Series 7 comissioned: Gap Year in 2012...14 episodes and Matt Smith confirmed

[Jason Thompson]

Doubtless Si will reply himself - but playing Devil's Advocate, you haven't mentioned the 2.8million (or about 1/3 of the audience) who forgot Doctor Who between the end of Revelation of the Daleks and the start of The Trial of a Timelord...

No, I didn't mention that, but that's because a look at the change in viewing figures between seasons shows that the 2.8 million drop for part 1 of Trial is comfortably within the range of change in viewing figures between seasons. Tempting as it is to claim it's because people 'forgot' the show during the 18 months it was not there, that just doesn't hold up when compared to the variation across the rest of the run, and those figure changes occurred over much shorter time periods.

[Si Hunt]

Isn't there a case for saying we're in an age of the much more tempramental viewer now though? You couldn't exactly "forget" Doctor Who when there were four channels and everyone watched TV every Saturday. Today, publicity and hype is much more important and emphasised and for good reason; more and more people actually have to go and find Doctor Who (on Catch Up/demand) if they want to watch it, and there are a gazillion other things to view to make you forget.

Si.

[Jason Thompson]

All of which was at least partly true in 1996 and very true in 2005, and yet both those revivals scored over 9 million viewers despite years of not having the show on.

Doctor Who is currently practically the hottest property the BBC has. Even if there is no full season on TV next year, even if there was NO Doctor Who on TV next year at all, the shops are still going to be full of DVDs, books and magazines, there is still a lot of interest on news sites, digital channels are repeating it over and over again, and every run of episodes has been publicised well. How are people going to forget it?

To turn your argument around, when there were only four channels (or even fewer), what percentage of viewers was made up of people who just put on the telly and left it on and watched whatever was on? With all these extra channels now it would be hard to ascribe a significant number of viewers to anything but people who actively decided to tune in to the show, and yet it pulls in audiences of around 7 million routinely.

I just see no evidence at all that people will forget the show if it goes away for a year. It hasn't been forgotten in nearly 50 years.

[Perry Vale]

It gets more interesting, from the twittershpere (sorry Andrew!)...

Neil Gaiman to Steven Moffat

Er... is it my imagination or are you being shafted by BBC online news?

Moffat

It's not your imagination. Unbelievable, unacceptable.

[Rob McCow]

Sounds like this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13784334

Sherlock success will hit Doctor Who, says BBC One boss

Danny Cohen told a Derbyshire media conference that Moffat "needs enough time to get that done and then start work on the next series of Doctor Who".

That meant there would be "not as many" episodes of Doctor Who, he added.

But Moffat later wrote on Twitter that scheduling of Doctor Who had "nothing to do with Sherlock".

Doctor Who is one of the BBC's flagship shows. The series typically runs for 13 episodes every year.

Last week the BBC announced that they were filming 14 new Doctor Who episodes, including a Christmas special, to be broadcast from next year.

But Mr Cohen said that not all of the commissioned stories would be transmitted in 2012.

"There will be some episodes, but there won't be a full series, so we won't have a 13-part run," he told the audience at The Church and Media Conference.

Mr Moffat is one of BBC One's key writers, who oversees all Doctor Who episodes.

He is also one of Sherlock's executive producers, and is currently writing one of the show's three new episodes.

"There's only so many hours a day he can be awake," Mr Cohen said, referring to Mr Moffat's workload.

"The man has to sleep and eat, and he's got a family."

Both programmes attract high viewing figures and between them received five nominations at May's TV Bafta's, with Sherlock winning two prizes.

"Steven Moffat is the creative driving force behind Doctor Who. He also, rather magically at the same time, created and got to air Sherlock. So we have to get that balance right," Mr Cohen said.

"There'll be more episodes again in 2013, for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. So that's a big year."

The remaining six episodes of the current series will air on BBC One later this year.

Moffat has subsequently tweeted: "The scheduling of Dr Who has got NOTHING to do with Sherlock."

It's unbelievable that BBC Online has to rely on Tweets for it's news stories!

[Perry Vale]

It's unbelievable that BBC Online has to rely on Tweets for it's news stories!

True, but it's better than the usual "an insider said" type reporting.

[J.R. Southall]

It's also crazy that the BBC themselves are also quoting Cohen out of context. This really is a bit of a non-story. Steven Moffat used his first series to establish himself (via the template created by Russell T Davies), and now he's showing us that he wants to muck around with the format. If there's less Doctor Who than we've been used to next year, but more Doctor Who than we've been used to in 2013, then I'll be very happy. And that's what - it seems to me - looks like happening.

[Awesome Wells]

This really is a bit of a non-story.

*Bill Murray voice* THANK YOU.

[Perry Vale]

And that's what - it seems to me - looks like happening.

I agree. I suspect there are many factors at play here. The workload for Moffat, some behind-the-scenes problems in the production team making their first series together (budgetary and personnel wise), and a desire (planning ahead) to make 2013 a special year.

If, looking at all those factors together, you begin to see that a usual easter start date for 2012 is not the ideal option to make the best Doctor Who you can, then this course seems to make a lot of sense (imo).

Or maybe they're all just COCKROACHES!

[Rob McCow]

I like your cockroach theory, Steve. Can I quote you on that?

[Perry Vale]

Only in CAPITALS.

[Larry]

It's If there's less Doctor Who than we've been used to next year, but more Doctor Who than we've been used to in 2013, then I'll be very happy. .

me to and if we are to assume that there will be another 14 episodes commisioned for series 8 then it is possible that the 50th anniversary could potentialy see around 20 episodes in 2013. But If i'm honest I wouldn't be at all suprised if this was the prelude to a cut back in the number of episodes per season. Apart from Merlin, Doctor Who, gets far more episodes per season then all other BBC drama which usualy averages 6 to 8 episodes. Like with everything else the BBC are looking to make savings and Doctor Who, is an expensive programm to make and if cutting the episodes to say 8 or 10 per season means Doctor Who, can run for a good more few years than I will be happy with that.

[J.R. Southall]

Absolutely right, old chap. I'm amazed that it came back at 13 a year in the first place, and that it's lasted as long with so many. We're really incredibly lucky these days, and seven episodes in 2012 wouldn't be any less than most other series would expect anyway.

[Paul Monk]

No-one will forget Doctor Who because BBC 3 repeat it constantly!

[Martin Curnow]

What I hope we don't get is what happened with the tenth Doctor - 4 drawn out stories which, for me, changed the character that I'd got to know over the preceding 3 seasons and I was glad to see the back of in the end!

[J.R. Southall]

What I hope we don't get is what happened with the tenth Doctor - 4 drawn out stories which, for me, changed the character that I'd got to know over the preceding 3 seasons and I was glad to see the back of in the end!

Maybe that was the plan!

[J.R. Southall]

Incidentally, someone I know heard a rumour that 2013 will see 20 episodes of Who. Given that it's also reported in today's DWM that the mythical "14 episodes" about to go into production doesn't include this year's Christmas Special, here's my prediction based on the maths:

2012: Easter Special + six eps in the Autumn + Christmas Special.

2013: Six further episodes commencing January + 13 episode Autumn series finishing on Saturday the 23rd of November + Christmas Special.

[Anthony Williams]

Incidentally, someone I know heard a rumour that 2013 will see 20 episodes of Who. Given that it's also reported in today's DWM that the mythical "14 episodes" about to go into production doesn't include this year's Christmas Special, here's my prediction based on the maths:

2012: Easter Special + six eps in the Autumn + Christmas Special.

2013: Six further episodes commencing January + 13 episode Autumn series finishing on Saturday the 23rd of November + Christmas Special.

Those are the same rumours that I've been hearing

[J.R. Southall]

Those are the same rumours that I've been hearing

Good!

Mind you, I hope those rumours have some substance and aren't merely a Chinese Whispering escalation of the prediction I made above, because that's the very same prediction I made on the day that the whole "not all the episodes will be broadcast in 2012!" storm broke...

[Larry]

In

2012: Easter Special + six eps in the Autumn + Christmas Special.

2013: Six further episodes commencing January + 13 episode Autumn series finishing on Saturday the 23rd of November + Christmas Special.

probably a bit off the mark here but I'm thinking that there won't be an Easter, special the BBC, are going to want to have some thing to fill the gap left by Doctor Who, and I'm just wondering if series 4 of Merlin, will be moved to fill that gap. From what I understand filming on series 4 is still going so assuming that's the case it would be unlikely to start before August now including the remaining episodes of Doctor Who, that dosen't leave a lot of time in the scheduals between Augaust and Christmas to fit 20 episodes in.

[Andrew Curnow]

I certainly hope it's that - but if so, they'd better start filming soon!

[J.R. Southall]

I certainly hope it's that - but if so, they'd better start filming soon!

They usually start at the end of July, with the Christmas Special. If that's the case this year, we're still looking good for two full series' worth of episodes spread across 2012 and 2013.

[J.R. Southall]

probably a bit off the mark here.

Probably, it's just a guess.

But it does include 14 episodes in production from next month (and not including the 2011 Christmas Special) - as specified in DWM - and 20 episodes in total during 2013, as rumoured. I don't see how else this can be achieved.

Either DWM or more likely the rumour could, of course, be completely wrong.

[Andrew Curnow]

It'll be very nice to have extra in 2013 I'm sure, but.... actually, I'd prefer 13 in 2012 and 13 again in 2013. Maybe that's just me though!

[J.R. Southall]

It'll be very nice to have extra in 2013 I'm sure, but.... actually, I'd prefer 13 in 2012 and 13 again in 2013. Maybe that's just me though!

I don't think it's just you. I'm sure most people would prefer a regular diet of 13 (or 14...) episodes on an annual basis. But having said that, I'm sure everybody involved in making Who (including the higher-ups at the Beeb itself) sat down and worked out a plan for making 2013 very special indeed, and if part of that plan was making 2012 a bit light on the ground, I'm sure they thought it was a sacrifice worth making.

Either way, it's still infinitely preferable to the pre-2005 state of affairs, and when the return of Who was first announced, I don't think there can have been many people who would have expected more than 6 or 8 episodes a year anyway. Looked at in that light, 2012 is a standard year for a regular television series, and most other years are bumper years for Doctor Who.