They haven't planned when S8 will start filming yet. It could be after the Xmas ep, it could be spring 2014. That one is all down to how much Moffat and the production team have ready by October. I'd say it'll be spring 2014 with a TX for S8P1 in late 2014. A decision on a split series will be made soon too I'd imagine. It it isn't split they may delay TX until 2015 and give Who a year's break. It could be the best case situation or it could be the worst case. Time will tell.

I don't work for the BBC and I certainly am not defending them. The split series choice was one of the worst they could have taken and once they did it they couldn't go back for S7 either. Moffat needed it for Sherlock and so he could have a break. Personally I feel he took far too much on at once.

It could be cheaper. They'll look to save money in any way they can. Means more cash for Xmas and more cash for S8.

But I do believe a choice was there. For both creative and budget reasons they chose the single ep option. They want it to be a one night spectacular.

I think the split season worked quite well in series 6...

Series 7 not so much.

Probably because of the gap being considerably bigger and the fact it feels like a new season what with a new story line and new companion.

That will be truly special because if there's one thing we've never heard before it's ex-stars talking about the show.

And I can't wait to see all those old clips again; it's far too much trouble to go onto Youtube.

Yeah, we're in for an ultra-special series of programmes. They're pulling out all the stops.



For God's sake... the issue isn't with a split season ala Season 6... it is with a severe reduction of episodes. I'm getting bored of people missing this point now, either deliberately or non-deliberately.

If you don't work for the BBC then how do you come to know so much information about the production of Doctor Who? You've given more information in 4-5 posts than I've heard from the BBC in any press releases in two years.

I doubt it was a choice to do a split season; as posted before no one denied the Private Eye story saying there were massive budget/schedule over runs on Doctor Who and that was the reason for the split. And the executive producers do have a habit of being erased from Doctor Who...

Information or speculation?

A close family member. They don't work on the show themselves, they just work in London. I don't want to play a game of I know more than you though, I respect Who fans hugely, their loyalty is something to be admired. Most of these snippets aren't being openly hidden anyway. I'd imagine the really juicy stuff will take years to surface!

I hope as many fans enjoy Who as possible come Nov. I myself only really got into the show a couple of years ago but I have tried to catch up on what I missed including the Classic era. I have problems with some of the things going on as much as everyone though. So no sticking up for the BBC despite where my family work! No doubt they'd give me a telling off if they saw what I was saying about the BBC at times.

I don't know. The posts were presented as information, so I'm intrigued...

I don't read DWM so there's probably some nuggets of information that I miss out on, but then again I hang around these forums often enough so I would have thought I would have heard at least some of that stuff before now...

I think we should all just pretend everything is rosy. After all, we're lucky we get anything, the BBC don't owe us a living, we're all scumbags anyway etc.




Believe me, they don't say anything not approved by the BBC.

I see, well if you've catching up on Classic Who as well then for you at least 2013 will bring more Doctor Who than ever before

Doctor Who will never end while there is man upon the face of this earth.

Indeed but it is sad that it isn't the case for everyone.

As far as I am aware it is information. It isn't hidden information either. Which to me suggest there is information out there that they really don't want the public to know. And that tbh is the stuff I really would like to hear!

TBH this in't really the anniversary year - that STARTS on 23 Nov 2013 and runs until 22 Nov 2014...

Say you had your 50th birthday on that day - you wouldn't spend the entire year leading up to it saying you're 50 - you're still 49!

You certainly wouldn't start celebrating a November birthday in May

Jimmy Saville isn't really dead?

I would think it's classed as this year because 2013 is the year in which we celebrate the 50th year; you tend to celebrate these things in the run up and on the day, not afterwards.

It must be this year, otherwise I'm sending back my stamps and cancelling my pre-orders of the Regeneration box set and The Light at the End audio.

Oooh which set of stamps did you get? I got the prestige book and the two first day covers. The shop I work in has a post office and the lady that runs it advised me that putting the stamps on the first day cover and posting them to myself creates the highest value (not that I'll ever sell them mind) so I did that. Oh, and I got the postcards too, though I'm not really sure why, lol. Cost me about £30 in total :l

This is strange to me, big as Who is in the English-speaking world, and what with the licensed merchandise and video sales. I realize that the show is only on commercial television here in America, but surely it and Top Gear have to be the BBC's biggest money-makers all the same?

Maybe the BBC should look into crowd-sourcing. I'd have donated what I could to at least produce a two-hour Anniversary special. Does the BBC do pledge drives the way public television and radio do over here?

Nice. I ordered mine online and the first day covers were posted to me with the stamps on so I guess that's the same thing. I got carried away too I got four first day covers, the presentation pack and a little book. Came to over £40! At least I managed to stop myself buying the whole lot just to get a limited edition Dalek stamp...

The BBC weren't wrong when they said that they wanted the 50th anniversary special to be like the Olympics. Just like the Olympics there's loads of overpriced merchandise for mugs like me to buy

Well, I suppose that were there a 500th series of Doctor Who I'd have to suppose that something went wrong in the development of our species....

That would have been awesome, with each episode focusing on a different character and therefore a different aspect and era of the show. Maybe we could have had an episode based on an old companion or the 8th doctor during the time war? Or perhaps an episode based on Rani and Clyde from SJA to give proper closure to the show and their characters. And who wouldn't love to see a special episode based on River Song or Vastra, Jenny and Strax?

I do hope there is more than half a series, the 50th anniversary episode and the docudrama this year. It's not exactly more Who than ever before if that's all we are getting...and no, I don't count stamps, live chat shows or a countdown of "Doctor Who's greatest moments" on BBC Three. I guess it all depends on how good the 50th anniversary is really but for me, series 7b has been a bit average and I'm not to interested in the docudrama (I can't imagine many kids will be either).

I just don't understand. Why not do an animated movie direct to video? I can't believe they wouldn't have made money on it. No wonder the BBC has budget problems in the first place.

Yep, they can do what they want, they can also throw all the episodes in the bin like they did last time, look how much money that decision cost the BBC.

Axing Dr who?, how much revenue do you reckon that would cost the beeb?

If this happens, we'll probably end up with Graham Norton as the host....