What time will you be watching?
Russell T Davies has responded to fan concerns about the new Doctor Who release schedule, which will see episodes drop first at midnight on BBC iPlayer before a terrestrial screening the following evening.
Some fans were disappointed by the unexpected shift, fearing it could mean spoilers appear online before everyone has had a chance to watch, while also making the traditional broadcast feel like less of an event.
Writing in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Davies acknowledged the backlash but insisted that this flexible release strategy is the “future” of television – which has been evolving rapidly since the rise of streaming services.
The screenwriter also called attention to Doctor Who’s history of staggered release schedules, from Paul McGann’s film being released on VHS days before its television broadcast to The Five Doctors novelisation arriving weeks before the episode itself.
“And now we have 2024,” wrote Davies. “With plenty of warning of the new pattern, for you to plan ahead and choose your own viewing. And that’s the point: choice. You’re not having to change your habits to fit the show, the show is changing to fit you.
“And it’s changing to adopt the patterns of all modern TV shows. Yes, I think all of them, very soon. This is the future, and it’s here, right now.”
Davies also drew on personal experience in his defence, recalling how he successfully avoided Game of Thrones spoilers during that show’s tenure, despite always skipping the initial early hours premiere.
“I’d happily watch it at 9pm that night, in blissful ignorance,” he continued. “And okay, maybe I’m not as online as you are, but that’s the key.
“Manage your online activity for, what, 18 hours? And it’s a Saturday too, have a day off!
🙌🏼It’s BRAND NEW DWM DAY!
— Doctor Who Magazine (@DWMtweets) April 25, 2024
Issue 603 includes:
⭐️Russell T Davies speaking as the midnight hour approaches.
⭐️ Previews of Space Babies, the Devil’s Chord and Boom
⭐️ A chat with Jinkx Monsoon about the Maestro,
⭐️ Anita Dobson on the mysterious Mrs Flood! #dwm #dwmtweets pic.twitter.com/6WGMT9l47p
“But seriously, I’m not making light of this. I can hear the worries. It’s easy to say ‘stay offline’ when your health or job or nature might make that impossible. And I’m sorry, because then, yes, spoilers will fly.”
Davies added: “Unfortunately, there’s always been a subset of viewers hitting the spoiler problem, like the tons of people who work Saturdays and on night shifts. They’ve had to negotiate this for years.
“So there has never been a transmission pattern in the digital age that’s perfect for everyone.
“And to be honest. If you’re that online, and cannot change… folks, you stand a high chance of getting spoiled anyway. Before transmission. That’s the modern world. Beyond my control.”
The showrunner finished by saying that Doctor Who was “a victim of its own success” in that its popularity among a “devoted” fanbase means that there will always be secrets slipping out online, no matter the specific time that episodes launch.
Doctor Who returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 11th May 2024.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.