No Who series in 2016, and Moffat quits to be replaced by Chris Chibnall

[Jim_Campbell]

I've never understood "viewing figures" as a rationale for any BBC shows

Those who want to dismantle (sorry, 'reform') the BBC love viewing figures. If a show has low ratings, the BBC is wasting license-payers' money on elitist nonsense that no one is watching, if it has high ratings, it's a dumbed-down populist appeal to the mass market which has no place on a public broadcaster's network.

Remember that whatever your opinion of the BBC, the push to reform, shrink, privatise, or otherwise diminish the BBC originates almost entirely from the Murdoch empire — the subscription TV market has more or less fallen into equilibrium and the only way they can see their market share growing is to take it away from the BBC.

Free-to-air, ad-supported TV will be dead in a generation and that will only leave subscription models. For all that I can agree that is wrong with the BBC, if the choice is between the BBC and Murdoch, I'll take the BBC.

Cheers

Jim

[IndigoPrime]

I wasn't that keen on the last Ideal series, which seemed weirdly limited and overly dark, but then it was made under extreme limitations regarding budget. What irked, though, was the team being given no indication whatsoever that the show was on the chopping block. Had that been the case, the narratives would have been wrapped up, rather than the series ending for good with a ton of unresolved plot threads.

As for viewing figures, Jim nails it. Look back over the past few governments and you see this cycle:

Politicians complain BBC isn't popular enough
BBC rumbles into action and gradually creates more popular shows
Politicians complain BBC is too populist and not making enough niche content
BBC rumbles into action and shifts to more niche content
Rinse and repeat

[sheridan]

Holding it back because they've got big events in 2016 like the Olympics is a shit reason, but I think it says a lot about the BBC's (justified) paranoia about this government's plans to destroy them - they want to keep some "big-hitters" in the pipeline as far ahead as possible to make themselves unkillable

Oh no - so not only are we going to get Olympics everywhere, but we're not going to get anything else to watch either?  Damn!

[Hawkmumbler]

How Chibnall will fair as show runner, i'll be reserving judgement. But I for one really enjoyed both 42 and The Power of Three.

But i'm gonna miss Who this year, it's an annual part of my viewing.

[Goaty]

Peter Capaldi will quit in 2017, hope everyone happy?

I like Moffat, as he give great characters and good episodes, his first and 2nd years was the best with the Silence etc.

But later seasons got bit stiff but still some great episodes by Moffat. Good luck with your future, Moffat.

[Hawkmumbler]

Official source Goaty? I thought that was only rumours....

[IndigoPrime]

"Sources." Just guesswork right now.

[Goaty]

And Doctor Who Seasons 1 to 8 leave Netflix next month. What next?

[Professor Bear]

Peter Capaldi will quit in 2017, hope everyone happy?

We're sci-fi fans.  We're never happy.