Doctor Who IV - Everything Whovian - Would you like a jelly baby?

[FFJamie94]

I read somewhere that Grant Morrison has some Doctor Who ideas and that's what I've wanted to see since.
I know they won't get it, but I can dream.

[ChrisIII]

Grant used to do some of the comics back in the day. I think he's best known for "The World Shapers" which was his attempt at a Cybermen origin story (In this case, turns out they used to be the Voord from Keys of Marinus).

[Vic Vega]

I read somewhere that Grant Morrison has some Doctor Who ideas and that's what I've wanted to see since.
I know they won't get it, but I can dream.

It's possible.

After all Neil Gaiman wrote two episodes of Who (Tennant Era).

[Somecrazyaussie]

No non-British writer has ever written for this show, right?

They have. Anthony Coburn who wrote A Unearthly Child was Australian. Sarah Dollard too.

[Somecrazyaussie]

No idea how real it is , but someone posted a tweet about J.Michael Straczynski replies he's made contact with BBC about taking over Doctor Who. No idea if its true or not or if he'll get the job. But getting the guy who did Babylon 5 to come in would be a big ...wow...deal.

Joe Hill contacted them years ago and they told him no.

Look, this discussion was floated in a article by Bleeding Cool the other day and it caused a very heated debate on Facebook that got downright petty and nasty. Whereby anyone who said the the show needs a British showrunner to maintain its Britishness was branded a xenophobic (even me apparently and I am Australian mind you, not british) or you were someone trying to tell the British how they should write a show they've been doing on/off for nearly 60 years.

If a person from outside the UK actually had a legit idea for the show (and a proven track record) then they should be considered. However, I don't see it happening for a number of reasons and those are -

1. It's considered a British tradition and cultural touchstone. So there is a sense of wanting to maintain one of the things that endears it to fans - It's britishness. You can study British culture, but your understanding will never be as authentic as if you were born/raised within it.

2. The BBC Charter. The BBC Charter seeks to uphold British culture and share it with the world via its programming. They also strive to make content for the British public, using mostly British talent, funded for by the license fee (which is a tax). This can be amended, but only when the charter comes up for review.

3. The BBC is stringent with its funds. Any showrunner would be working for a modest salary. Chibnall gets around or just under £1 million a year. So unless the outsider is happy with that, they won't make alot.

4. Different ways of making tv and styles of writing. British humour, for example, is understated. American is overstated. It's why most shows end up being adapted when they go states side because they fall flat otherwise. Also, you have to be mindful of writing mostly for the British public first. They pay for the show after all. The fact the rest of us get to enjoy it is just a nice bonus.

Want to know some of the fans from outside the UK reasons for allowing them to handle the show?

1. Both Moffat and Chibnall are from the UK. Since they wrote the show into the ground, the British have proven they don't have what it takes to handled the show.

2. BBC hates sci-fi and can't write it. America, on the other hand, has a proven track record with Sci-fi. This is despite the fact the BBC gave us Doctor Who, Quatermass, Blake's 7, Omega Factor, Stone Tapes, Nightmare Man, Edge Of Darkness, A For Andromeda, countless adaptations such as Tripods, Day Of The Trifeds, Torchwood, Being Human and countless others.

3. The BBC are more likely to try to hire from within the organization itself or employ someone from the UK who lives and works there. Has nothing to do with being xenophobic. If I had a company here in Australia I'd likely look local first before opening up to overseas applications. All nations do it.

4. The British are xenophobic. Okay, some might be. But not all of them. The fact they are protective of Doctor Who is because they consider it theirs. They are proud of it. Now some say that, if they were so protective, why did it get the axe? Well, individuals at the BBC wanted it gone. They were always going to find a way to justify axing it. But it was the public outcry (including people who stopped watching it) that brought it back. Why? Because it had been on for 22 years at that point and had become a mainstay. It would be like if they got rid of Jeopardy! In the US or took Neighbours off here in Australia.

I'll admit, JMS is a interesting proposition. Same as if they had roped Harlan Ellison or Richard Matheson into contributing (those 2 I'd have straight out endorsed). But when put forward alternatives to JMS such as Kurtzman, Orci, Berlanti? Those guys are no better than Chibnall. The only other ones they listed that I could get behind are Vince Gilligan, Jordan Peele or Noah Hawley.

[CosmiComic]

They have. Anthony Coburn who wrote A Unearthly Child was Australian. Sarah Dollard too.

Oh, I wasn't aware of that.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Oh, I wasn't aware of that.

The show has an Australian influence that we are proud of. One of us wrote the opening story/serial, one of us created the theme song, one of us was the longtime series composer.

Would more non-UK writers be a welcome thing? Certainly. Not sure if one of them should be showrunner though. That's just a personal opinion. But, yes, the show has mainly used British writers.

[Nate Grey]

Imagine an alternate reality where Whoopi Goldberg was an incarnation of the Doctor.

Apparently she lobbied for the role and they turned her down.

[ChrisIII]

Quinan did have some Doctor traits here and there.

[BeastieRunner]

Imagine an alternate reality where Whoopi Goldberg was an incarnation of the Doctor.

Apparently she lobbied for the role and they turned her down.

Quinan did have some Doctor traits here and there.

They could've done a Star Trek show with just her and made it like Doctor Who ...

Personally, I enjoyed her WAY more than Q.

[Derek Metaltron]

Going by the Timeless Child setup Guinan, James Bond, Mary Poppins and Ms Frizzle could all be the Doctor now.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Going by the Timeless Child setup Guinan, James Bond, Mary Poppins and Ms Frizzle could all be the Doctor now.

Most WMGs on TVTROPES involves one character being a Time Lord so it fits.

[Deathstroke]

Going by the Timeless Child setup Guinan, James Bond, Mary Poppins and Ms Frizzle could all be the Doctor now.

Please don't give Chibnall any more gawdawful ideas for him to turn into the stories for those three specials next year.

[Nate Grey]

If Ms Frizzle is a Time Lord I'm not sure I'd make her the Doctor. Tardis in a bus configuration automatically reminds me of Iris, though her personality is more River.

[ChrisIII]

Almost finished reading Sophie Aldred's 13th Doctor/Ace novel Childhood's End. While it's a pretty decent novel, I think it sort of retcons/cheapens Fenric by revealing he asked another entity to do the time storm thing for him (I haven't finished the novel yet, but there doesn't seem to be any mention that in SILVER NEMESIS Peinforte and Richard were also "time stormed" (although the serial itself makes it seem like some weird potion it's pretty much implied in Fenric that it wasn't) and don't seem to match the justification used). Then again, I suppose it makes sense-while the trapped Fenric is able to have some influence on the outside world in the serial, using a teleportation/time travel spell is a bit much, otherwise what was the point of trapping him in the first place?