I'm not sure weather since they've moved studio to the bay if they've changed the effects steam for the monsters but there starting to look really bad. Rubbery you can tell there made out of foam. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just me?

Just wait until next series. The Mill are responsible for what is currently on screen. I think it remains of good quality. Unfortunately we now know that The Mill is closing it's UK offices..

http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/the-mill-to...udio-46790.htm

Though I'm sure the next senior VFX group will be up to the task..

Is that just the digital effect people tho? I'm on about the monsters team I know it used to be handled by millennium fx and they where very good but since this half of the season they've just seen abit shoddy. The mummy in rings was squidgy. The creature from hide looked god awful. The ice warriors arms looked like Resprayed alien arms on sticks. Then this weeks burnt people looked real shitty. I'm a massive fan of the show but its things like that that take away from it. Along with continuity.

I prefer my monsters to be of the CGI variety but Doctor Who has always had a mix of CGI and 'rubbery looking' monsters created by millennium FX since it's return. Sometimes the lighting or direction is the problem rather than the costumes. For example, I thought the monster in Hide looked fine up until the end when you had the big close up shot of him. I could have done with that personally.

The SFX is good enough for me. I would rather have acceptable CGI done on a fair budget ratehr than pinpoint accurate SFX spending too much of license fee money when it could be spread out among other shows.

It's good enough and puts across what is required for the stories and is bloody damn good anyway.

I actually thought this weeks monsters were blokes in morph suits almost. I'm sure you could see the material crease and such when they were grabbing out or that. I actually find the visuals to be quite poor this second half. Normally i wouldn't notice them and would be engrossed in the story but I find myself watching and thinking "obviously CG" at certain points, like when the TARDIS was caught in the traction beam and being pulled in or when the Doctor and Clara were chasing after the Queen of Years on the scooter. I actually laughed there it was so bad I thought they used the same graphics that the Flash Gordon team used all those years ago.

It appears that there is a lot of cracks (hehe) in quality with Doctor Who at the moment. Quality in Visual graphics, monster quality (and showing us them through grainy screen shots or blurred images - Hide, Journey - to cover this up) there is another thread bemoaning script quality too being not up to par with this half. Then there is the story....I don't think the stand alone episodes are really workig here and the show is suffering as a result. People know they don't have to tune in to follow the story so they aren't. As for the Clara thing? So far a non story. We still know nothing other than she is a normal girl. Not exactly going to pull the viewers in who are thinking "Will I? Won't I?"

Anyway, I digress but to answer, it isn't just the SFX if you ask me that is suffering with 7b. It is the show as a whole. The finale had better be bloody fantastic because so far, I'm not feeling it.

I want to see more bubble wrap and tinfoil and then have someone explain that it's futuristic material that stops bullets that would be cool.

don't see what's wrong with the aliens recently. The Ice warrior was amazing. zombie things were great too. It's hard to say it looks wrong if no one has or will ever see a 'real' future echo fried zombie thing.
Costume zips and wrist watches are another story, but I haven't noticed anything like that.

You hit it on the head I don't know why or where I have seen things like them befor. Putts from the might morphin power rangers. There just black version ha so tacky. I must say I did a exactly the same at the queen of years chase bit I laughed out loud. Not since watching the cat nun (I forget her name) in new New York getting kicked down the ladder have I seen anything so cheesy in who.

I agree this season 7b is suffering a hell of a lot and its a shame to see a much loved and fan favourite but done in so badly by poor writing.

Looks like I'm getting that same old drum out again...

Doctor Who is a cheap show (for it's genre). Always has been; always will be. Currently it seems the BBC wants it to be even cheaper as they decided not to spend the money on producing 28 episodes for 2012/13 (which has been the norm since 2005, barring one year), commissioning instead 16. (series 7a&b, +2 Christmas episodes, +Anniversary episode)

On top of this they have also declined to recommission other relatively expensive (compared to say, soap operas) fantasy shows such as Merlin. This is the reason that the Mill has gone under, as mentioned above. The BBC are effectively cutting back on fantasy.

So, with the BBC's current attitude, you can expect the production values to drop along with the episode count.

Doctor Who is a cash cow to them, not something they want to significantly invest in.

I thought the monster costumes were fine. They looked exactly scary yet "human" enough. Why spend more to get Hollywood standard when you can just keep the lights low, shake the camera and make things fuzzy? (i'm serious - I think that was a good decision). I thought they were good monsters and I didn't notice any "foam suit" thing myself.

Same with the monster in Hide. it was good enough for the second it was on screen.

Not sure how they compare to previous years - what are we comparing with? Slitheen? Ood? Have expectations risen now that it is filmed in HD? Are they struggling to make equal quality monsters look as good as they got away with in SD? just a thought.

As for other matters - CGI looked good I thought. Eye of Harmony, exploding engine, salvage ship. Terrific.

The Flash Gordon scooter wasn't great. Except as homage to that classic.