Post by Mark Senior on Dec 11, 2007 19:07:50 GMT -5
I think the economic aspect might be against you on this one. and if it's hard enough to produce 14 episodes a year where will they get the time to do more? I know US shows knock out 20-25 episodes a season but they don't usually have one major character, unless you think you can put up with an episode or two every year where Rose, Martha et al tangle with the aliens while the Doctor is otherwise engaged, and Donna and Micky get a few episodes to themselves and then vice versa, the Doctor goes companionless for a few weeks.
While I agree that the spin-offs are generally good, what would make decent TV? In the 9th Doctor novels I would have happily conceded The Clockwise Man to you, and from the 10th Doctor I could see Sting of the Zygons, Forever Autumn and maybe Wooden Heart as translating well, but not many others. (Okay, Sarah Jane's Warriors of Kudlak owed a lot to Winner Take All in the 9th Doctor range, but it wasn't that good was it?) They are good because they are books but that's a different kind of storytelling. Same with the audios, I think. There's a lot of creativity at work in them (and the Short Trips stories are brimming with excellent ideas) but what would transfer to big bright Saturday evening television?
I know this thread is about creativity but I think the show's future depends as much on effects, humour, credible monsters and a good Doctor as on stories. Ask the target audience of 8-12 year olds (or whatever it is) what happened in an episode and they'll tell you. Ask them 'Why?' and they're stumped.
Me, I'd keep David Tennant on for the next five years, team him up with Sally Sparrow and knock out thirteen or fourteen single story episodes every season with no arc or catchphrase. Two or three classic enemies every year would be fine, but a historical episode with no aliens whatsoever would be good, too. But then there's people who, if they read that, would say it would be the death of the show. There isn't much wrong with it that not having the Daleks back until 2012 wouldn't fix.
While I agree that the spin-offs are generally good, what would make decent TV? In the 9th Doctor novels I would have happily conceded The Clockwise Man to you, and from the 10th Doctor I could see Sting of the Zygons, Forever Autumn and maybe Wooden Heart as translating well, but not many others. (Okay, Sarah Jane's Warriors of Kudlak owed a lot to Winner Take All in the 9th Doctor range, but it wasn't that good was it?) They are good because they are books but that's a different kind of storytelling. Same with the audios, I think. There's a lot of creativity at work in them (and the Short Trips stories are brimming with excellent ideas) but what would transfer to big bright Saturday evening television?
I know this thread is about creativity but I think the show's future depends as much on effects, humour, credible monsters and a good Doctor as on stories. Ask the target audience of 8-12 year olds (or whatever it is) what happened in an episode and they'll tell you. Ask them 'Why?' and they're stumped.
Me, I'd keep David Tennant on for the next five years, team him up with Sally Sparrow and knock out thirteen or fourteen single story episodes every season with no arc or catchphrase. Two or three classic enemies every year would be fine, but a historical episode with no aliens whatsoever would be good, too. But then there's people who, if they read that, would say it would be the death of the show. There isn't much wrong with it that not having the Daleks back until 2012 wouldn't fix.