Doctor Who - Season 12

This looks a vast improvement on last year:

I have no complaints about Whittaker's first series. Loved it. Don't understand all the negativity it got.

I think at worst it can be described middling. It wasn't the best series but it wasn't the worst either. It was refreshing to see a different approach, even if it didn't quite fire on all cylinders. That is a great trailer though and looks like a big step up with a return to the old formula.

The one thing you could certainly say about series 11 without causing a war on the internet is that it was a stark contrast to previous series, which is what was needed. But for me personally there were only two, maybe three episodes that I liked (The Women Who Fell To Earth, Kerblam! and Rosa at a pinch). It wasn't outright vomit-inducingly bad with the exception of episode 5; the potential and bare bones were there but I did find it a bit on the dull side overall, and at times the writing seemed to rely too much on exposition and coincidence, with signs of poor planning at times - in episode 4, the Doctor claims to love a good conspiracy, only to say the exact opposite in episode 7, implying that the script editors and writers' room hadn't properly thought the character through. I suppose it's only to be expected though when you've been watching a show for a decade that you'll compare more recent episodes negatively to what has come before.

More importantly, this trailer does seem to hint at an improvement. An apparent plot arc, a darker tone, more interesting villains and nods to the show's past, and everyone feels as though they're settling into their roles and characters and finding their feet. Let's see where this takes us...

There we go - my first post on this forum. Done. Expecting the second forum post syndrome to kick in momentarily.

While I enjoyed series eleven more than a lot of other viewers, I can see why some people weren't too keen. There was a lot of change. Female Doctor, three companions, all new 'monsters' which no mention of the 'old favourites'... Though I do think there were a lot of positives to draw on, especially the storytelling becoming a lot less dark and a lot more easy to watch. I found some of Moffat's series to be more like some kind of dark gritty thriller you'd find on Netflix, and with plots incomprehensible to me, let alone the hoards of children who watch the show. I definitely think we're moving in the right direction.

The trouble Doctor Who has is it either has to appeal to fans or to the wider viewing audience. As a non-fan it appears that the more the fans like a series, the less the series appeals to a wider audience and frankly the last couple of Peter Capaldi series had ratings which could have justified a decision to swing the axe.

Jodie Whitaker arriving obviously gave the series a publicity boost if nothing else, and IMO the Sunday slot makes alot more sense than airing it on Saturdays (is it airing on Sundays in the New Year?). As a non-fan I only watched the Rosa episode I think, which was excellent, and I think they were right to reset the series by doing more than just recasting the Doctor again.

I'm guessing there is no Christmas special this year again, certainly not on Christmas Day anyway, which probably helped rather than hinders the series. I'd be surprised though if the series didn't get a New Years Day premiere - as with Sherlock it's an easy way for BBC1 to put something "special" on NYD when in fact it's just the first episode of a series.

There are sources who say the first episode will air on New Year's Day - I have also heard that the broadcaster in New Zealand who air the show there have also said that the following episode 2 the day after UK transmission, meaning it will air on Sunday 5th January 2020, so this would mean UK transmission has returned to Saturday nights. Please note, this is coming from a source, and I can not verify all of what he said. If I can get details from him and where he got it, I will.

I must admit although it obviously makes a lot more sense to air it on Sundays, I do personally kind of miss Doctor Who airing on Saturday nights (though that early time of year is often good for ratings anyway). I guess it also depends on whether they want to go for Saturday Night Entertainment or Sunday Night Drama this series.

I count myself as a fan of series 11 (certainly compared to some) and in fact it got me back into the series due to the relative simplicity compared to the complex Moffat storylines. However it still fell flat in lots of places and I understand the criticisms from long term fans. This new trailer seems to be a huge improvement in terms of reviving old monsters, reintroducing story arcs etc.

I notice they're still not committing to New Years Day. I wonder if the reason for the hesitation is the viewing figures of the 2019 NYD special, which were the lowest of the series.

DW is on the Xmas programming guide. If it starts even on January 1st it shouldn't be, as the Christmas pres will be off air. Brought forward to the middle weekend?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/xmas19tv

Unless the New Year's Day Concert and the Archbishop of Canterbury's New Year Message are also not going to be on 1st January, I'm not sure how you've come to the conclusion New Year's Day isn't Christmas.

Not quite the lowest. It beat the previous two episodes.