…being on Disney Plus now, this is a very deliberate choice to bring back an old BBC enemy – we’ve even cast the same actor [Gabriel Woolf] – to prove that the show hasn’t severed its roots. To delve into your backstory is a very fine thing. That’s thrilling for new viewers, and for old viewers it’s a great reward.
Also, you’re guaranteed that the internet will do your work for you. In the old days, you could feasibly have said, ‘Will people know who Sutekh is?’ Now, it’s on our official site. It’s on our Instagram posts. Type in the word ‘Sutekh’ and there’s an entire Wikipedia article, full of the history.
I get the sense of national angst that corporate US entertainment might sink its teeth into something so quintessentially British, but I think even Disney understands the lay of the media landscape well enough not to retread the mistakes of the TV movie…
I will admit that RTD’s admission that Disney has provided story notes was a bit of a surprise, but I haven’t seen much cause for concern overall.
And if the deal ends after two seasons, as some have been speculating…the show will endure.
Story notes isn’t such a shock given they’re putting money into a show in production. There will be strings attached to the sort of sums they’re supposed to have invested, and they are investing in a much bigger potential audience than BBC.
I’m more critical of the way the extra money were spent. Comparing the latest season to “Flux” and “Power of the Doctor”, the earlier effects were good enough for my eyeballs. If we could have had a 12 episode season with that level of visuals, I’d’ve taken that option. Maybe the season arc wouldn’t have been so short of breath, either.
I have to agree - the show was pretty gorgeous during the Chibnall era, despite the reportedly smaller budget.
Pulling off space epics with a bit of bubblewrap, that’s a Who tradition 😄
Edit: “a load of painted cargo pallets and a bit of bubblewrap”. Let’s be fair.