What’s next for Doctor Who? Recently, new showrunner Chris Chibnall discussed his plans for season 11 of the BBC TV show, RadioTimes reports.
As reported earlier, season 10 will be the last for Peter Capaldi’s Doctor and long-time showrunner Steven Moffat. Last year, it was announced Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall would be taking over for season 11, which is set to debut in 2018.
Speaking to the Royal Television Society magazine Television, Chibnall said the new season will be bolder and riskier than previous seasons of Doctor Who:
I had ideas about what I wanted to do with it. When I went to them [BBC] and said, ‘This is what I would do’, I actually expected them to say, ‘Ooh, let’s talk about that’, but they said: ‘Great!’”
Chibnall’s frequent collaborator, director James Strong, said Chibnall’s era of Doctor Who may return the BBC show to its family-friendly roots:
It used to be – and I stress this is my personal opinion – at the heart of the schedule, an unmissable family show and, for some reason, it’s slipped a bit from the national consciousness.
For me, when it goes towards storylines that are a little bit more for the fans, I think you can lose that general appeal. I think Chris is going to offer a slightly different take on what the show should be.”
What do you think? Are you a fan of Doctor Who? Will you still watch the sci-fi series even if its tone changes?
Screw that Chib! We want dark and scary stuff happening all around! The universe is a dark, dangerous and mysterious! And we want better companions with more substance, like Martha Jones and Donna Noble! Forget that crap about saving the world with love and feelings, bring the sci-fi from the classic era back with new and fresh concepts! 🙂
We need to go back some of the simpler stories. We haven’t had a good Dalek or Cybermen arc in quite some time.
My biggest concern is Chibnall’s mention of a serial type story line (one story over the season). That is neither new, as soap operas have been around since the thirties, nor bold, as many TV shows have latched onto that fading star. Further, while I agree the show doesn’t need to be more kid friendly, it doesn’t need to be less kid friendly, either, as an over arching plot line would make it. I’ve watched it since childhood, but life is way too stressful to deal with weekly cliffhangers, thanks.
I would watch for a couple of episodes abut then it depends on what changes…..and how far it steps away from the current way Dr Who is now..
I have watch Dr Who since 1963/64 (I was 3/4yrs old….and how it is now works..
but… sometimes change is needed…so let’s see
Personally, I miss the classic Dr. Who. Current plots get so eclectic and so ‘out there’ most folks cannot understand them. Bring back a Tom Baker/Pertwee type of doctor.
I thought it was kid friendly already. I can not imagine how kindergarten it would have to get to get even more kid friendly. I started watching with David Tennant. Loved it, got to where I liked all 4 of the Docs I have seen. Just am now seeing Tom Baker in reruns. Hope they do not change it too much. I want to keep watching. Plus, why does everything have to revolve around kids? They have their own shows. I agree with James on that it is not Disney Channel.
I have watched every show since Hartnell. Why would I stop now? Every change has been enjoyable.
What made the revival so popular was Russell T. Davies and his style of writing. If you’re going to kid-friendly it you kill what little life this show has left in it. Please stick to telling great stories with solid acting. This isn’t Disney Channel.
I was so looking forward to Moffat leaving and now we may have an even worse person taking over. Good grief.
I’ll take a wait and see approach. Chris Chinball’s comments are concerning but he may be over-stating the family friendliness a bit. While I thought Eccleston’s season veered towards dark at times, I thought many of the Tennant episodes were family friendly. There were a few darker ones but not as dark as some of the Matt Smith or Peter Capaldi episodes.
I’ve been a Doctor Who fan since the 80s and yes I will still watch. I love the show regardless.