Simple answer to the original question: who knows?

Which has been the question we've all been asking since series 6 finished in October 2011. Seem like a long time? That's because it is.

This hasn't been the best year to be a Who fan by an amazingly long stretch, but of course we know that anyway. 2008 was, for me, the best year to be a Who fan and it will not be topped any time soon. The trio of Torchwood, DW and Sarah-Jane adventures meant the Who Universe dominated that year, especially with the massive cross-over that brought those three shows together.

We can speculate and speculate over just what the hell has happened for the past 2 years, but in all honesty I think it's a bloody poor show from all concerned. Sorry, I do. If Russell T Davies and his team could produce 4 consecutive series as well as overseeing both Torchwood and Sarah Jane, then why couldn't Moffat? I don't pretend to know what goes on behind the scenes of a show, but something doesn't seem right to me there. Maybe I'm speaking out of ignorance, I dunno. Things certainly seem to be hell for Moffat tbh. Producers are walking out after every series has finished, they are constantly budget starved... again, I cite how Russell T Davies seemed to have such a healthy working environment in comparison. Nothing against Moff and I'm certainly not sparking another Moff vs RTD argument, but it is the elephant in the room.

Series 7 has been, overall, pretty crap. Let's be honest here. There's been good episodes, but no great ones, and then there have been bad ones too. It's a testimate to the little arc they have left and Matt Smith that it retains some level of attraction. It's a shame that the worst series for the show since its revival (IMHO!!) is the series that is on in the 50th year. It's also a shame that, despite the quality, there are only 8 episodes of it.

And it's an absolute disgrace if they took the money that we funded as license payers for more Doctor Who and burned it all on a pointless 3D spectacle. I don't give a rats ass for 3D. I think it's an expensive, greed filled gimick... and they are using DW to promote that.

So, in answer to the question what do we expect... well the short answer is more than this. Doctor Who is 50. 50!!!! This is monumental!! It's a poor do. A very poor do. And come off it comparing this show to EastEnders and Corrie: they are serial dramas! They are on constantly every year. So yeah, they got a special episode each, on top of the hundreds more. Doctor Who is only on now and again. They don't have to churn out 4 episodes a week, and can therefore afford to really go all out for the 50th. This was the perfect opportunity to do that. Alas, it ain't happenin. Money needs to be spent on crap like the Voice, after all.

Matt Smith may be leaving at Christmas. In all honesty, with the show pretty much all over the place, this is probably the worst time ever to introduce a new Doctor. The 12th needs a full series to himself. We need 13 episodes to get to know him, like we got for Tennant and Smith. It will take more than 5 episodes in September then 8 the following April for us to do that, I'm afraid. For that reason, along with many others, Matt Smith really shouldn't leave yet.

" Series 7 has been, overall, pretty crap. Let's be honest here. There's been good episodes, but no great ones, and then there have been bad ones too. It's a testimate to the little arc they have left and Matt Smith that it retains some level of attraction. It's a shame that the worst series for the show since its revival (IMHO!!) is the series that is on in the 50th year. It's also a shame that, despite the quality, there are only 8 episodes of it."

Let's be honest? Ok. Series 7 has been by far my favourite series so far. 12 episodes in, and there have, IMO been 2 episodes that dragged a little and 1 I truly didn't like. But so far it has consistently delivered time and time again

Smith is going sooner rather than later. Xmas looks most likely just now because he can't commit to S8 as of yet. He really is unsure about staying beyond Xmas despite Moffat already having pitched S8 to him in a very similar way to the way he pitched S5 to Tennant.

You base this on what exactly? I notice you have said alot of this sort of thing on various threads as if you have insider knowledge...can you explain what you are basing this on?

'Hr really is unsure...'. Did he tell you this personally?

A family member works at the BBC, not in Wales and not for DW, and they do hear things long before us mere mortals do. This hasn't come from them though.

It's well known Matt has said he's staying for Xmas, he didn't say anything about S8. He is also know to be getting itchy about doing new things. That's why he is unsure about staying on. It isn't about fallings out with Moffat or production or because the scripts aren't good enought etc. It's simply because he wants to start doing new things. Perhaps getting away to do his new movie will give him a new lease of life and he will stay for S8. But at the moment he's staying for Xmas only and Moffat will have to start writing that pretty soonish.

I am sorry. With all due respect I think you are just combining what is already known in the public domain with speculative and vague comments which could or could not be true. If Matt was unsure about committing to S8 that would be private and a conversation only between him and Moffat and the highest ranking members of the production team. I am doubtful a 'friend' working for the BBC would be privy to such information.

Among all the double speak all you are saying is :

- An actor is keen to try new things

- Moffat has to write a Xmas special

- S8 isn't confirmed yet

none of this is anything new.

I did say that it didn't come from said family member.

Matt talks to his friends. His friends talk to other people. It gets around. Simple as that. Nothing has been decided as of yet. But as it stands Matt himself said he's on for Xmas and mentioned nothing about S8. So it backs up what has been heard. It doesn't say he's definitely doing one or the other.

I never said it was new either. I thought this was a place to debate things? So mentioning it was a way of bringing up that debate. No harm done.

The difference being that unlike everyone else on here speculating you phrase your comments as if you have insider knowledge that gives your posts more credibility. First it was a 'friend' in the BBC and now its 'Matt has friends who have friends who talk'. Which is it? Nothing you have said suggests you know anything more than the rest of us yet you act as if you do. Just querying how that is.

Anyone can do it :

'Matt is really pleased with the 50th. But equally he cannot wait to work with Ryan Gosling. As an in demand actor he us really relishing the chance to work with such a talent and the prospects this throws up has caused him to consider his position on Doctor Who. He is really happy with Moffats ideas for the Xmas special but feels some new blood needs to be introduced and secretly he isn't happy with how the Clara story has worked out thus far. Maybe he will do S8 but its all up in the air at the moment. Lets just say its all dependent on what Moffat can propose to keep him on board'

Just being wary of false info being thrown around on here.

I think there's something to be said for GB's policy of "discuss the "spoilers" not the poster providing them"

I haven't discussed the person. I am just questioning the validity of the claims made. Otherwise any one of us could come on here day after day posting 'spoilers' to our hearts content.

Not saying you are, just being observant of how these things can descend into that territory. For what it's worth, I'm wary too

I think it's wise for people to be wary, sorry Laura, but the recent case of that whistleblower website proves how easy it is for people to spread misinformation. I'm not saying that Laura is doing that BTW but well we just never know...

I fully understand why people would be wary. I just don't see why that should stop me, or anyone else, posting what they have heard, know or know to be the truth or near the truth. If it turns out me, or anyone else doing similar, is wrong then that's the way the game plays. I'll hold my hands up should that be the case.

I will say one thing though, I'd never slander against anyone from DW or any TV show. That whistleblower person did and was totally out of order. If I ever found our anything like that person was posting was true I'd be keeping it very close to my chest and away from public forums.

Well quite. Its nothing against Laura at all. Far from it. But we have all been burnt recently with so called 'spoilers' and I am sceptical alot of what is posted. I think its only fair if someone claims to be posting from a position of knowledge we don't have its fair to question them. In Lauras case I read nothing to suggest she knows any more than the rest of us. My take on it. I might be wrong. Of course the 'spoilers' are carefully phrased so as to be impossible to prove or disprove either way.

Thanks for being open about the nature of your posts and the distance between your sources and the actual production team and cast. You're obviously not trying to claim that you or your friends/relative are core Cardiff insiders. People can assign whatever level of credibility to them as they wish. The situation since 2011 has been all over the place, (and with Matt now reaching the fourth or fifth year since actually landing the role I can well imagine that committing to series 8 is a huge deal to him.) So I imagine there may well be a number of overlapping and (to an outsider) semmingly contradictory reasons for things.