The Divide in New Who: One Era to Another

Guest contributor Zachary Bernstein examines why there is such a showrunner divide.

Change, it seems, is unavoidable. The executives of Doctor Who knew this in 1966 when the decision was made to swap William Hartnell out for Patrick Troughton due to age related issues. Thus another layer was added to a rich and young television series: regeneration. The show has lasted throughout the years because of its unyielding ability to transform itself for a brand new audience and reel in new viewers. Of course, any change has its drawbacks, and many a time these changes push old viewers away.

Division is something I’ve noticed in all of my years as a fan of Who (in my nerdy sphere, we didn’t call ourselves Whovians until the late 00s). Division is also something I see in many other places as well. Politics, Marvel or DC, and of course Matt Smith or David Tennant, are all issues that should bring us together in celebration yet leaves bitter rivalry for many. Why is that? Especially in Doctor Who, which retains much of its original themes, purposes, and plot devices?

Well, to suggest a theory, I think such divides have to do with who is being targeted as an audience. I understand and have seen the divide between Classic Who and New Who, but for the confines of this space I would like to discuss the showrunner divide between Russell T. Davies Era and Moffat Era New Who.

Having never had to stream new episodes of Doctor Who on Netflix, I think that cliffhangers make all the difference. I remember how great it was to wait weeks to see how 10 would have to fight off the Master in Series 3 or perhaps how 11 was going to save the universe from inside the Pandorica in Series 5. As a show about time, the suspense built up from waiting was invaluable, and almost definitely added to the show’s appeal. Having been here almost the whole New Who run through, I’d like to share what I have noticed.

My first moment of Who was seeing Tennant in a pit yelling at the Devil how he believed in his love for Rose and that he would never give in. It’s kind of difficult to not get hooked to something like that. When I found out that there was another man before David Tennant who was the Doctor, I was confused. Baffled by this discovery, I had uncovered a deep rooted past for the show, and discovered that David Tennant was the 10th man in a long lineage to play this character. That’s a lot to take in, but it opened up a lot of possibilities.

There was a huge delay between the air date on BBC One and BBC America, so much so that when The Next Doctor 2008 Christmas Special premiered, it didn’t come over to BBC America until spring 2009. I uncovered spoilers beforehand unfortunately, but I digress. At the time, Doctor Who was still a British phenomenon, as opposed to a global one. The graphics were much more humble, the cinematography was unique, yet it honored the traditional style. Everyone knew the sets were fake, but that didn’t matter because the stories were so good and true that I was transported to worlds great and far. The heroism and deep themes of the show were incredibly rich and even priceless.

Yet I knew the time would come when Ten would no longer be the Doctor, and boy-oh-boy was I sad when The End of Time came and went. But I assure you my smile was ear to ear when I first saw Matt Smith freaking out about his new legs.

In the Eleventh Hour, I witnessed a total reinvention of the show. New feel, new graphics, younger actors, fairytale likeliness, new intro theme, and the works. When Matt Smith’s Doctor was talking about Twitter and Facebook I realized the show was being geared to a new generation. And here is where the division unfolds.

Unfortunately, many times it seems it’s one or the other in terms of social divisions. Matt Smith was many (current) Whovian’s first Doctor. There is a special bond formed in memory when that happens. Anything against the idea that the original couldn’t be special to someone else, is threatening. Even now, into Capaldi’s term, I see division amongst my fellow Whovians.

This is understandable, but here is the message. I have seen the show transform at least three times in my viewership, and it was for the sake of keeping the show alive. When Matt Smith came into the fray, the appeal of this British program exploded across the globe and culminated in a massive 50th anniversary celebration which broke Guinness World records. That is no small feat. Moffat’s plan was undoubtedly to bring in the current generation, whose support of the show has taken it further in fewer years than its entire existence.

Of course, this alienated many viewers who enjoyed the darker and even morbid RTD years with Christopher Eccleston through Torchwood. It was so cool seeing how they tied into each other with guest appearances and all. Good times. Anyway, the show moved towards drama and character development as opposed to a dichotomy of good and evil. Instead of a ‘big boss’ at the end of each season, Matt Smith’s tenure was defined by how the Doctor himself was challenged by his own nature. Pretty original concept, and we could argue on how successfully that was executed, but that’s for another day.

The main point is this: Doctor Who’s target audience changed. All changes are inevitable, but that doesn’t mean they are easy. Everyone is entitled to their interests, and whether they stay to watch the show or not is entirely up to them. For the sake of quality and rich storytelling, I have stayed. I do not regret that decision at all. I have been taken on incredible journeys which have challenged my imagination since David Tennant left. It wasn’t an easy change, but it happened and I worked through it.

Now there is frequent talk of a female Doctor, and yet another divide will be made. All I can hope is that through all these changes is that Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert are looking upon all of this progress and are smiling in satisfaction, telling us that whatever form the show takes, it is still true to its roots.