What time will you be watching? <\/p>
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.<\/p>\n
Some fans were disappointed by the unexpected shift<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n Writing in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine<\/a>, Davies acknowledged the backlash but insisted that this flexible release strategy is the \u201cfuture\u201d of television \u2013 which has been evolving rapidly since the rise of streaming services.<\/p>\n The screenwriter also called attention to Doctor Who\u2019s history of staggered release schedules, from Paul McGann\u2019s film being released on VHS days before its television broadcast to The Five Doctors novelisation arriving weeks before the episode itself.<\/p> \u201cAnd now we have 2024,\u201d wrote Davies. \u201cWith plenty of warning of the new pattern, for you to plan ahead and choose your own viewing. And that\u2019s the point: choice. You\u2019re not having to change your habits to fit the show, the show is changing to fit you.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s changing to adopt the patterns of all modern TV shows. Yes, I think all of them, very soon. This is the future, and it\u2019s here, right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Davies also drew on personal experience in his defence, recalling how he successfully avoided Game of Thrones<\/a> spoilers during that show\u2019s tenure, despite always skipping the initial early hours premiere.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d happily watch it at 9pm that night, in blissful ignorance,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd okay, maybe I\u2019m not as online as you are, but that\u2019s the key.<\/p>\n \u201cManage your online activity for, what, 18 hours? And it\u2019s a Saturday too, have a day off!<\/p>\n \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffcIt\u2019s BRAND NEW DWM DAY!