Do you really feel the need to back up your own opinion in an online forum with the opinions of a bunch of other people who none of us give two remote figs about? How many reviews (which is just a fancy word for 'opinion') that deliver a balanced perspective put their point across like this? "We saw the latest episode of Doctor Who and disliked it, and nearly everyone else there disliked it too as you can see from all the other reviews. We can see what they're saying... and so our review is now suddenly more valid because there are like-minded people out there that we've used as examples".

What's wrong with just saying what you dislike about an episode, or even pointing out to someone why you didn't like what they did? Why the need to frame your opinion as an argument backed up by other critics?

For the record a lot of my friends have started watching again this year (giving up around Series 5 or 6 in most cases). The fact they have is surely linked to why I've enjoyed it so much this year...surely.

'The Sontaran Stratagem'? I believe the modern day parlance is LOL.

I fear some people wouldn't know quality drama if it whacked them on the head with a big stick. They're best off watching UK Gold with a tartan blanket and a bottle of Blue Nun.
I trust this opinion won't offend anyone. It is a discussion forum and it's what it's for after all.

Listen i can voice my opinion and my friends if I want. Go and bully someone else.

You might want to educate yourself on the true meaning of the word 'bullying', apologise to Abomination for accusing him of such and consider whether of not you're too thin skinned to be discussing and debating on an adult forum.

I agree with you. There seems o be posters who are extremely defensive of any criticism. Plus the OP can set up a thread if they want. The reason why Shakespeare was a genius was because he knew his audience. In his plays you bhave the jokes for the uneducated in the stalks and references only the rich aristocracy could understand. I read a review which said doctor who fans would love this episode. I would say doctor who geeks.

Someone mentioned warriors gate as an example that teenagers would love this. That episode made me feel sick the first time I watched it and still made me feel sick when I watched it again recently. I am not a fan of existential TV and don't like works like waiting for Godot. The DS reviewer called this episode a masterpiece. I would call it self indulgent and unnecessary. Many in the audience will not be intellectuals and want doctor who to be entertaining and fun. I didn't find this entertaining.

Why is the butt-hurt so strong in the haters?

It's quite odd. Almost like the more they rage, the more the rage grows.

He writes the best episodes. I always find Moffat hate really difficult to comprehend. I dislike some of his choices as showrunner, but in terms of individual episodes he produces the best standard.

This same argument can be applied to the Moffat fanboys. They continuously rage against anyone who dares criticise their God. Actually, thinking about it Moffat fanboys do remind me of religious fanatics - they ignore the evidence if it gets in the way of their beliefs.

Except you apparently only have to enjoy Moffat's stuff to be considered a blind Moffat fanboy with tinted glasses who is too easily pleased.

Do please try to tone down your rage Lord Smexy

Where did I say you couldn't voice your opinion?

You may wish to look up the definition of bullying whilst you're considering that. You do realise you don't need to be so personally offended by everything...maybe that's why you feel you need to back up your opinions with the thoughts of others as well? People with a different viewpoint to your own aren't out to get you.

Fortunately I'm thick-skinned enough to just deal with it. I'll admit though being thick-skinned sometimes feels awfully like you're picking up the slack for those who aren't

Ikr I criticise Moffats story telling and suddenly, The Fires of Pompeii are brought upon me

When, exactly, did that happen though?

Today, well yesterday.

On this thread? Because I've read all three pages of it and not seen any fires, but then I haven't seen any rage or bullying either. What I have seen is plenty of is people discussing and debating things which is what I thought forums were for?

You must be seeing wrong.

So enlighten me. Where are the fires?

Quote the posts that you see as 'the fires of Pompeii'

Because I see no fires. I see no rage. I see no bullying. What I do see week after week, day after day on these tiresome forums are people crying wolf because they cannot stand the concept of anyone having a different opinion to them so they complain of bullying where none exists, they complain of rage where there are only people expressing different opinions. And it is so boring. Infinitely more boring than any episode of Doctor Who. Because it means nothing can be discussed properly and no one can express their views freely and openly for fear of offending someone else, even though those that are doing the complaining are usually the ones who dish it out so freely to others.

But not thick-skinned enough to let others voice their opinions without getting a dig in? So your friends have started watching again, that's good news, but it doesn't make your opinion more important than another forum member's. If you feel like you're picking up the slack for others, I'd say no, you're just thinking your opinion is more valid than the people you're trying to put down. Being think-skinned means taking criticism, ignoring it and moving on. Your attempt at being thick-skinned is an abomination. Quite fitting.

Nasty people always have to get the last word in so I'll look forward to the shite you come out with next...

And then I'll just move on, cos I'm thick-skinned and all that jazz... Probs cos I don't hide behind a moniker that tries to... well, you picked the name. Awwwww. Poor diddums.

As with anyone quick to jump off the mark of being offended, you seem to have missed my point entirely. My comment about my friends now watching again was in direct response to someone who had commented that their own friends no longer watched. I was drawing a comparison, and you've essentially only backed up my point - that one opinion doesn't outweigh another.

You seem to have mistaken on every conceivable level that I had a problem with someone voicing their opinion. No. I didn't have a problem at all, in fact if you'd bother to read back my first comment in this thread actually started with a question. And that question was whether people felt they had to voice their opinions in such a way that they felt compelled to always back up their opinion with those of other people's, as if to present their opinion as some kind of fact. In other words, it's not enough that to have an opinion any more - we must all be trying to prove that our opinions are the correct opinion.

Me asking why someone feels compelled to do this is not an example of me being thick-skinned. It's me involved in a discussion - on a discussion forum! Imagine that! That someone feels offended by that isn't my problem. I have no problem with someone voicing their opinion, and I certainly don't hold my own on a higher pedestal than anyone elses.

You consider me a nasty person, you've clearly not come across some of the more...colourful...indivduals that come and go on here. Me? I've been posting honest opinions on here and enjoying those of other people's (who agree and disagree with my own) for a good five or six years now... and that's not a claim to rights, but it sure as hell shows I haven't had people insisting what I have to say is, as you put it, "shite". It's called mutual respect.

You say nasty people have to get the last word in, perhaps instead consider that on a discussion forum people are actually inclined to back-and-forth respond between each other. Grasp that concept, and maybe you'll get the hang of it rather than trying to hurl utter vitriol at me leading you to miss the point completely. Consider perhaps a comment like that, about getting the last word in, is not going to deter me from voicing my opinion as I think you'd hoped it might.

And as for hiding behind monikers, I've had a link to my Twitter account next to every single comment I've posted on here for a good few years now and have no qualms about identifying myself. But sure, you keep it up with your condescending 'diddums' comments! They really help to labour your point further!

What an appropriate name the OP has...

Irony at it's best considering your own title !

Worse: it's actually my given name :P

Yes and I can also say that I know plenty of people who have given up watching and no one who has started or returned anew. But that's anecdotal and therefore just as pointless as what you said.

The actual facts are in the ratings. The falling overall ratings do show people have stopped watching and not enough have returned to replace them. That between last series and this a significant number of people have decided they're not interested in this show any more. This doesn't change your or anyone else's enjoyment of the show. It doesn't belittle it. It simply shows the current form of the show doesn't appeal to people as much - that it's become more niche. Moffat is making it more arch heavy, more tied to its mythos and more sci-fi than ever. It's lost mass appeal because he's no longer trying to make it work for more than one type of audience.

And that's fine in some ways but that show is probably too niche to be in the timeslot it currently occupies.

Yet another contentious opening post that the OP has no intention of backing up with reasoned argument, and the OP never bothers to contribute to his thread after the silly first post anyway. Very tiresome.