Chibnall continues to do far more than his share of the writing, but manages a thing that hasn't happened for a while: an end-of-year special with an actual story, rather than a sequence of scenes showing off how cool the protagonists are.
The season ends not with a bang but with a "to be continued". And that's not a bad thing.
Doctor Who presents: Nightmare in Norway.
You can't go wrong with a good witch hunt.
This episode would like you to know: Amazon is Scary.
What a difference a new writer makes! Yes, this episode's not perfect, but it mostly gives the cast something to do, it uses the setting for more than mere background prettiness, and it has an alien menace that's resolved by talking rather than fighting.
Chibnall writes one more time. And he writes an awfully generic "something nasty on the spaceship" story, which I suppose is another way of saving your creative energy for something you find more interesting while still getting paid for the job you're half-arsing.
Chibnall writes yet again. He's sole scriptwriter on four of the first five episodes (and of course the season finale), and co-writer on the fifth. And he's supposedly controlling the overall direction of the show. It's too much for one person to do well on a TV production schedule.
Chibnall writes again (though this time with a co-author), but with a very different emphasis.
Last week's opening episode was distinctly better than I'd expected, though very far from perfect. Can Chibnall (writing again) keep up the quality in a "regular" series episode?
I gave up on watching Doctor Who around series 6 of the new iteration, in exasperation at Steven Moffat going on and on and on doing the same old things. Now he's finally left, so I gave it another try.
As always, spoilers abound.
As always, spoilers abound. See Wikipedia for production details
The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy Ace - Sophie Aldred
The show stayed on Wednesday evenings against Coronation Street, and the first episode of this series got the lowest ratings of any Who episode ever.
The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy Mel Bush - Bonnie Langford Ace - Sophie Aldred
The Doctor - Colin Baker Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant Mel Bush - Bonnie Langford
The Doctor - Colin Baker Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant
I haven't given up!
The Doctor - Peter Davison The Doctor - Colin Baker Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding Vislor Turlough - Mark Strickson Kamelion - Gerald Flood and Dallas Adams Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant
The Doctor - Peter Davison Nyssa - Sarah Sutton Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding Vislor Turlough - Mark Strickson Kamelion - Gerald Flood
The Doctor - Peter Davison Adric - Matthew Waterhouse Nyssa - Sarah Sutton Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding
Doctor Who - Tom Baker Doctor Who - Peter Davison (briefly) Romana - Lalla Ward K-9 (voice) - John Leeson Adric - Matthew Waterhouse Nyssa - Sarah Sutton Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding
Doctor Who - Tom Baker Romana - Lalla Ward K-9 (voice) - David Brierly
Doctor Who - Tom Baker Romana I - Mary Tamm K-9 (voice) - John Leeson
Andrew Rilstone recounts his reactions to the 2005 revival of Doctor Who.
Doctor Who - Tom Baker Leela - Louise Jameson K-9 (voice) - John Leeson
Doctor Who - Tom Baker Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen Leela - Louise Jameson
Doctor Who - Tom Baker Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
Doctor Who - Jon Pertwee Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
Doctor Who - Jon Pertwee Jo Grant - Katy Manning
(First written in January 2014)
Doctor Who - Jon Pertwee Liz Shaw - Caroline John
(First written in December 2013)
Doctor Who - Patrick Troughton Jamie McCrimmon - Frazer Hines Zoe Heriot - Wendy Padbury
(First written in June 2013)
Doctor Who (sic) - Patrick Troughton Jamie McCrimmon - Frazer Hines Victoria Waterfield - Deborah Watling Zoe Heriot - Wendy Padbury
(First written in November 2012)
As before, spoilers abound. See Wikipedia for production details
Doctor Who (sic) - William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton Ben Jackson - Michael Craze Polly - Anneke Wills Jamie McCrimmon - Frazer Hines Victoria Waterfield - Deborah Watling
(First written in April 2012)
Doctor Who (sic) - William Hartnell Vicki - Maureen O'Brien Steven Taylor - Peter Purves Katarina - Adrienne Hill Sara Kingdom - Jean Marsh Dodo Chaplet - Jackie Lane Ben Jackson - Michael Craze Polly - Anneke Wills
(First written in February 2012)
Doctor Who (sic) - William Hartnell Susan Foreman - Carole Ann Ford Barbara Wright - Jacqueline Hill Ian Chesterton - William Russell Vicki - Maureen O'Brien
(First written in December 2011)
I've recently started watching Doctor Who from the beginning. I've seen occasional episodes and stories here and there (e.g. back when I had a television and the BBC would do anniversary specials), but my experience as a regular viewer starts towards the end of the Sarah Jane Smith era.
I'm not going to worry about listing alternative titles or any of that guff. See Wikipedia for that. I am interested primarily in the progress and development of the show as a show rather than in constructing complex fanwank explanations for why decisions that were made differently the second time they came up, or dodgy effects shots, aren't really mistakes.
So here are my thoughts on re-watching the first series... spoilers abound, obviously.