I'm not saying I'm going off the show now, just that I so preferred it before. Maybe they will address the Fields of Trenzalor this year. Maybe it's all part of a massive plot for the 50th. If so, I will be the first to apologize and clap along with everyone else. I am loving the Clara mystery so far, and the Great Intelligence thing they seem to be setting up. There is plenty to love, don't get me wrong. I just wish they'd stop messing around with the schedules for it, and more than anything else: Matt Smith must stay as the Doctor for at least another series.

I don't know whether it is because I'm getting older or whether it is down to the different styles of RTD and Moffat (nothing wrong with either as such, just people are likely to prefer one or the other) but it did lose a little bit of the magic for me after the change. To me SM and RTD seem to write female characters rather differently. RTD took ordinary women and made them special in extraordinary situations. Whereas SM seems to start with extraordinary women with a mystery to unravel.

As my username attests, I have been and am a massive fan of this show! But lately, something has happened that just isn't right and I feel like I'm watching out of habit.

Some say it's the plot writing, some say it's over sexualisation of the show.

For me personally? Matt Smith is a great Doctor, he brings all the eccentricities and energy a Doctor should have and JLC is an excellent actress and fine choice for companion. I just can't pin down what I think if anything has gone wrong other than the fact i've found other things I love more. Maybe in the future that will change but only after the next Doctor/producer comes to the show

I think with the introduction of the new assistant its a much more balanced tardis. It feels more like the beginnings of series gone before which russell created and I think its matts best episodes.

Im actually looking forward to the episodes and rewatching immediately. Which I've not done since tennant left. I feel I am no longer watching just out of habit.

I can assure you, it's not just the OP.

I've just posted this in the S7 scoresheet thread but as it's relevant here:

I really don't like how disjointed this series feels. I don't like how the Amy and Rory adventures took months or even years apart. I don't like how we got a total overhaul half way through the series. And I really don't like having no two-parters; TATM seriously suffered in my opinion from being a single episode, practically nothing in the episode was actually explained, it's full of plot holes, and the only reason I've marked it so high (8/10) is because the emotion and performances were pitch perfect. The whole thing just feels like a bunch of jumbled, disjointed stories bolted together, not a coherent series, and that's really effecting my enjoyment. I'm just not feeling S7, it's without doubt my least favourite series of the revival.

It also doesn't help that the quality of the episodes are mostly run-of-the-mill-average either. I'm looking forward to Nightmare In Sliver and Journey To... though.

No it's you, I still love it

Same here.

'Over sexualisation of the show'? That's a new one to me. Care to expand?

Cow eyes, breasts, glossed lips, hips, perfect skin.

And that's just Matt!

These first 2 episodes have been very weak, but enjoyment of the series is a personal thing and weaker episodes don't necessary mean much.

I really don't care for the actress playing Clara, she gives nothing for Matt to work with. Typical pretty girl who knows it.

The problem is with 45minute standalone episodes you sort of need a companion with some acting ability. She plays every scene exactly the same.

Y'see, funnily enough, I actually quite liked the standalone episodes of series 7 part 1, as I'd found the arc of series 6 a bit convoluted and unsatisfying (and ordinarily, I like a good arc!) So I guess it's horses for courses.

I know what you mean about the overhaul though, it seemed reactive to me, and still feels like significant story threads got left dangling and unfinished.(the Silence, the Lodger Tardis etc) It's not over yet, though, so perhaps they will be? I certainly hope so.