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Metro
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Doctor Who has fixed a big mistake – but it might be too late
Doctor Who is in a tricky spot right now, and waving their sonic screwdriver around won't save them this time. You see, the Doctor's facing a far deadlier enemy than a devious Dalek or a soulless Cyberman; they've got to battle declining viewership. Yes, sadly, while the reviews for the latest season have been more glowing than a regenerating Time Lord, the show isn't pulling in the viewers like it once did. This new season just hasn't been a ratings hit, having pulled in an average viewership of 2.93 million people (that's including the recent Christmas special). Now, those figures might not seem too bad, but it's a far cry from a few years ago, when it would regularly bring in 4-6 million people. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. So what's gone wrong? Well, as I've previously written, there are two main issues. The first is one of perception. People just don't think the new series is very good, and while there are a few reasons for that ( cough Space Babies cough ), I think it's fair to say it's a bit unfair. I know, Ncuti's had some clunkers – The Devil's Chord, Empire of Death, and Space Babies (of course) immediately spring to mind. Still, every Doctor has a stinky story or two, and for the most part, Ncuti's run has been solid. Were this the only problem, then I think Doctor Who might be able to regenerate from all the bad press, but the second problem is a little more existential. Honestly, the biggest problem is that people just don't watch TV like they used to, and in a world full of AAA TV shows, it's hard for Doctor Who to cut through. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video There's just so much content to watch and catch up on that if you don't make a splash, you're effectively dead in the water. Thankfully, the BBC seems to have finally realised there's a problem and is addressing the issue. It's been confirmed that next week's Season 15 finale isn't going to be unceremoniously dumped on iPlayer at 8am like other episodes. Instead, you're going to have to plonk your bum in front of the idiot's lantern (sorry, couldn't resist) at 7pm and watch it like we did in the good old days. To make things even more exciting, the BBC has also announced that the episode will be shown in UK cinemas. Now, you might not think that's thrilling, but as a fully paid-up TV nerd, it's music to my ears. Doctor Who, after all, should be one of the crown jewels in the BBC Saturday night schedule, along with Strictly. It's appointment viewing, not disposable streaming fodder. And I know that makes me sound pretentious, but you don't see HBO dropping The Last of Us early, do you? No. They make people wait because they know the value of their shows and that audiences will wait for them. By reducing Doctor Who to something to be streamed at your convenience, the BBC has unintentionally diminished the show's importance and prestige. It's the same thing that happened to Marvel movies and other Disney projects during the pandemic. They started releasing stuff on Premier Access, and diluted their brand's power as people started to see these shows and movies as 'just another thing on streaming'. More Trending After all, which of us hasn't seen something exclusive to streaming and thought, 'Oh, I must watch that,' then never got round to it because 'it's on streaming, it can wait.' I'm glad, then, to see Doctor Who restored to its pride of place on a Saturday night, and I just hope it's not too little, too late. Unfortunately, I think this may be a difficult genie to put back in the bottle, or to use a Doctor Who metaphor, tougher than getting a Dalek mutant back in its Mark 3 Travel Machine. View More » The reason I'm so cynical is that audiences are quick learners, and if they've learned that to think of Doctor Who as a streaming show, then it's going to be difficult (even for a Time Lord) to wind back the clock. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Extortionate train fares make it impossible to visit family – so I don't MORE: One bold but brilliant Doctor Who decision just saved the finale MORE: Celebrity Traitors star teases 'friendships went out the window' during filming
Metro
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Doctor Who is fixing its biggest mistake – but it might be too late
Doctor Who is in a tricky spot right now, and waving their sonic screwdriver around won't save them this time. You see, the Doctor's facing a far deadlier enemy than a devious Dalek or a soulless Cyberman; they've got to battle declining viewership. Yes, sadly, while the reviews for the latest season have been more glowing than a regenerating Time Lord, the show isn't pulling in the viewers like it once did. Last week, only 1.58 million people tuned in overnight to watch Lux, and while things were better this week (1.9 million watched the most recent episode, The Well, overnight), it's still below the show's average overnight viewership of around 2 million. Even accounting for consolidated viewing figures (which includes streaming), the show's only getting around 3.5 million viewers, a far cry from a few years ago, where it would regularly bring in 4-6 million people. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. So what's gone wrong? Well, as I've previously written, there are two main issues. The first is one of perception. People just don't think the new series is very good, and while there are a few reasons for that ( cough Space Babies cough ), I think it's fair to say it's a bit unfair. I know, Ncuti's had some clunkers – The Devil's Chord, Empire of Death, and Space Babies (of course) immediately spring to mind. Still, every Doctor has a stinky story or two, and for the most part, Ncuti's run has been solid. Were this the only problem, then I think Doctor Who might be able to regenerate from all the bad press, but the second problem is a little more existential. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Honestly, the biggest problem is that people just don't watch TV like they used to, and in a world full of AAA TV shows, it's hard for Doctor Who to cut through. There's just so much content to watch and catch up on that if you don't make a splash, you're effectively dead in the water. Thankfully, the BBC seems to have finally realised there's a problem and is addressing the issue. It's been reported (although the BBC didn't confirm when I emailed) that the Season 15 finale isn't going to be unceremoniously dumped on iPlayer at 8am like other episodes. Instead, you're going to have to plonk your bum in front of the idiot's lantern (sorry, couldn't resist) at 7pm and watch it like we did in the good old days. To make things even more exciting, the BBC has announced that the episode will be shown in UK cinemas. Now you might not think that's thrilling, but as a fully paid-up TV nerd, it's music to my ears. Doctor Who, after all, should be one of the crown jewels in the BBC Saturday night schedule, along with Strictly. It's appointment viewing, not disposable streaming fodder. And I know that makes me sound pretentious, but you don't see HBO dropping The Last of Us early, do you? No. They make people wait because they know the value of their shows and that audiences will wait for them. The BBC, by reducing Doctor Who to something to be streamed at your convenience, has unintentionally diminished the show's importance and prestige. It's the same thing that happened to Marvel movies and other Disney projects during the pandemic. They started releasing stuff on Premier Access, and diluted their brand's power as people started to see these shows and movies as 'just another thing on streaming'. More Trending After all, which of us hasn't seen something exclusive to streaming and thought, 'Oh I must watch that' then never got round to it because, 'it's on streaming, it can wait.' I'm glad, then, to see Doctor Who restored to its pride of place on a Saturday night, and I just hope it's not too little, too late. Unfortunately, I think this may be a difficult genie to put back in the bottle, or to use a Doctor Who metaphor, tougher than getting a Dalek mutant back in its Mark 3 Travel Machine. View More » The reason I'm so cynical is that audiences are quick learners, and if they've learned that to think of Doctor Who as a streaming show, then it's going to be difficult (even for a Time Lord) to wind back the clock. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: The sad truth about Olly Murs' before and after pics MORE: I'm non-binary, autistic, and extremely worried about trans neurodiversity screenings MORE: EastEnders confirms special episode for return of show's biggest ever legend
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Dorset twins who make the Back to the Future DeLorean fly
As Sooty and Sweep look down on the severed heads of Ant and Dec, a Cyberman gazes impassively at the glass case containing Paul Daniels' toupé sounds like a bizarre dream, but in fact it's an accurate depiction of the Twins FX HQ in twins are brothers Gary and Paul Hardy-Brown. Every shelf in their office is stuffed with masks, figurines, props and sci-fi memorabilia."We're real fans, massive collectors, massive geeks!" says Gary."It comes with the job. If you work in film and TV you get absorbed by it." The twins' empire is based in Wareham, where a staff of 12 create special effects and scary creatures for film, TV and stage beneath plastic sheeting is a menagerie of giant rats, crocodiles and gorillas made for lavish pantomimes across the UK, which have been repainted and spruced up ready for the next back from Broadway is Doc Brown's time-travelling DeLorean from Back to the Future: The twins developed a system for the car to fly and turn upside down over the audience in the thrilling climax to the show. They are now working on productions in Japan and Australia. The brothers' fascination with special effects was sparked during the school summer holidays in 1979."Our dad worked in the location field for Doctor Who," says Paul."The BBC came to film at Hyde Pit, a sandpit near Wareham. They welcomed us and we watched them make the programme."One of the first things we saw was them blowing up Daleks. That was amazing to us as kids. It was a world of make-believe," he also developed an interest in illusions and magic tricks and formed their own magic act, performing together around the world for 20 years. Then, in 2008 they were asked to create a special effect for a pantomime at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre."We came up with a design to make Stefanie Powers, the Hollywood actress, fly out over the audience with no wires involved," says Paul."From there it just snowballed."Gary continues: "We were working out of our mum and dad's double garage and now we have six industrial units in Wareham. We've turned a very simple idea into a multimillion-pound company."Things came full circle when the twins were asked to build Daleks for a Doctor Who live arena tour, which was a dream come true for Paul. Despite their global success, the twins have stayed loyal to their roots in Dorset and use local contractors and suppliers to help with their complex builds."We do get funny looks from clients sometimes," says Gary."They go 'You're in Dorset? Why not in London?' And we say, 'Well just get yourself on a train two hours down and you'll see why'.""We had the Japanese director and stage manager for Back to the Future come down here and they stayed for a week because they just loved it, visiting Studland and Kimmeridge."The Twins FX are now working on brand new special effects for the London Palladium's 2025 Christmas pantomime, as they continue to scare, surprise and delight audiences around the world. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X and Instagram.
