Private Eye On Who Problems

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

The current issue of Private Eye has summed up the recent disasters faced by the Who production team of late.

The issue, dated  14th- 27th June, politely notes several ‘balls ups’ that have marred recent Doctor Who, most notably the memo sent out to the BBC’s commercial branch and some external licensees that (oops!) announced that Matt Smith, the Eleventh Doctor, has quit the show. It goes on to explain that while the broadcaster put a day-long embargo on the terrible news, it leaked on Twitter early (at about 10pm, instead of the expected midnight announcement), mainly thanks to The Daily Mail’s annoying effort on their front page.

Yes, it’s not been great for Moffat and co., who also suffered from the Series 7 Part 2 DVD, featuring the then-unaired finale, The Name of the Doctor, being sent out to nearly 300 customers a week or so early. The finale was so secret, even preview copies were cut short to keep the internet free of spoilers.

Most fans were very good and behaved admirably. Steven Moffat even applauded them.

However, John Hurt revealed a spoiler too, as Private Eye notes:

“…to his local paper, the Eastern Daily Press, while publicising, er, the revamp of Sheringham Little Theatre’s Film Club.”

The magazine, edited by Have I Got News For You…?’s Ian Hislop, sadly mentions that (and this will hurt, Whovians):

“This will mean that between January 2012 and June 2014, when under Doctor Who’s previously-accustomed schedule 41 episodes would have been broadcast, the BBC will actually put out a grand total of 16.”

You can read the full article and thus cry yourself to sleep here, or pick up the latest issue before 25th June. But look on the bright side: we might not have got so many episodes recently, but what we have got – including Asylum of the Daleks, Hide and The Crimson Horror – have been top quality.

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