BBC responds to Doctor Who spilt season criticisms

The BBC has responded to complaints from fans of Doctor Who regarding the decision to split transmission of series 7 in two and its plans for the forthcoming 50th anniversary.

It would seem as though the old saying “all good things come to those that wait” doesn’t apply to Doctor Who fans. The BBC sci-fi series will return at Easter for the remainder of its series 7 episodes but its fans are unhappy with fact that the season has been spilt into two.

The sixth season of Doctor Who was similar split with a hiatus over the Summer months but the seventh season has had a slightly longer hiatus with only the recent festive special, The Snowmen, to keep fans going in the mean time.

The BBC complaints department has responded to the criticisms over the spilt in transmission. A response from the department reads “Thanks for your contact regarding Doctor Who broadcast on BBC One. I understand that you are feel there are insufficient programmes planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the series. I also note that you are unhappy with the way in which series 7 has been split into two parts…. Whilst I appreciate your concerns, we haven’t announced what we have planned to mark the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who yet, but we would like to assure you that fans won’t be disappointed.  Additionally, please note that the decision to schedule series 7 in two parts was a creative one and we’re sorry you are unhappy about this”

As the response from the complaints department notes some fans are also unhappy about the BBC’s plans to mark the 50th anniversary. Although details on the exact plans are mostly unknown it is thought there will be just one special episode, running at 60 minutes, to mark the occasion.

That special is in addition to the BBC Two drama An Adventure in Space and Time which will chart the genesis of Doctor Who and its early years on television. The special drama, written by Mark Gatiss, will star David Bradley as William Hartnell and Jessica Raine as producer Verity Lambert.

Fans are holding out hope for a “multi-doctor” story to mark the 50th anniversary in line with previous anniversary specials The Three Doctors (10th) and The Five Doctors (20th). All the remaining Doctor Who actors still alive have stated they are open to returning for the occasion apart from Christopher Eccleston. John Barrowman has also repeatedly stated his willingness to return but Freema Agyeman and Billie Piper have both separately ruled out returning.

[Written by Dominic Knight, source: Doctor Who TV]