Spiral Mutterings 2: One Good Solid Hope...

"...is worth a cartload of certainties", said the Doctor. And, it would appear, this adage has held true for his fans, with the recent announcement from the BBC that Doctor Who will return in 2005. Now, I believe all the contributors to this site have made their hopes and fears known about what a new series may, should, can be, etc, so I won't revisit familiar ground. Nor, like the rest of the media, will I attempt to second-guess the production team on who the Doctor will be, what creatures will return, etc. And finally, I also refuse to comment on whether, this being a Russell T. Davies production, the Doctor will be camper than ever before.

For the record, however, my feelings are that McGann should return, at least for one season, Daleks and Cybermen should be held in reserve, possibly for use in cliffhanger epic stories that bridge seasons (like "Best of Both Worlds" did on ST:TNG), and that Russell T. Davies is a talented and experienced TV writer, who wouldn't have got the gig if he was the one trick pony the media seem to perceive him as.

Instead, I'd like to look at the timing of the announcement. Obviously, in this 40th anniversary year, it is a source of great excitement, and a cause for much speculation. But with 2 years to go before any episodes appear on screen, I'm afraid the cynic in me feels the Beeb may just be trying to raise awareness of the show to cash in on a certain 900 yr old's birthday....

Lets face it, its a huge gap between an announcement, and any actual product for the world of TV. Normally, announcements don't get made until a project at least enters pre-production: a cast is waiting, crew assigned, locations are being sought, and scripts finalised. This is normally no more than a year prior to transmission, even for the most ambitious costume drama.

I am also wary that from about 1991, we kept hearing rumours of the 30th Anniversary story - The Dark Dimensions. We knew that a script was written (more than is currently true of Who2K5), cast approached, crew assembled, etc. And what did we get? 10 minutes of substandard, 3d, nonsense. By all accounts, it was a blessing in disguise that Dark Dimensions never happened, but even then, season 27 was long overdue!

Between now and 2005, anything could happen - Davies could be wooed away to work on something else; the BBC could undergo another of its "restructuring" exercises, leaving Who-friendly executives out in the cold again; someone may write a pilot for a new SF show that blows the minds of the commissioning bods to the same extent as Sidney Newman's idea did 40 years ago.

I'd like to believe in Who2K5, I really would. But then I used to like believing in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and Leprechauns. I have a terrible feeling that somewhere down the line, interest will dwindle from the non-Who community, and this new Doctor will be able to slip quietly through the door at TV Centre marked "Dormant Formats". Until I see new Who on my screen, I'm going to have to rely on my good solid hope.....

This article was written in late 2003, shortly after the announcement that Doctor Who would return in 2005. Of course, my fears were unfounded, and what transpired was nothing short of FANTASTIC!