An Open Letter to the BBC and Chris Chibnall

Ugh. With “KERBLAM!” I am now numbered among the viewers who are saying good-bye to their beloved DOCTOR WHO.

You’re going to try to blame it all on non-progressive, right-wing rednecks, but that doesn’t wash, at least not with me. I am so deeply liberal that I make American Democrats look like plantation owners. But I have standards. All Chris Chibnall had to do was to make us love the new characters and present us with exciting, arresting stories: and on both counts he has utterly failed.

You want to do “issue” stories? That is FINE by me. But there is a right way and a wrong way to do it, and the wrong way is to make people feel like they are being LECTURED week after week. Raise the issue, ask questions, and let the audience decide for themselves. THAT is how you do issue stories.

You also DON’T do so very many issue stories that the show becomes “the Issue of the Week.” This is DOCTOR WHO fer crine out loud, you have all of time and space to choose from — and you’ve already knocked back the number of episodes you’re doing to the fewest ever in the current run. Out of ten episodes? ONE issue story a series is a GREAT PLENTY.

It’s lovely, on paper, to have a racially balanced TARDIS family. Lovely. But give us interesting characters that we can fall in love with — not this pack of utter non-entities, this TARDIS full of dull, shallow NOBODIES who vanish when you turn them sideways. You have to make us care enough to be sad if one of them died. You have FAILED.

A female Doctor? I’m one of those who said “It’s about time!” But for goddess’ sake, make her interesting! Cast someone who can bring some AUTHORITY to the role! Give her an edge! I was more than willing to give Jodie Whittaker a chance, but her Doctor is as bland and flat as stale tapioca pudding! She makes Peter Davison look like Colin Baker! She is utterly passive and dull. She is FAR more “white bread” than ANY of the white males who have played the part. I can easily think of half a dozen other actresses who could have brought some excitement and interest to the role, at least one of whom was actually mentioned in all the pre-casting speculation.

You guys were presented with a fifty-five year old unkillable Golden Goose — and STILL you have managed to kill it, in six episodes flat. Shame, shame on you all.

-- Thorn
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