Thread: The weekday time slot
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17th Jan 2012, 3:14 PM #1
The weekday time slot
Basically, did it work?
For the first 17 years of Dr. Who's life it was firmly placed at Saturday tea time. Throughout the seventies it garnered some fantastic viewing figures and was part of a "Golden age" of top TV shows followed as it was by the likes of Bruce Forsyth's Generation Game, a classic serial, The Two Ronnies and Starsky and Hutch.
When it was felt that the audience was fading the decision was made to show the 1982 series in a twice weekly weeknight slot, Monday/ Tuesday or Tuesday/ Wednesday depending on your area around seven o-clock.
So, I ask again, did it work? Did you miss any episodes due to other commitments? Scouts, youth club, after school activities? And most of all, was it a good idea?
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17th Jan 2012, 3:39 PM #2
Personally I think that twice a week was too much! Though I hasten to add that I wasn't there at the time. This is why I think it would feel wrong though:
The kind of shows that go out two or more times a week are generally viewed as 'disposable' TV, such as soaps or news programs. People will watch them if they're on, but they don't feel like special occassions. They don't fit into the weekly routine. So if you miss an episode, you think 'ah well, there's another one on tomorrow, or in a few days time'. You don't make the effort to settle down for it as much.
A lot of children have after-school activities once or twice a week, meaning that they would be more likely to miss an episode on a regular basis if they had say, football training or 'Badgers' (St John's Ambulance club) to go to. At twice a week, with no video recorders around, you're twice as likely to miss out!
I also reckon that the whole Doctor Who format, with 25 minute episodes and four-week serials, was starting to look dated in 1981. Horribly dated. I can't think of any other TV shows from the 80's with a similar format. It could have at least gone to 30 minute episodes and two-part serials, to bring it closer in line to other TV shows at the time. Surely the 25 minute timing helped muck up the schedules, meaning shows that started at 19:35 and 20:10 rather than at sensible times.
So I don't think it was a good idea, no!Pity. I have no understanding of the word. It is not registered in my vocabulary bank. EXTERMINATE!
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17th Jan 2012, 7:18 PM #3
Didn't I read somewhere that it was used to 'try out' the best weekday nights for a twice-weekly serial (ultimately EastEnders I guess)? Even if not, I think Angels had been in that sort of slot before (and during?) the Davison era, so maybe it was an extension of that.
TBH, it never bothered me at the time, I was quite excited at the thought of getting two episodes a week... although obviously, after the series had ended, not so happy about them rattling through them in less than three months!
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17th Jan 2012, 7:21 PM #4
Like Andrew at the time I didn't midn at all. After all I'd only had two years of it being on Saturdays, so it wasn't too much of a wrench to go to twice weekly (and we'd had it on in the week for the summer repeats and the Five Faces).
Twice a week was a development I liked a great deal. Made it all the more exciting because there wasn't too long to wait before the next episode! What was also great was that people would be talking about it the next day at school, because it was fresh in the minds of us kids the day after broadcast.
I've just got my handcuffs and my truncheon and that's enough.
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17th Jan 2012, 8:23 PM #5
I hated it and missed much of the 5th doctor era as I had got myself a part time job with Presto Supermarket (remember them?) and worked Tues, wed, thurs and Fri evenings. This was before the days where we had a VCR and I always missed one episode a week.
I’m being extremely clever up here and there’s no one to stand around looking impressed! What’s the point in having you all?
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17th Jan 2012, 9:40 PM #6
So... you weren't impressed at Presto?
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17th Jan 2012, 9:41 PM #7
I'm not sure if that beats the Hey Presto stick your job" "gag" I was thinking of or not...
I've just got my handcuffs and my truncheon and that's enough.
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17th Jan 2012, 10:51 PM #8
For families like me who were lucky enough to have video recorders (even if they were betamax!) then it was fine and dandy. But wasn't Who up against Corrie on one of the days? If this was the case then then I'm sure in a lot of households the Mums (and a few Dads!) wielded the power of the remote and stuck with the soap In these days of Sky+, Tivo and iPlayer it's hard to imagine a family only being able to watch one channel of "as broadcast" TV!
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18th Jan 2012, 6:24 PM #9
It was crap - not because it was up against anything, but becuase I was at secondary school and so the problem of homework reared its head - especially if it was due in the nex t day. I remember many an evening straining to watch and listen to the TV whilst desperately trying to get homework finished at the table at the other end of the lounge.
Bazinga !
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18th Jan 2012, 9:44 PM #10
With no disrespect intended, I sometimes get a little miffed when fans of a certain age recall fondly that Saturday teatimes were all about Doctor Who, and that that was the only time it could ever truly be broadcast. Well, OK, it has been proven in recent years that Saturday perhaps is the natural home for the show, but for many fans of another age, those weekday evenings were just as suited to the Doctor's adventures. Like Si, I'd only vague memories of seeing the series on Saturdays and so thought nothing of the switch, but I do know that there is something quite evocative and mostaligic (even now) about watching Doctor Who on cold, dark Monday evenings in January.
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19th Jan 2012, 7:43 AM #11
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19th Jan 2012, 7:18 PM #12
For me it was always a Sunday night show. 10PM until whenever the omnibus ended.. usually 11:20 for 4-parters I think.
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20th Jan 2012, 6:10 PM #13
A friend told me that the weekly slot was done as an experiment to see if the BBC could do a soap opera like Coronation Street. It was successful and in 1985, Doctor Who was returned to Saturdays and a new soap opera premiered on the Beeb, EastEnders.
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20th Jan 2012, 6:49 PM #14
I remember that up here in Scotland the first episode of Castrovalva was broadcast at something like 3.00 in the afternoon! And no repeats for those unlucky enough to miss it...
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23rd Jan 2012, 11:54 PM #15
I hated it and missed 50% of all Davison episodes due to having to attend Cubs and Scouts. We didn't have a VCR and my Mum would not let me miss cubs/scouts.
What made it worse for me was the point that Si made about the kids talking about it at school - I was well known as The Doctor Who fan of my class and yet most of the other kids saw more of favourite show than I did.
Even worse, I had to hear them all discussing what a great episode it was knowing that I was probably never going to see it (I don't think I was familiar with the concept of VCRs back then even if some families already had one).
I was delighted when it went back to Saturday for Colin's stories!
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24th Jan 2012, 8:03 AM #16I remember that up here in Scotland the first episode of Castrovalva was broadcast at something like 3.00 in the afternoon! And no repeats for those unlucky enough to miss it...
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26th Jan 2012, 12:51 PM #17
Like Si and Dave, for me it made no difference. In fact it just gave us more to talk about in the playground.
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26th Jan 2012, 3:02 PM #18
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