There is perhaps no funnier dichotomy in science fiction fandom than Doctor Who– a show that was inherently about that Type of change and the changeability of time for six decades – having a fan base that, by and large doesn’t cope well with it with change. But a big change is coming new season of the show has worried British audiences…enough of that WHO‘s recurring showrunner talked about it.
When Ncuti Gatwa’s debut season This will be the case when The Doctor launches next month on the BBC and worldwide on Disney+ a staggered release: Prioritizing the British series’ new home at Disney. While Doctor Who will continue to air on TV in the traditional Saturday evening time slot in the UK, streaming first: launching at midnight local time on the BBC’s streaming service, iPlayer, coinciding with a 7pm eastern launch the previous day on Disney+. Naturally, Doctor Who Fans who are extremly good in letting people know when they are annoyed about somethinghave spent the weeks since that announcement debating the series’ shifting priorities — and concerns that if they want to watch it, they’ll have to spend most of the day dodging spoilers on the Internet Doctor Who on broadcast television, as they have been doing for almost 20 years at this point.
“You don’t have to change your habits to fit the show; The show changes to suit you. And it conforms to the patterns of modern television shows, which I think will soon be the norm,” wrote returning showrunner Russell T. Davies of the decision in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (via Doctor Who TV). “This is the future and it is already here.”
Davies also acknowledged that in a global streaming age, many viewers are already used to deciding for themselves how they will watch shows – and, in turn, how they can protect themselves from hearing spoilers before they do. If anything, it’s the British audience are already used to it for major US series like game of Thrones or The last of uswhich in a similar way as Doctor Who will: a simultaneous streaming release in the early hours of the morning, followed by an evening broadcast more suitable for UK time zones. “If you want to stay spoiler-free before Saturday night’s broadcast, you can. I managed to stay spoiler-free as game of Thrones was broadcast in the early hours of the morning in the UK. I watched it at 9pm that night, blissfully unaware,” Davies added. “Maybe I’m not as active online as you, but it should be manageable to manage your online activity for about 18 hours on a Saturday.”
However, Davies added that this was not a way of dismissing people’s concerns, but simply an acknowledgment that the way people watch television has changed since then Doctor Who returned in 2005, and the audience has always reflected that. There is no way to find the perfect release time that will suit every fan in the world at all times. “It’s easy to say you should stay offline when your health, job or nature makes that impossible. And I’m sorry because then spoilers will fly,” Davies continued. “Unfortunately, there is always a subset of viewers who grapple with the spoiler issue, such as the tons of people who work Saturdays and night shifts. They had to negotiate this for years. Therefore, in the digital age, there has never been a transmission pattern that is perfect for everyone.”
“And to be honest. When you’re so online and you can’t change…guys, the chances of you still being spoiled are high. Before the broadcast,” concluded Davies. “This is the modern world. Out of my control.”
Doctor Who It returns on May 10th at 7pm Eastern time on Disney+ and May 11th at 12pm UK time on BBC iPlayer.
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