What we're getting next year episode wise

[Si Hunt]

So DWM seems to confirm:

- the last half of this years series has finished shooting
- it will air in April
- from April they will then shoot the Anniversary Special, singular

So I guess they only have one episode to shoot this year, unless they film another full series for broadcast either from the Autumn, or in 2014, or half 2013 half 2014 again?

Si.

[Si Hunt]

I've ignored the 2013 Christmas Special, unless it and the Anniversary Special are one and the same!

Si.

[Dino]

Maybe we'll get more and more repeats of the classic series to compensate?

[Anthony Williams]

So much for "more, not less". What bullshit.

Doubtlessly, there will be those who try to justify this measly amount. But I think that it's hugely disappointing that in the 50th Anniversary, all we're going to get are 8 episodes, 1 anniversary special and 1 Christmas special. We had more Who in virtually every year since 2005, with the exception of 2009 and 2012.

And I know I'm going to sound like a frightful bore in saying this, but this wouldn't have happened on RTD's watch!

[SiHart]

But, we don't know that for certain. As Si says, there could well be another whole or part season on the way, we just haven't been told. They might be working on the special first to make sure it's done and ready and then they're moving on to making the next season of adventures.

Sometimes we all need to breathe deeply and have a little patience and not jump to conclusions that are based on less than full evidence. This is simply what we know so far

[Si Hunt]

I think its interesting that they will either give us a full season this year (half and half) which would be a tight squeeze production wise, or start Season 8 in Spring 2014 which would make a lie of the "we want to start in the autumn" rationale for the last season break.

Unless we DO only get half a season this year and then the next season is split in two halves in 2014!

Si.

[Anthony Williams]

I think the excuses are getting weaker and weaker. I'd just rather be told the truth at this stage. "We're making as much as the budget allows" or "The Moff just doesn't write as prolifically as RTD" or whatever.

Ultimately, I think it's very unlikely that we'll see anything else this year. If they're filming the anniversary special first, then it seems unlikely that we're getting anything other than 7b before the anniversary. It also seems unlikely that they'll try and cram in 4 or 5 episodes between that and Christmas, particularly since they like to really hype up the Christmas specials. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I have a nasty feeling that that's all we're getting in 2013.

[Perry Vale]

So much for "more, not less". What bullshit.

Has Moffat been challenged/quizzed over this since? I don't really follow any behind the scenes stuff any more, but this seemed so obviously to be a lie at the time!

[Stuart Wallis]

I think the excuses are getting weaker and weaker. I'd just rather be told the truth at this stage. "We're making as much as the budget allows" or "The Moff just doesn't write as prolifically as RTD" or whatever.

It's yet to be established as fact, but that excuse would seem like half-chewed pigswill if it were - I believe there are other writers in the world...

It would be nice to think that there's going to be more than we've been told about, and which hasn't been fully i-dotted and t-crossed yet. To be fair to Little Miss Moffat for a change, at the back of my mind there's Graham Williams' comment that Auntie expected 54 weeks' work in a 52-week year; and in this day and age where time very much resembles money... I truly would like to be optimistic, but I'm not sure we can be, as much as both we and Steven would like to be.

That said, any sort of truth would be nice...

[Si Hunt]

I have to say I don't really get this obsession with us having to have 13 episodes a year. If it's on in the Spring, and in November, and at Christmas, that's enough for me. They arn't stupid - if we could have more, we'd get more. DW wasn't on at all from when I was 12 to when I was 28. I'm just grateful for any, let alone complaining that we are ONLY getting 8 episodes and 2 specials this year!! You've all been spoilt!

Si.

[Larry]

I have to say I don't really get this obsession with us having to have 13 episodes a year. If it's on in the Spring, and in November, and at Christmas, that's enough for me. They arn't stupid - if we could have more, we'd get more. DW wasn't on at all from when I was 12 to when I was 28. I'm just grateful for any, let alone complaining that we are ONLY getting 8 episodes and 2 specials this year!! You've all been spoilt!

Si.

agreed - I would much rather have them cocentrate putting all teir vime and resorces in to making just the anniversarry special so that it an be some thing really memorable.

[Stuart Wallis]

I should really back down on this, since recent episodes haven't been brilliant IMHO.

[Mike Saville]

I'm really not bothered about 14 episodes a year either. Especially when there's so much filler and naffness already. I'd willingly swap it for 4 self contained 90 minute+ stories a year. 1 each quarter, but a bloody good one.

[Si Hunt]

After the Specials Year, I'd be aprehensive about such a prospect Mike!

Si.

[Mike Saville]

I didn't mind that specials season at all. I was already very bored of Tennant by then so was happy to see less of him, I was glad he'd pretty much ditched Donna, and I thought the dark brooding Doctor in Waters on Mars was exceptional.

Far better than having a season of predictability, fillers and an obligatory Dalek story.

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

I have to say I don't really get this obsession with us having to have 13 episodes a year. If it's on in the Spring, and in November, and at Christmas, that's enough for me. They arn't stupid - if we could have more, we'd get more. DW wasn't on at all from when I was 12 to when I was 28. I'm just grateful for any, let alone complaining that we are ONLY getting 8 episodes and 2 specials this year!! You've all been spoilt!

Si.

I agree with this too, although probably for more selfish reasons. With the kids and everything I find it hard to find time to properly watch any of the episodes at the moment. If they increased the number or even went back to 13 episodes on the trott I would have them all backed up on my Sky + box!! I agree also with those would have rather have less other bits and pieces and more good, strong episodes of Doctor Who. I would certainly like the anniversay special (I'm assuming there will be one) to be as good as possible and not to be simply ok because resource has been used/spent on something else.
I disagree with the comment that recent episodes haven't been all that great. I'm generally a classic series fan and so I find the New Series (which I will always watch) a bit hit and miss, however personally I think that 7a and The Snowmen were all quite a bit better than most of what we've had since series one in 2005 - with perhaps the odd exception. Just my view, you understand! I think Matt is very good and if the rest of series 7 is in the same vein I will be very happy indeed. It's been a while since we had a new title sequence mid-season!!!

[SiHart]

It's been a while since we had a new title sequence mid-season!!!

Only twice before in fact- for Troughton and Colin!

[Jason Thompson]

And only one of those was not necessitated by a regeneration...

[Mike Saville]

It's really not mid season though is it? However much they want to tell you it is, and however much international markets push the 'midseason break', this is clearly the start of a new season in all but numbers on scripts. After a break of several months, a new companion, new TARDIS and the suggestion old Matt has been cloudsulking for decades since we saw him last, how can it be seen as such? It was a 7 part season last year and what looks like a 7 part season next year.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Yes. I don't know what all the fuss was about back in '86 when people were complaining that the season was halved in length. It was clearly just one season spread over two years with a change of Doctor in the middle

[Si Hunt]

You can't really use changes in cast or title sequence to indicate a new season. It was MADE as one season (it's all finished) so surely it is one season? Also they say it is, and they decide.

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

It is only an arbitrary label, but I'm with Mike really - if they show 6 episodes this year, and then 7 sometime next year, I would think it more natural to say they'd filmed two seasons back to back, rather than one long one which they've shown in two. (As a comparison, is The Lord of the Rings three films, or one long film split into three?)

If it were a case that we're getting the second half of 'season 7' next year, plus the first half dozen episodes of a season 8, with the balance of 'season 8' in 2014 then I'd probably view it differently (I think most US shows have a mid-season break don't they, as routine?) but I don't think we are getting that. So unless 'season' now means 'batch of episodes to be shown over two years' I'm not convinced - I know they're labelling it as all season 7, but that IS just a label. Two years ago they were wittering on about calling season 5 season 1, so I'm not sure numbers are really Cardiff's strong point at the moment!

[Perry Vale]

It is only an arbitrary label, but I'm with Mike really -

Me too, I was going to say something along those lines, but you've both put it as well as I could. And I'd imagine to the vast majority of the viewing public, they won't be seeing next year's episodes as part of this year - they'll see it as a new series.

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

The Series 7 boxed set will sort this one out once and for all!
To be honest I don't suppose it's all that important really. Certainly the casual viewer will not know or care probably.
Having said that Si is right in that the series is labeled however the BBC wish to label it - whether the public chooses to accept that or not is another matter!

We are still on series (or is it season) 5 of the Planet Skaro audios aren't we? We've recently had a new Doctor and new title music but there have been gaps and the series appears to split over more than one year - I'm confused!!! - sorry, couldn't resist!!!!

[J.R. Southall]

Just one thing, though: are they not filming anything at all between now and April? Because I was under the impression that they were back to work in January (I'd heard rumblings of an almost two-year sustained recording schedule with very little in the way of breaks - a couple of weeks or so for Christmas and precious little else), and if that's the case, then it leads me to surmise two things:

1. The reason they've been able to pinpoint April as filming for the anniversary special itself is because that's when they were able to organise the resources for it; in other words, during the general run of a production, they engage actors who are available for the episodes they are filming, rather than filming the episodes around the actors' availability. This leads me to suspect that the actors they are engaging for the anniversary special are ones particular to the special rather than the most appropriate (and affordable!) ones available. (Ex-Doctors, in other words...)

And 2. If there's to be two-and-a-half months to three months filming before the anniversary special commences production, then it's not unlikely that there would be a run of three or four episodes leading up to the anniversary special itself. If filming continues on for several months after the anniversary special wraps, it's not entirely impossible that there might also be further episodes on the Saturdays between the 23rd of November and Christmas.

Of course, I might very well be wrong about this and they might well be on a break now until April, but if filming does recommence before then, we will at least be fairly sure that one 90-minute special isn't all we are getting during the rest of the year.

This filming is, insofar as I can make out, appended to Series 7 rather than being the beginning of work on Series 8, so it's likely that it would be regarded in terms of "documentation" as something akin to the Specials Year, standing outside of the normal run of Series scheduling and box sets.