# R.I.P. Doctor Who, thanks for a fun 20 year ride **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [June 18, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001 "2026-06-18T14:43:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/1 "2026-06-18T14:43:31Z")
I quit watching _Doctor Who_ regularly after Matt Smith. I watched Peter Capaldi occasionally when Clara’s story was prominent. I salute the hard-core fans that watched all the way to the end. Nothing is final in television. The BBC is uh, seeking a new production company. The Doctor _might be back_ in five years. Didn’t the BBC say something similar after the Seventh Doctor, Peter McCoy ended the series in 1989? I think the show needs a rest. Wait ten or 15 years and reintroduce the character to a new generation of young fans. That strategy worked before. > **[Cancelled Doctor Who Episode Would Have Become 'Christmas-Shaped Bomb' For...](https://www.ign.com/articles/doctor-who-cancellation-avoided-episode-becoming-christmas-shaped-bomb-for-shows-future-insider-says)** > > The shock cancellation of Doctor Who's upcoming one-off special has been described as necessary to avoid the episode becoming a "Christmas-shaped bomb" in plans to secure the series' future. > [@](#): > > Finally, last week, the BBC stated that it was putting Doctor Who out to tender — a process in which it seeks pitches from other production companies, including its own commercially-funded arm BBC Studios, to carry the show forward. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/2 "2026-06-18T14:52:18Z")
The last Doctor was probably the worst Doctor of them all. But the show has been running down since the end of the David Tennant run. So I guess the rumors of Billie Piper being the next Doctor are done. That was interesting enough where I was planning to watch it. It needs to either go away again for a while or find someone that can really revive the show. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/3 "2026-06-18T14:59:44Z")
I forgot to post this link. > **['You'd Have to Be Mad': After Doctor Who's Disney Departure and Christmas...](https://www.ign.com/articles/doctor-who-likely-now-off-air-for-years-as-report-suggests-production-companies-cautious-about-continuing-series)** > > Doctor Who is unlikely to return on-screen for up to five years, a new report has suggested. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/4 "2026-06-18T15:06:53Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Seventh Doctor, Peter McCoy Sylvester McCoy. I did continue watching Doctor Who all the way to the end of Gatwa’s run, although with less enthusiasm than I had previously. There were several developments over the years that I had not cared for (not just the so-called “woke” stuff that internet trolls love to complain about). Frankly as far back as Matt Smith’s time I started to see some cracks. I was never terribly fond of the ongoing River Song storyline, and especially the strained pun that was the “explanation” of her name (River Song = Melody Pond, get it?). I also didn’t care for the treatment of the Doctor as this godlike being that every planet in the universe knew and feared. He was better in the old days when he was just this guy wandering through time and space, fixing things when he could and fighting evil when he found it. I didn’t hate Jodie Whittaker as much as many people seemed to, but some of her stories left a lot to be desired. The whole “Timeless Child” thing was a mess, and its follow-up “The Flux” wasn’t much better. So I suppose it’s time for another Wilderness Years. Will it come back? Should it come back? I don’t know. No TV show lasts forever, after all, and if nobody has any good ideas for it, I don’t want to see it revived “just because.” I am sad that it won’t get a proper finale episode. Because I’ve always said that I want the very last episode to officially establish that the character’s surname is in fact “Who.” Just for the amount of fanboy rage it would generate. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/5 "2026-06-18T15:11:41Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Frankly as far back as Matt Smith’s time I started to see some cracks. [![](https://i.ibb.co/ZRLPTdhW/Byzantium-crack.webp) ](https://i.ibb.co/ZRLPTdhW/Byzantium-crack.webp) ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/6 "2026-06-18T15:13:57Z")
The show peaked in the David Tennant era, and I personally gave up interest during the Capaldi series. I agree with MrAtoZ, the characterization of the Doctor got ridiculous in the later years. Give it a rest for a decade or so, and then revive it with new writers who will have some fresh ideas. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/7 "2026-06-18T15:16:37Z")
I always preferred Doctor Who when it was just joyous fun and adventures. There was always some bad situation or villian that had to be confronted and then the next episode was a new adventure. David Tennant Doctor got fairly dark in the final episodes. Matt Smith started very upbeat and fun. But his last season got really depressing. I know they were signaling the end and a new regeneration. But, it’s the fun episodes that I rewatch on streaming. There were some very dark moments for the characters. Remember _The Girl Who Waited_, when Amy Pond was left stranded on a dangerous planet for decades? She had to fight for survival every day until The Doctor finally returns with the Tardis. Rory suffered a similar fate in _The Lone Centurion_. Rory was left behind as a Roman Soldier guarding the Pandorica and protecting Amy Pond. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/8 "2026-06-18T15:21:50Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > There were some very dark moments for the characters. Yeah, that was another thing I didn’t like in those years. I want to look forward to the next episode thinking “What exciting new adventure awaits them this time?”, rather than “What’s the next horrible thing that will happen to these poor people?” ---
**Author:** ![Allecher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a6a055/32.png) [@Allecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Allecher)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/9 "2026-06-18T15:32:58Z")
At first I was blaming each new actor for my lack of interest and wondering if I am one of “those” people who cannot accept change. But I’ve decided that Smith, Capaldi, Whittaker, and Gatwa are all fine actors - it was the writing that was the problem. I agree that it has been missing its sense of fun. And while I think the story lines have always had social commentary, I think a better writer could have made it more engaging to avoid the label of “woke”. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/10 "2026-06-18T15:41:31Z")
I don’t agree with IGN. A 2026 Christmas special could easily be done as a one off adventure. It wouldn’t have any impact on a new show that comes out in a few years. I would have enjoyed seeing Matt Smith, Amy Pond, and Rory again. Time travel means we can always see The Doctor at different periods of time. The hard part is convincing the actors to revive their old roles. David Tennant was very good when he returned. Even though the writing wasn’t quite as good. I guess David’s Tenth Doctor, 15-episode audio series is still planned? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/11 "2026-06-18T16:17:45Z")
Fair enough to give it a rest again. And come to think of it, it’s sort of on brand that again it just kind of stops. Leave us with Billie smiling from the TARDIS door and some time in the mid-2030s start again with someone new having to give exposition about what happened in between. Some times you just have to step back and think, what is it we want with this property? If you can’t answer, pause. I tend to agree that they were increasingly writing themselves into corners and doing a disservice to good actors and potentially great characters. It had been already for a good while suffered from the Superman Problem - having the stakes constantly escalating because you always have to go above whatever was the last threat. But when you keep escalating it gets harder to relate. There was also the matter mentioned of some companions getting some really raw deals, and others becoming somehow cosmically critical themselves (hi there Clara); and of course the matter of revisionism of the lore (Timeless Child, anyone?). So, let it rest and let someone come up with something good and fresh and if it means another direction let it be another direction, it already happened before. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/12 "2026-06-18T17:02:45Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Doctor Who It basically ran for 20 years straight, which is a fantastic run for any TV series, and it’s time to let it regenerate, in the parlance of the show. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/13 "2026-06-18T17:10:26Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I always preferred Doctor Who when it was just joyous fun and adventures. That’s what I didn’t like about the Whitaker era; it wasn’t fun. The first episode was literally and figuratively dark and depressing (took place mostly at night and two companions’ loved one was killed). That was followed up with episodes about Rosa Parks and the partition of India. And it seemed like they didn’t want 13 to be funny. When she was it always seemed to go by quickly, as if it was meant to be missed (not that it had to be the in your face style of 11.) ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/14 "2026-06-18T17:50:43Z")
> [@bump](#): > > It basically ran for 20 years straight, which is a fantastic run for any TV series Now look here, you youngster! **I watched the first episode of Doctor Who on Nov 23, 1963**. 🧐 🕶 Doctor Who ran from 1963 until 1989, then resumed in 2005 onwards. > [@Allecher](#): > > But I’ve decided that Smith, Capaldi, Whittaker, and Gatwa are all fine actors - it was the writing that was the problem Yes, sadly I have to agree. Ah for the happy days when Tom Baker was the Doctor … (only rivalled in my opinion by David Tennant and John Hurt.) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/15 "2026-06-18T17:53:09Z")
The first Doctor Who episode was first shown on British television the day after the assassination of President Kennedy. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/16 "2026-06-18T17:59:02Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Doctor Who ran from 1963 until 1989, then resumed in 2005 onwards Yeah, I was going to ask, Twenty years? pish tush! The show is almost as old as I am. I remember when Tom Baker and his scarf was the new big thing. I think people hated him, too. I remember the three doctors episode. (when that’s all there were) ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/17 "2026-06-18T18:15:15Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The show is almost as old as I am. I remember when Tom Baker and his scarf was the new big thing. I reckon you can tell how old folk are by who their first Doctor was! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/18 "2026-06-18T18:40:17Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Doctor Who ran from 1963 until 1989, then resumed in 2005 onwards. Yes yes, but the new era from 2005 til now is really _such_ a different show. Yes it’s a continuation but the times I’ve tried to watch classic episodes they just feel **so** different and cheesy that I couldn’t get through even one. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/19 "2026-06-18T18:54:44Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Now look here, you youngster! > **I watched the first episode of Doctor Who on Nov 23, 1963**. 🧐 🕶 > > Doctor Who ran from 1963 until 1989, then resumed in 2005 onwards. Sorry- I meant this last run was nearly 20 years straight. From the Ninth Doctor onward. That’s a heck of a continuous run of TV for any show. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001/20 "2026-06-18T19:06:31Z")
> [@glee](#): > > John Hurt Jon Pertwee. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-doctor-who-thanks-for-a-fun-20-year-ride/1031001.md?page=2)