Quote: Scatterbrained Floozy @ April 29 2011, 5:21 PM BSTJust watched it AGAIN! I am so excited for tomorrow's.
I think I'm going to watch the repeat in a bit; be my third viewing of it!
Doctor Who... Page 674
Just read a few spoiler free positive reviews of the next ep. Basically, those of you hoping for more answers and conclusions than questions are going to be writing pissed off things on here! 
Still, a self contained story next week!
Quote: Scatterbrained Floozy @ April 29 2011, 5:21 PM BSTJust watched it AGAIN! I am so excited for tomorrow's.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 29 2011, 5:23 PM BSTI think I'm going to watch the repeat in a bit; be my third viewing of it!
I know a bloke who's seen it a hundred times and has the script tattooed on the back of his neck.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 29 2011, 5:45 PM BSTJust read a few spoiler free positive reviews of the next ep. Basically, those of you hoping for more answers and conclusions than questions are going to be writing pissed off things on here!
Smile away, but if he plays the "not explaining" game too much ratings with slide (as Godot suggested). Last weeks opening was already down on the previous year. And before you know it, the papers will start talking about Doctor Who in crisis etc etc.
Quote: chipolata @ April 29 2011, 6:18 PM BSTSmile away, but if he plays the "not explaining" game too much ratings with slide (as Godot suggested). Last weeks opening was already down on the previous year. And before you know it, the papers will start talking about Doctor Who in crisis etc etc.
Smile away?!
Yes, hopefully we get explanations, and big, satisfying resolutions; but you know what? Hopefully we get some mystery too, threads that are explained later and built upon in a satisfying manner as we move along. If done well, all and good. It's only if it's handled badly that we'll have a problem.
As for ratings, until we get the consolodated figures, and iPlayer numbers, talk about that is a bit moot; the numbers we have so far just state who chose to sit as it went out. Which yes, is important, but if the figures jump up a few million because many people chose to watch later, it matters much less. At least to the channel itself, obviously the papers will write what they want. Those figures only have to go up two million to be at the same level as some previous years, I think they went up by about three million or more last year when the consolodated figures came in.
Then again, maybe they'll jump hardly a jot, and the ratings will start to nosedive. It will happen at some point, I imagine, maybe this will be the year.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 29 2011, 6:53 PM BSTSmile away?!
Yes, hopefully we get explanations, and big, satisfying resolutions; but you know what? Hopefully we get some mystery too, threads that are explained later and built upon in a satisfying manner as we move along. If done well, all and good. It's only if it's handled badly that we'll have a problem.
As for ratings, until we get the consolodated figures, and iPlayer numbers, talk about that is a bit moot; the numbers we have so far just state who chose to sit as it went out. Which yes, is important, but if the figures jump up a few million because many people chose to watch later, it matters much less. At least to the channel itself, obviously the papers will write what they want. Those figures only have to go up two million to be at the same level as some previous years, I think they went up by about three million or more last year when the consolodated figures came in.
Then again, maybe they'll jump hardly a jot, and the ratings will start to nosedive. It will happen at some point, I imagine, maybe this will be the year.
Possibly. Possibly not. I got it in the neck when I said in an earlier post that it wasn't the same without 'you know who' and before Matthew has another go at me, it is said in the context of being a parent. A parent who has a teenage boy who begged and pleaded to be taken to see Hamlet and whose reaction to Who last series was polite curiousity and this series is definitely 'meh'. And as a parent of a not quite teenage daughter who would gaze at the Tenth doc until the cows come home but is less than underwhelmed by the present version. If what has happened at Riley Towers is representative of what's going on across the country then no wonder the ratings are taking a beating.
However, the character has survived changes before. From talking to my two they are reconciled to the change in the lead but they just aren't that fussed about River. 'She's old.' They don't get Pond. 'She's boring'. (They did get Rose though.) And they're still confused as to what Rory is. (Is he a Roman?). I would imagine that the Riley offspring are Moff's core audience and this is nothing to do with who is the doctor but everything to do with the stories. I'm hoping that things move on a bit tomorrow and Moff isn't too clever.
Have a go at you? Come on now, don't be so silly.
If ratings are down for the first episode surely it has more to do with the dreary Christmas 'special' than anything else.
Well that's the thing, we don't know if they really are yet, I suppose we'll get the full picture in the next few days though. Even I won't be able to spin it too much if it doesn't jump up any and the iPlayer figures are low! I will try my best though.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 29 2011, 7:43 PM BSTWell that's the thing, we don't know if they really are yet, I suppose we'll get the full picture in the next few days though. Even I won't be able to spin it too much if it doesn't jump up any and the iPlayer figures are low! I will try my best though.
Leave that to the meeja. The other point is probably the time slot. This series is going out a lot earlier than in former years and dare I say it the Kate effect. A lot of people I know have taken advantage of the proximity of the all the recent bank holidays to grab three weeks off work for the loss of about two days annual leave. Numbers might still be down for tomorrow but once we get back to a normal woking week, they will return to something like expected. Until the next bank hoilday in four weeks time. 
Quote: Godot Taxis @ April 29 2011, 5:18 PM BSTF**king hell that was bad. Start the series with a two parter? Game over already.
Moffat can't do this show and should resign. I guess he will be moved on when the ratings come in anyway, because they are going to slide. Hopefully it won't be blamed on Matt Smith.
Yes. But he should be reined in.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 29 2011, 6:53 PM BSTHopefully we get some mystery too,
It's the easiest thing in drama to make things Mysterious Matthew. Really really easy. Seriously!
Is anyone else looking forward to the fight that'll kick off on here tomorrow rather than the episode itself?
Quote: Marc P @ April 29 2011, 7:52 PM BSTIt's the easiest thing in drama to make things Mysterious Matthew. Really really easy. Seriously!
I know, but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be any mystery, does it? As long as there's a point and it builds towards a satisfying resolution.
Quote: Ben @ April 29 2011, 7:54 PM BSTIs anyone else looking forward to the fight that'll kick off on here tomorrow rather than the episode itself?
Actually, I don't think much of the debate on here recently has been too much about the episode itself, more on the whole River/Doc thing in general, and the merits or otherwise of Moffat's approach.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 29 2011, 7:43 PM BSTWell that's the thing, we don't know if they really are yet, I suppose we'll get the full picture in the next few days though. Even I won't be able to spin it too much if it doesn't jump up any and the iPlayer figures are low! I will try my best though.
A universe without Stott defending Who is a re-boot too far.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 29 2011, 7:57 PM BSTI know, but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be any mystery, does it? As long as there's a point and it builds towards a satisfying resolution.
Just in case you delete this later