BBC To Air Only 6 'Doctor Who' Episodes This Year (2012)

How behind on the news am I -

While rumors still swirl that BBC is clamping down on some of the costs of "Doctor Who," showrunner Steven Moffat has confirmed that fans will only get six episodes of "Doctor Who" in 2012 -- one of them being the Christmas episode.

It's the fewest number of "Who" episodes to be aired since 2009 when BBC decided to forego a regular season of "Doctor Who" and air just three specials instead.

Such a split had been rumored for some time, and when BBC announced that the new seventh season wouldn't air until the fall (instead of the spring has had been traditionally done), such rumors really gained momentum.

Moffat, however, isn't speculating on what's happening to the show.

"I don't know, on this occasion, that the thinking particularly came from me, actually," Moffat recently told Digital Spy. "I've always been open to anything that shakes [the series] up. I think that decision actually came from the BBC."

So that really leaves out a creative decision as had been suggested last year when the BBC split "Doctor Who's" sixth season into two. That allowed the first half to air in spring and the second half in the fall.

"I've been well up for anything that we can do to shake up the transmission pattern, the way we deliver it to the audience and how long we amok the audience wait, simply because that makes 'Doctor Who' an event piece."

Right now, "Doctor Who" will air just five episodes in the fall, leading up to the Christmas special where new companion Jenna-Louise Chapman will be introduced. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, who played companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams, will depart from the series just before, in the fifth episode, tentatively titled "Bye-Bye, Pond," which is set (and filmed) in New York.

Rumors are that the episode will involve the Weeping Angels first introduced in "Blink" in Season 3.

Moffat likes the fact that audiences have to wait for "Doctor Who," however, because it creates an effect he says is similar to what happened with "Sherlock" in Season 2. With just a small group of extra-long episodes, the series Moffat developed with Mark Gatiss that stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, ended its first season just when everyone thought it was getting started.

By the time "Sherlock" returned a year later, it moved from being something that few were aware of, to making the series a "rock star."

"So keeping 'Doctor Who' as an event, and never making people feel, 'Oh, it's lovely, reliable old 'Doctor Who' -- it'll be on about this time, at that time of year,'" Moffat said. "Once you start to do that, just slowly, it becomes like any much-loved ornament in your house -- ultimately invisible. And I don't want that to ever be the case."

And just in case you were wondering if BBC was planning something special for "Doctor Who's" 50th anniversary in 2013 ... the answer is yes.

"I had a meeting about that earlier in the week," Moffat revealed.

"Doctor Who" Season 7 premieres in the fall.

Moff wrote:

"I've been well up for anything that we can do to shake up the transmission pattern, the way we deliver it to the audience and how long we amok the audience wait, simply because that makes 'Doctor Who' an event piece."

Perhaps a bit of a Freudian slip there... "amok" comes from the Malay word "amuk," meaning "mad with uncontrollable rage."

He doesn't want Doctor Who to be an 'ornament'... But by the time series 7 finally airs, most will either have lost interest or forgotten the storyline.

In '09 when we deprived of a new series, I found myself forgetting about Who and falling into other fandoms. Making us wait months and months and then only giving us a few episodes does not make us more enthusiastic for when it finally airs, but rather very impatient and then we give up and lose interest.

So, once again, another stupid and illogical decision for the Moff.

In the Digital Spy quote Moff said the decision came from the BBC.

My question is, when is the remainder of the series airing in 2013? Winter? Spring?

Or maybe Series 7 is just 6 episodes?

It's definitely 14 episodes. 6 now, 8 after. We already knew this when they spoiled us all that info a while back (about episode 5, and then how episode 6 is the special where the new companion is introduced). They aren't going to keep the back 8 to air too long afterwards, since the following series will have to air in October/November.

Hopefully we'll get the entire series 8 in 2013 plus the back half of 7.

I like how "Sherlock" is such a big success (I still don't get it), that's what Moff is trying to compare a show that has been on the air for 50 years now, had several returns, and was at it's peak during the Tenant years (Rtd haters gonna hate).

I remember when his excuse was "No one is watching it because it is summer" "People are downloading it, not watching it". Seriously, I really hope the show gets handed over to someone else before it is just put on "Hiatus" like it was in the McCoy years.

What's the difference between Moffat's brain and manure?

Manure can be useful. ~rimshot~

The Castellan wrote:

What's the difference between Moffat's brain and manure?

Manure can be useful. ~rimshot~

I'm tweeting this.

But yet, Moffat's brain gave us Sherlock.......and the Angels, and Forrest and Library.

And the enigmatic River Song. Until last series...

jaredofmo wrote:

And the enigmatic River Song. Until last series...

And Captain Jack...

Cruel Angel wrote:

jaredofmo wrote:

And the enigmatic River Song. Until last series...

And Captain Jack...

I'm pretty sure RTD created Jack and Moffat was tasked with his first story.

jaredofmo wrote:

Cruel Angel wrote:

jaredofmo wrote:

And the enigmatic River Song. Until last series...

And Captain Jack...

I'm pretty sure RTD created Jack and Moffat was tasked with his first story.

Then I'd add it to the very (very) short list of things he actually did right on the show

jaredofmo wrote:

I'm pretty sure RTD created Jack and Moffat was tasked with his first story.

"You are right, sir!"

Okay. We have to mention, Moff did give us

RORY WILLIAMS

Probably the best new part of the Moff era. I don't really dislike Amy, but Rory got SO much more interesting.

And Madame Vastra

I find it funny how much people want more Lady Vastra but don't like the new Silurians. Well, "homo reptilia," I guess...

... They need to do a story where the original type of Silurian comes back.

jaredofmo wrote:

I find it funny how much people want more Lady Vastra but don't like the new Silurians. Well, "homo reptilia," I guess...

... They need to do a story where the original type of Silurian comes back.

To me, Moffat redeemed the new Silurians with that character. Same with the medic and the new Sontarans.

But yup, hated the Silurian two parter. Not because of the Silurian re-design but because the plot had too many similar elements to the classic serial.

Huh...

Considering it was implied the Silurians were all killed in their classic series appearances, would we want them to reappear, or just go with this idea that there's another strain of them that's further evolved?

jaredofmo wrote:

Huh...

Considering it was implied the Silurians were all killed in their classic series appearances, would we want them to reappear, or just go with this idea that there's another strain of them that's further evolved?

I just assumed that the Nu Who Silurians were just another off shoot colony. No reason they can't bring back the 'originals', just like our universe Cybermen are still out there somewhere.

Cruel Angel wrote:

jaredofmo wrote:

Huh...

Considering it was implied the Silurians were all killed in their classic series appearances, would we want them to reappear, or just go with this idea that there's another strain of them that's further evolved?

I just assumed that the Nu Who Silurians were just another off shoot colony. No reason they can't bring back the 'originals', just like our universe Cybermen are still out there somewhere.

That's pretty much what the Doctor said in the storyline.

The original design of the Silurians was in the Brilliant Book of 2011, I think. It was an evolved version of the original design and looked fantastic. The they were told to make it more "human" because it would fit the story better and be easier to express emotion. My problem was the females....I didn't think lizards had breasts.......

Ronpur wrote:

The original design of the Silurians was in the Brilliant Book of 2011, I think. It was an evolved version of the original design and looked fantastic. The they were told to make it more "human" because it would fit the story better and be easier to express emotion. My problem was the females....I didn't think lizards had breasts.......

you don't need a face to express emotion, there's a thing called body language.

Quote :

I just assumed that the Nu Who Silurians were just another off shoot colony. No reason they can't bring back the 'originals', just like our universe Cybermen are still out there somewhere.

But the chances of seeing our Cybermen are as high as finding a fart in a jacuzzi.