h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, I ain't been complaining for 15yrs. I been complaining since yesterday, since I read it.

I just have this cynical response when someone says that I will be getting less than I expected but that this is a 'marvelous' development and good for everyone concerned. And so enthusiastically too. Cobblers, it ain't good for me so stop telling me it is.

But then that's just me, as opposed to the generic 'some fans' which are being discussed above.

While I'm not keen on the idea of a year without a full season I'd much rather give the team a year of R&R and see possible improvements to the show as a result than have them work solidly year after year until they burn out.

I have posted these thoughts on POV, but I want to say it here, as well. I do not want to say that these would be the only alternatives. We do not know the details behind the thinking, and, because we do not like not knowing what is going on, we begin to speculate.

I do not know the reasoning behind what they are doing. Is it because they know that major changes in the production staff are in the offing, and they want to take the time to get it right? In the past, decisions have been made that, in retrospect, not well thought out.

Is it because RTD and DT want to take a break to do other things, but not to dissociate themselves from the series? We should not assume that, even though it is a television program watched by millions, that they ought to conform to our expectations, they have their own lives.

Is it because they have some really great ideas for specials that cannot be done within the current format, perhaps demanding a different budget, and production schedule? Perhaps this is the source of where the Doctor Who 'movie' comes from. Flashbacks to the Time Wars; discovery of what really happened to the Time Lords, a quest to find the Cruciform, and so on, and so on.

They are, of course, all pure speculation. There are many things that they could do. There are many possible reasons for what is being done. I think that we have to trust what is going on and go forward with it.

Not sure if I heard right, but I think I just heard that DT is going to "rest" from doing any Dr Who. Here we go again!

Having read a few hints here and there I was pretty sure there wasn't going to be a 2009 series and I was right. Glad to see there are plans for a fifth series in 2010, though. It would have been extremely silly for the Beeb to axe it or put it "on hold" but I didn't expect them to announce plans on series five so soon.

I'm glad there are going to be three "specials" in 2009. To be honest, I was expecting a big-screen version or (more likely) nothing that year so that's good.

I don't expect Tennant to stick with the role until 2010. 2008 will be his third series as the Doctor (not counting his Christmas episodes) and I think he'll want to explore other avenues.

I think RTD might step-down as producer at the end of next year and stick to only the occasional bit of episode-writing for series 5. The smart money (and the fan's choice, from what I can gather) is Stephen Moffat to succeed him.

This is just based on rumour and nothing more but I have suspicions that any forthcoming Who movie will be about the Time War. That's partly based on my opinion that RTD would love to do it but would insist on a movie-sized budget, that the series has stoked-up so much interest from fans about it that it'd be the ideal subject-matter for a big-screen version and also from rumours I've heard about who the Beeb might have approached for a part in it...

As for Torchwood - the next series will make or break that spin-off and my money's on the latter, unfortunately. Despite good viewing-figures for BBC3 it remains to see how it fares on the terestrial channel and despite all the spin from the BBC the fan-response to the first series was generally pretty bad with particular emphasis on the shoddy story-telling and laughable crowbarring-in of sex. Unfortunately, I expect more of the same from series two. I don't think it's going to "do a Blackadder" and feel completely different second time around.

During the "break" they could at least show some retro ones or something...

trouble is it would be that much of a ratings grabber...

Mabye

oh well, the Sarah Jane thing starts today...

good or bad ... dunno

"During the "break" they could at least show some retro ones or something...

trouble is it would be that much of a ratings grabber..."

Not on the main channels, certainly (athlough I gather some of the 1970s repeats shown on BBC2 around teatime a few years ago didn't do so badly), but I think this would be a great idea for BBC4. I think maybe a season of old Who with a couple of episodes a week at around 8pm would be quite a good idea. They could do what they did years ago as part of a retrospective Dr Who series (I think in 1993 as a nod to the show's 30th anniversary) and show a story from each Doctor chronologically.

they did show a story on BBC4 last year...

oh well their showing Batman on BBC4 tonight!

why do we have to wait two years for series 5?

presumably because Dr Who and RTD are "on a break" or something...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I know.....

>they did show a story on BBC4 last year...

Aye: "The Green Death" which was shown as part of the 70s season. Rather good it was too, even if a lot of the SFX dated it quite a bit.

?

I didn't see it...

BBC4 are showing the Devils End episodes tonight at 7pm - 8pm and than last two eps on Monday - accroding to Radio Times.

missed that too...