Amongst other things, learn who won the two prizes for entering the survey. Which story came out top for Series 11 (including the New Year's Special) and why? What did people think of each story (including the New Year's Special)? After just one story; and then after a whole series (plus a special); we gauge how people reacted to the 13th Doctor and Jodie Whittaker's performance of the character. We then dig deeper into both the character and the performance. With three new companions (or "Team TARDIS", or "fam") we see which of them is most favoured. We asked, "do they work as a team?" Then gauged people's responses to them individually as characters and to the performances of the three actors who played them. A new Doctor sees a new theme music arrangement, a new opening titles sequence, and a new TARDIS. Was all this newness too much? Who watched the second series and what did they make of it? How did they compare it to the first series? Rove is put under the microscope. We find out how old fans are, where they live, and their gender plus we do a bit of analysis of the results. Doctor Who and Class are copyright to the BBC. Whovians is copyright to the ABC. Copyright of all other material contained within returns to the contributor on publication. No attempt is made to supercede any copyright. Views expressed within are those of the writer and not necessarily held by the editors.
Hi. Dallas here. This is basically my introduction / editorial as the contents of this Series 11 Special Issue have been mainly driven by me. Firstly, thanks to all who contributed to this survey, especially everyone who took the time to add comments, there were many and, naturally varied, opinions. I would also like to give a special thanks to Gemma Styles, who has come on-board to help with the proof-reading of Trap Street and was pushed into the deep end from the beginning, for her sterling work on the large amount of material that she was given to cast her eyes over. Please note that any errors that remain are more than likely to have been caused by me. After Gemma sends back her corrections, I have to sometimes do a bit of copy-editing so as to fit the material into the available spaces. I hope you will all enjoy and appreciate the views and comments from other Doctor Who enthusiasts and their perceptions of the Series 11. With this Survey, as well as the on-line survey (made available just after the screening of ‘Resolution’) we also put up individual polls, after each story was screened, on our Facebook Group (DR Productions). There were 33 of these individual polls, the questions in each poll being the same questions that made up the on-line survey (note that the on-line survey had an extra question about how many episodes of Whovians series 2 people watched). These polls also had the ability for people to provide comments, so the printed comments in this special issue are from both the survey and the polls. The individual polls meant that people were able to submit immediate responses to
each story as they were screened. If a person filled out both the survey and did one or more of the polls, we used the answer that they provided in the poll as their response. In the end we had 279 people who provided at least one response to our survey / polls. I decided, like last time, that to do the survey justice it should not all be crammed into a single issue of Trap Street. I thus decided to just list the results of the survey in Trap Street Number 3 and again produce a separate Trap Street Special Issue which would include a large number of contributor comments, some analysis and commentary plus some nice graphs. The only comments that were not considered for inclusion, were those consisting of the single word usually ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and those that included obscenities (yes, regrettably there were a few). Any Australian respondents, who entered the on-line survey or the Facebook Group polls, went into a draw to win a copy of the first issue of the Radio Times with a 13th Doctor cover (6–12 Oct 2018). The winner is Tim Aldwinckle. An extra prize of a 13th Doctor badge was available for those people who just entered our Facebook Group polls, to thank them for joining our Facebook Group so as to participate in the polls. The winner is Steve Glasby. Any comments about this special issue or of our other Trap Street issues - please send them to: editors@drproductionsaus.org so that we that can include them in the new “Letters” section which we hope to include in Trap Street Issue 4.
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Dallas Jones & Roger Reynolds
1) Select your favourite story of 2) Rate 'The Woman Who Fell To Series Eleven or the New Year's Earth' Special Very Good 24.6% Rosa 24.5% Fantastic 21.6% Resolution 23.8% Good 19.2% The Witchfinders 11.2% Great 10.2% It Takes You Away 10.5% Average 8.4% Kerblam! 9.8% Above Average 6.6% The Woman Who Fell to Earth 9.1% Poor 3.6% Demons of the Punjab 6.3% Abysmal 2.4% Arachnids in the UK 2.8% Below Average 1.8% The Ghost Monument 1.4% Bad 0.6% The Tsuranga Conundrum 0% Very Poor 0.6% The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos 0% The total number of votes that were re-
The total number of votes that were received for this question was 1 42. At the end of this section I'll compare this result with the average ratings for each of the stories and note any major differences.
ceived for this question was 1 66. "Very Good" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 8. The median figure was also 8. The mean or average score, for this story, was 7.43 which equates as greater than "Good".
3) Rate 'The Ghost Monument'
4) Rate 'Rosa'
The total number of votes that were received was 1 72. "Very Good" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 8. The median figure was 7 which was equal "Good". The mean or average score was 6.62 which equates as less than "Good".
The total number of votes that were received was 1 74. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 9 which was equal to "Great". The mean or average score was 8.2 which equates as greater than "Very Good".
Very Good Good Average Great Above Average Fantastic Below Average Poor Abysmal Bad Very Poor
25.4% 23.7% 13.3% 8.7% 8.7% 6.4% 3.5% 3.5% 2.9% 2.3% 1.2%
Fantastic Great Very Good Good Above Average Below Average Average Abysmal Poor Bad Very Poor
38.9% 24.6% 12.6% 6.9% 3.4% 3.4% 2.9% 2.3% 1.7% 1.7% 0.6%
5) Rate 'Arachnids in the UK'
6) Rate 'The Tsuranga Conundrum'
The total number of votes that were received was 1 49. "Very Good" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 8. The median figure was 6 which was equal "Above Average". The mean or average score was 6.1 4 which equates as greater than "Above Average".
The total number of votes that were received was 1 51 . "Very Good" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 8. The median figure was 7 which was equal "Good". The mean or average score was 5.96 which equates as less than "Above Average".
Very Good Above Average Average Good Fantastic Great Very Poor Poor Below Average Abysmal Bad
23.3% 17.3% 13.3% 10.7% 7.3% 6.7% 6.0% 4.7% 4.0% 3.3% 2.7%
Very Good Good Above Average Average Fantastic Below Average Great Very Poor Poor Abysmal Bad
19.7% 17.8% 12.5% 12.5% 7.2% 5.9% 5.3% 5.3% 5.3% 5.3% 2.6%
7) Rate 'Demons of the Punjab'
8) Rate 'Kerblam!'
The total number of votes that were received was 1 47. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 8 which was equal to "Very Good". The mean or average score was 7.56 which equates as less than "Very Good".
The total number of votes that were received was 1 53. "Great" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 9. The median figure was 8 which was equal to "Very Good". The mean or average score was 7.1 6 which equates as greater than "Good".
Fantastic Great Very Good Good Above Average Average Bad Abysmal Below Average Poor Very Poor
23.0% 23.0% 16.2% 12.2% 8.6% 6.1% 5.3% 2.7% 2.0% 1.4% 0.7%
Great Very Good Good Fantastic Above Average Average Abysmal Below Average Very Poor Bad Poor
24.3% 20.3% 14.9% 12.8% 10.1% 9.5% 4.1% 2.7% 2.0% 2.0% 0.7%
9) Rate 'The Witchfinders'
10) Rate 'It Takes You Away'
The total number of votes that were received was 1 51 . "Great" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 9. The median figure was 8 which was equal to "Very Good". The mean or average score was 7.03 which equates as greater than "Good".
The total number of votes that were received was 1 50. "Great" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 9. The median figure was 8 which was equal to "Very Good". The mean or average score was 7.01 which equates as greater than "Good".
Great Very Good Good Fantastic Above Average Average Abysmal Poor Very Poor Bad Below Average
25.7% 15.8% 15.8% 11.8% 10.5% 5.9% 5.9% 3.3% 2.6% 1.3% 0.7%
Great Very Good Good Fantastic Average Above Average Bad Very Poor Abysmal Poor Below Average
21.9% 21.2% 15.2% 11.9% 8.6% 6.6% 4.0% 3.3% 3.3% 2.0% 1.3%
11) Rate 'The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos' Very Good Good Average Great Fantastic Above Average Below Average Very Poor Abysmal Poor Bad
20.9% 15.7% 15.7% 14.2% 6.7% 6.7% 4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 3.7% 2.2%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 33. "Very Good" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 8. The median figure was 7 which was equal to "Good". The mean or average score was 6.35 which equates to greater than "Above Average".
12) Rate 'Resolution' Fantastic Very Good Great Average Good Above Average Abysmal Very Poor Poor Below Average Bad
25.8% 23.3% 22.6% 8.8% 4.4% 3.1% 3.1% 2.5% 1.9% 1.3% 1.3%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 58. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 8 which was equal to "Very Good". The mean or average score was 7.72 which equates as less than "Very Good".
13) Rate Series 11
of the stories for the survey. The figures in parenthesis are how each story rated when asked to rate the stories in order. The Doctor Who Club of Australia did a series of on-line polls on their Facebook page and gave two options for each story, along the lines of “Not a favourite” or “Loved it” and got over 800 people who voted on 'The Woman Who Fell to Earth', down to over 380 who voted on ‘Arachnids in the UK'. The results were: The Woman Who Fell to Earth (89% positive); Rosa (87%); Kerblam! (84%); The Ghost Monument The total number of votes that were re- (81 %); Resolution (81 %); Demons of the Punjab (79.3%), The Battle of Ranskoor ceived was 1 41 . "Very Good" was the Av Kolos (79.1 %); The Witchfinders favourite choice and thus the mode was 8. The median figure was 8 which (78.9%); It Takes You Away (75%); was equal to "Very Good". The mean or Arachnids in the UK (63%) and The average score was 6.51 which equates Tsuranga Conundrum (61 %). as less than "Good". The major Doctor Who forum on the internet Gallifrey Base did a poll for each Analysis and Commentary and they used a 1 0-to-1 rating Rosa (1) 8.20 story system. The average rating for each Resolution (2) 7.72 story was: Rosa (7.78); Demons of the Demons of the Punjab (7) 7.56 Punjab (7.32); It Takes You Away (7.26); The Woman Who Fell to Earth (6) 7.43 The Woman Who Fell to Earth (7.1 7); Kerblam! (5) 7.16 Resolution (6.96); The Witchfinders The Witchfinders (3) 7.03 (6.95); Kerblam! (6.81 ); The Ghost (6.67); Arachnids in the UK It Takes You Away (4) 7.01 Monument (6.26); The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos The Ghost Monument (9) 6.62 (6.1 4), and The Tsuranga Conundrum The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (=10) 6.35 (5.37). They had from between 1 ,700 to Arachnids in the UK (8) 6.14 2,400 respondents for each of the polls. The Tsuranga Conundrum (=10) 5.96 I'll leave it up to you to consider and The above table is the average ratings ponder these different survey results.
Very Good Great Good Fantastic Above Average Average Very Poor Poor Abysmal Below average Bad
30.3% 12.0% 11.3% 9.2% 7.7% 6.3% 6.3% 5.6% 4.9% 4.2% 1.4%
14) Do you have any comments on this section? The Woman Who Fell to Earth
I thought the first story was great for introducing a new Doctor and new companions. It was good to get a bit of background on the new companions and how they knew each other. During the entire story I was laughing, gasping and near the end, crying. I was a bit shocked that they all ended up floating in space though, and was left wondering how they can survive. Overall I thought it was a great story and Jodie nails it at being the Doctor. Corrina Miller I rate it poor. Not because of the acting, but the writing. I was starting to get into it, ignoring much of the 'build my own sonic screwdriver out of everyday earth items' crap, and, 'falling through the roof of a train carriage from a great height without a scratch' (wasn’t that how the 4th Doctor started regeneration falling from a tower?), until the last scene – just floating in space all by themselves. Can we have at least a little bit of reality in the show? Not much needed, just a little. Michael Stapleton It followed the 'Rose' template pretty well and reminded viewers that people do die – unpleasantly sometimes – in the world of the Doctor. A fresh, invigorating and engaging start. Stephen Collins I disliked the lack of a title sequence, and Grace not surviving the story was super obvious from the moment it was clear she and Graham were a couple. Otherwise it was a solid first story and probably the best of the new era. Jon Andersen
The Ghost Monument
This story picked up the pace nicely. I really feel the new showrunner should hold back stamping the TARDIS interior and exterior design and save what is a usable set and prop! Steve Glasby
One of the funniest laugh out loud lines – especially for people who know Sheffield – was when Graham says "It's an old police box" and Yaz says "Yeah – like the one on Surrey Street!" Classic! :D Nick Mays I really enjoyed it, apart from too much sonic screwdriver usage. The TARDIS entry seems wrong somehow, but that's a minor grudge. Scott Wilcockson I love the new TARDIS; it appears to be powered by the Ogri. Karen Carpenter It was a wonderful story again from start to finish and I love the new intro as it is very beautiful and a great nod back to the past. The TARDIS interior looks fantastic as well as the outside. Jodie is brilliant as the Doctor and her companions / friends are really good. I also like the character development. Luke Steele Sandford I reckon we're in for meeting a member of the Doctor's family. Two stories and twice now she’s mentioned all her family is dead… and yet the magic wrappings referred to the "Timeless Child", which clearly meant something to her. Daniel Worsley I like the new TARDIS interior. The crystal surrounds of the console remind me of the metal ones from the 1996 telemovie as in, the crystal centre of the eye of harmony. The snack dispenser harks back to the original TARDIS food machine and the haphazard console is reminiscent of the 9th Doctor's console. All in all, a very fine control room. Gavy Lad Better than the previous story but still well below the standard set by RTD. Too much unabashed exposition. Too much unjustifiably dumb behaviour from the characters. Not enough character depth. On the plus side – Bradley Walsh delivered a very solid performance and he is clearly a big asset to the show. Alex Paige
Rosa
An instant classic, 'Rosa' fell short of perfection, but will be remembered as one of the most important stories of the entire series. It was Doctor Who at its best, educating through entertaining, and inspiring us to be our best. Showing us that the small things we do, tiny non-violent acts, can change the world for the better. I have been loving the slower pace, allowing room for characters to breathe and develop. Colin Sharpe I am finding this series rather wonderful and I get surprisingly emotional watching it, actually. It's a great time to be a fan. The show is in such good hands and it's stunning to see the ratings so strong. Matt Akersten I loved how they worked together to save history. I also thought the villain was interesting and it didn't bother me that he remains a mystery. Not only was it great to have another historical story, but I liked that they were not running and trying to defeat some alien race bent on human destruction, but saving history so that progress could be made. Simple and effective. It had enough humour in it too. In reality, villains don't always have a back story or logical reason for their hate, so we didn't actually need more from the story than what it was. The important thing was that even though life is hard we keep fighting. Not everything can be fixed, but it can get better, and history is important. I was super nervous through-out and possibly even more so than with some of the alien stories. Gemma Styles The way racism was handled by the script and the characters, was magnificent. The heartache felt by the Doctor and the gang, of not acting with the timeline, to preserve it, was palpable. My goodness the score was sublime. This is the new story to show nonWhovians, like 'Blink' is (for obvious different reasons) to hook 'em in. Ivan de Vulder
It seems that the stories are getting a slower pace than the rapid pace in previous stories. I like the story. Damian Magee There were ideas there, possibly too many ideas. Monsters and plots and things to engage the brain. Character was a bit on the back burner. Aaron J Climas
Arachnids in the UK
Once I saw the rubbish in the coal mine, I thought, 'The Green Death'. David Drury Remnants of 'Planet of the Spiders' but thankfully no Metebelis III crystal and no speaking spiders :-) Michael Corbin As others have said, this story is Pertwee meets Whittaker. There is a bit of Pertwee-esque anti-politician satire as well. The lovely characterisation continues and develops and their decision to join the Doctor was genuinely moving, as was Graham's coming to terms with the loss of Grace. Jodie continues to delight and for some reason her off kilter social cues reminded me of Matt Smith's attempts at normal small talk. In 'The Doctor Dances' we had Eccleston's wild joy at no-one dying, and I think Jody catches enthusiasm for life and adventure as well. In fact, this also reminded me a bit of early RTD as well, right down to Yaz's mother's curiosity about the Doctor. Another beauty. Matt Cardier While I am very scared of small spiders, these ones were way too big to be scary for me. Carrie Oct We have arachnophobia, so will probably not watch although we plan to listen to the soundtrack and read the synopsis. We have now listened – without looking directly at the screen for most of it! I don't think I can fairly vote on it but there were strong environmental messages, and lovely interactions. Robyn Kay Loved the shadow puppets. Michael Shandie
Apart from the obvious 'Green Death' parallels, there were some very timely (and perhaps in one case unintentional) social commentary on the unethical disposal of waste. Just recently a Yorkshire firm that had a licence to dispose of clinical waste (including amputate limbs!) was closed down and had its licence revoked for not disposing of the waste correctly (or at all). Add to this the quite believable genetic manipulation of spiders to create a scaled-up super tensile web and yes, you have a plausible scenario of something nasty in the landfill. A good comment on the death of the mining industry too – this created huge hardship in South Yorkshire in the 1980s when Margaret Thatcher deliberately took on the coal miners union. Nick Mays
The most surprising thing (for me) has been the split amongst fans. As the credits rolled, I honestly sat there thinking this was a clear winner of a story, ticking all the boxes. Last week had some script editing that was needed – cheesy dialogue – but I didn't hear much complaining then! I can't quite get my head around why fans aren't giving Chibnall credit for the teaching moments in the script – about hubris and expertise, and later on about imagination and initiative. But what a perfect monster. Frankly, Doctor Who 1,000%. Christian Kent Possibly the worst story so far this series. Like last week’s story, the main story is just meh. Whereas last week, the interaction with the main characters was interesting, this week, they seemed to have no idea what to do with Ryan and Graham so they just threw The Tsuranga Conundrum them off to be with the pregnant guy. I I enjoyed it, plenty of tension, interhave an issue with a male giving esting characters, some humour. Prob- didn't and I imagine it was to help bring ably my favourite SF one so far. Nikki birth, out some discussion with Ryan about White issues he had with his Dad, but was This is personally my favourite of the the pretty much a ham-fisted way to go new series so far. For me the recurring about it. Then Yaz gets assigned to go characters are finally starting to settle, with the android, because… well, we the new characters were relatable, the don't know what else to do with her. At premise was interesting (even if the ap- least the Doctor did something this pearance of the creature was too CGI week which was good, but the story and not very original), the solution was was extremely underwhelming. The not too obvious or trite, and the emoonly bit I liked was when she said she tional touches enhanced rather than the Doctor of Lego. :) I hope next subsumed the story. A little reminiscent was week's will be better. Scott Marshall of 'Midnight' although to be fair not as good. Richard York Demons of the Punjab I thought it was a great story, headThis one was brutal in the humanity ing back to be Doctor Who. There was of its threat – the monster was us. Greg humour and tension and some great Neilson character moments. 1st Doctor like separated from the TARDIS, 2nd Doctor I really enjoyed it, and finally Yaz got like slapstick. Great corridors and full a meaty role. I know very little about of emotion. This story ticked all the that period of history, though given the right boxes. Philip Edney appalling history of places like Palestine and Ireland, it makes sense. I didn't mind it at all. In the great Beautiful landscape too. Matt Cardier scheme of things it was neither a disaster nor a triumph. The issue with I think it's one of the best stories the most stories is the limiting single epis- series has ever done, something I do ode. Gavy Lad not say lightly. Russell Devlin
Putting aliens in last night's story as well as 'Rosa' was a mistake – it would have been better without them. Patrick Moore Sorry to say, I am not hugely impressed I'm afraid. An alien threat that wasn't a threat at all and yet another race of "testimony" collectors (just like the Glass People in 'Twice Upon a Time'). Don't they get in each other’s way? All this, just to flesh out a very thin and laboured plot about the partition, religious divides, and Yaz's grandmother. Okay, the riots and bloodshed were meant to be a distant threat until the younger brother brought it to their door, but it just didn't convince me I'm afraid. It was a missed opportunity to do something great, but we ended up with a nicely photographed, albeit substandard SJA , instead of Doctor Who in the calibre of 'Rosa'. Nick Mays Wow! That was confronting! Katie Hardwick 'Demons of the Punjab' had so much human drama as an historical, that the inclusion of the Watchers was superfluous. They added nothing to the story. Louis Scholten I cried. It really got to me. Ivan de Vulder My favourite story of the series. It really got to me. I loved how the big, wide-reaching, historical events were the background for a small and personal story of direct significance to one of the TARDIS crew. It all just came together so beautifully. George Ivanoff
The less Chibnall writes the better the series gets. Bubble wrap has previously appeared in Red Dwarf as a plot device and there were nice twists in this episode. My mind jumped to 'Robots of Death', the Autons, and the Great Intelligence. I also thought it was going down the bagging Corporate path again – but the unhinged employee was a nice twist. Chibnall’s stories have been so predictable – and this one was not. I think in the sense that it correctly identified the problem of the automation of work spaces – it was the solution that was wrong. Swap daffodils for bubble wrap. It was a nice twist. The more I think about this story the cleverer it gets. Steven Nicholson Beware of bubble wrap!! Ha, ha, ha. Colin Briscoe Loved this episode. Karina Richardson-McKoy It was the most morally bankrupt story of Doctor Who I have ever seen in my life. The story ends with the one person who was trying to change anything getting told off by the Doctor. The company keeps going, with the Doctor's blessing. Imagine if 'Happiness Patrol' had finished with the Doctor massacring all the Killjoys but then making sure that Helen A had learned an important lesson about FEELINGS. That's what this story was. It was disgusting, utterly, utterly disgusting. Patrick DoubleThreat Magee Love that bubble wrap! Pop, pop, pop! Ron Godwin I liked that it was a real mystery with a bit of social commentary. The fez was Kerblam! a bit I was sort of hoping the robots would Cookof an old friend popping in. Lisa be revealed as Autons with the I loved it! It could have been a Nestenes using the bubble wrap to des- Troughton story. I was hoping for troy everyone – seemed to be heading Macra; nicely subversive reveal though. that way. Patrick Moore Neil Lambess Previous Doctor Who aliens (e.g. 'The This hits first base as automation is Ark In Space') were covered in green fast taking over jobs and the possibility bubble wrap, back when bubble wrap bubble wrap as bombs is also close was not so widely available to non-busi- of to the mark with the very real terrorist ness customers. :-D Katie FY Powell element in all societies. Susan Keysell
Witchfinders
I think this is the best this series. Most people I know who haven’t enjoyed this series have liked this story. Scott Marshall I really enjoyed it once again, nice pace and story. Colin Young It is good to have a standard monster story again. I've enjoyed the others, but it’s a little tiring to get yet another misunderstood being that's not the bad guy. I couldn't help thinking of 'Horns of the Nimon' and "My dreams of conquest" with all the over-acting done! David Drury I like it, but it airs at the wrong time for me. I get home from work just in time, but I'm so stuffed from work I just can't get into some great story. I'll just have to wait till the DVD come out to enjoy it. Murray Harper This is probably my least favourite of the series. It was going pretty well until the 'SPOILER', aliens, stopped being space zombies and started talking as mud people. Grant Watson I enjoyed this one, but the monsters were more interesting when they were not talking. Nice little moment for Yaz as well. My 8 year old daughter thought it was fantastic. Colin Sharpe This series is meandering towards forgettable! I am enjoying it, but it needs a big series ending with the return of an old enemy (which we know is not going to happen)! Jamie Hillard Classic Who story. Loved it. Jenine Adams Nice, fun, tense little story with some really horrible (good horrible, not bad horrible) moments, and a truly spectacular performance by Alan Cumming.
Bruce Greenwood
It Takes You Away
I loved it from start to finish and I got a bit teary when Ryan called Graham granddad. I also loved the frog. David Blewer Sorry, the talking frog was a bit much (unless they're preparing us for Frobisher!) Why wasn't it Susan or someone meaningful to the Doctor?! The whole story felt too rushed to me. Andy Poulsen It wouldn't imitate anyone the Doctor loves because the Doctor just spent the last five minutes telling people not to fall for that bollocks. It wanted to get to know her honestly. Finally! I bloody loved that story! Harvey Callaghan Exactly! And the Doctor was already staying there willingly, so it had no reason to take a form to trick her. It could go with whatever took its fancy. An hour later it might have looked like a Rill and an hour after that a hawk. Danny Oz I could not get into this story. It only gets a point for the Slayer T-shirt. I could possibly stretch another '1' for the frog. Scott Wilcockson
The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos
Good, but seemed more like a Xmasstory-light to me. Craig Walker Die Hard reference in Doctor Who … Enough said. Gemma Styles The point of this story was not the resolution of the Tim Shaw story (which could have ended in the first story), but the resolution of the Graham dealing with his grief story, and bonding with his grandson. David Drury This episode was amazing. Creepy, interesting, fresh and new premise. Great build. Loved it. Gemma Styles It was OK, doubt if I’ll watch it again. Mark Corben
I have some quibbles with the story, Resolution but overall, in my opinion, it is the best My second best story this series. thing since 'The Doctor Falls'. When the There a great mix of action and Doctor writes on the wall, the pit of my comedy.was Dave White stomach dropped. Grant Watson
Great to see the Daleks face the thirteenth Doctor. I don't know how I can survive with no new Doctor Who until 2020 though. Paul Davis I liked the idea of the callback to Jodie’s first story with the Dalek forging its own body. The end result was a little disappointing – it would have been nice to see something handmade. Altogether I’ve enjoyed this series, but I feel that everything has been a bit too safe. The simplest explanation was always true – it was a Dalek, he is a time racist, the computer was your friend all along. They needed to take more storytelling risks. Bruce Greenwood This is the first tory this series that I watched where I was happy to be doing something else at the same time. I was disappointed it was a Dalek story. Karen Carpenter I loved the junkyard chic Dalek and UNIT’s decommissioning. I am not loving the negative social media that this season is getting. This is a TV show that survives through change. I like what Chibnall’s doing, but please, I remember the slating that both RTD and Moffat received during their tenures. Are Doctor Who fans so resistant to change? Does that not fly in the face of the premise of the show? FFS! Tim Hunter I really liked this story. It is so good to see something a bit different being done with a Dalek story. And Graham… I love Graham. George Ivanoff I’m a tough mark, so it’s rare for me to go beyond 9/10, but I’m happy we finally got a decent Dalek story after years of cameos or stories that watered them down in various ways. People complaining about the design? Honestly? What part of the fact that it’s a hastily cobbled together one-off casing suggests this is the new look? And while the human drama occasionally slowed the storytelling to a crawl, the theme of resolution was there, front and centre and running through all those interactions. Danny Oz
Again, this story did not hold my attention. The whole Ryan and his dad sub-plot just seemed to kill any tension or urgency in the main Dalek plot. The main plot lost its momentum. The UNIT call went too long and again the story lost momentum. I was wondering how the Doctor would try talking the Dalek to death without getting killed and it was good to see it did not work. As for the Doctor needing affirmation that she had tried to talk the Dalek to death first, that seemed silly. The DIY Dalek shell seemed silly also as it was only metal, and a military unit should have been able to deal with that. After all, it was killed by a microwave oven in the end. Sad to say that as soon as I saw the oven I thought , 'no you are not going to use that to kill a Dalek, Chibnall', but yes, he did. The good news is that I can see another Dalek toy coming my way soon. It will also give Dalek Builders around the world a new challenge. Somewhere in this storyline was a good story that got lost, but what was an improvement for Chibnall, because at least there was a good story in there. Steven Nicholson In a twist from most of the Chibnall stories this season, the interaction between the characters was less interesting than the plot. I would say there was 20 minutes of plot and 30 minutes of padding. It was not great; but not the worst special either. I’d go with a 5/10. Scott Marshall I felt the dialogue for the Doctor was a bit forced and not well written. I liked that Ryan got closure with his Dad and felt that their conversation at the cafe really hit the nail on the head. I know you are supposed to have suspension of disbelief and all, but I could not buy the Dalek being able to build a shell that good. In the end I was happy that Ryan's Dad and Lin survived, especially that it was Ryan saying he forgave him that released him from the Dalek, as hate cannot abide forgiveness. Gemma Styles
This is the first story I've fully watched since the second. It could have been amazing. There were a couple of great moments and concepts, but so much padding and such poor dialogue you'd want to claw out your ears. Horrible, horrible Dalek design. Aaron J Climas I enjoyed this story, although I did wonder about the extended (well they seem extended to me) scenes with Ryan and his father – well written and acted, but are they Doctor Who? However they didn't detract. I liked the Dalek design, built from scratch like the sonic in the first story. (Good ol' Sheffield steel, yay). I was also really happy to see something new being done with Daleks, (this from a Dalek-tragic whose coffee table is buried under assorted Dalek models from the past four decades). I liked the whole series (except for 'Arachnids in the UK' which didn't end so much as stop), all the new companions and the new Doctor and want to see more of them, though perhaps maybe not as many as ended up in the TARDIS this time, as it made it feel more like Town Hall station on a Thursday night. Nikki White My second favourite story this season. There was a great mix of action and comedy. Dave White Yet again this story was not good and not bad. I'm just glad it wasn’t just me who thought the padding was a little excessive. Mark Corben My hope for 2020 is that every story features a cutaway to the same random wi-fi family, just so we can check in on them and see how they're going. Patrick DoubleThreat Magee I felt like this could have stretched out as a two-parter because it felt a little rushed to reach the conclusion. It was also one of my favourite stories of the series. Michael Olsen This story had a terrific plot with great performances. Also, a special mention for the music which was excellent. Alex Paige
I was more disappointed that it didn’t look MORE handmade. I wanted it to look like a random human had tried to cobble together a death machine from bits of junk. It just looked like a weird Dalek. Bruce Greenwood
Series 11
A solid "reset series", as happens with a new showrunner and new cast. While the style and production values were all modern, there was a Hartnell era and a Davidson era vibe with lots of companions and more history explored, although the stories in Earth's past were pseudo-historical not pure historical. I love the theme and opening credits and thought the incidental music was spot on. The cast across the board were really great, including guest artists. The series had "bookends" rather than an "arc" which I found very refreshing and the overall quality of scripts, concepts and characters was all pretty good. The only one I was underwhelmed by was the Pting story, but only in comparison to the rest and it was still nowhere near to the bottom of the barrel as some of the worst stories from 2005-2017 were. Having said that, only the New Year's Special reached the heights of the true gems from that period. So, early days, solid start, and here's to a bright future. Craig Wellington I believe that the Dalek was presented with a fantastic spin on the original concept. Charlotte Ritchie was my favourite guest actor from series 11, alongside Mark Addy. Jordan Verbeek Doctor Who is Sci Fi and has always had a message cleverly taught. This series, it was too obvious and had very little connection to previous story arcs. Doug Rumble I enjoyed every story… can't wait for more. Julienne I felt that Jodie was a success but was let down by some average writing. Nigel Mitton
A solid start to a new era. Lance Hawkins A great series. They did not overdo the fact that the Doctor is a woman. Mostly great scripts and I love the companions. Stephen Oehlmann I don't think the series lack good ideas, it was just the execution of them that was lacking in many cases. It was great to see some real history back in the series too, but again, it was let down by an over-reliance on Alien intervention. Consistency and continuity of character is needed for the companions too. Graham is great, but did the writers (and showrunner) forget that Yaz is a serving police officer? Also, Ryan's dyspraxia was only an issue in the first story and not really referred to again until 'Resolution'. Nick Mays I have no issue with Whittaker as the Doctor, but felt something was missing from this entire series. It felt like the Doctor was phoning it in and more often than not goofing about, as opposed to 'being clever'. In the New Year's Special, I missed the determination the antagonist should engender. Craig I sometimes found the plot, and the Doctor, a little too laid back, but I believe this is a confident decision to scale back the god-like imperviousness of some of the previous Doctors. Brendan Jones I was looking forward to the new Doctor but they lost me with the writing, and the crystal TARDIS. Also, there were seriously bad villains and explanations in the stories. All the Doctor does is ask questions, then suddenly the show's over. The New Year's Special was by far the best story, but even then it wasn’t that good. It’s sad that the companions carry the show more than the Doctor. Jodie is capable of so much more. Please kick the writers into high gear so there is no more coasting like they seemed to do this series. I mean, bubble wrap, dirt and rags as enemies? My 5 year-old writes better stuff. Alfio Gallo
I think its been a great series. The stories have been slower just like the classics series. Damian Magee There were good episodes, but the pace was slow throughout and it never really gets going. Andrew I loved all of Series 11 and 'Resolution'. It was wonderful to watch. Linda Key It was a difficult series to rate. I thought they had a lot of excellent ideas, including a good Doctor and characters, effective visuals, and a stripped back scale after the excesses of previous series. Having said that, the writing often felt a bit awkward, which undercut the strengths. David Carroll It was a series of wonderful moments but some missed opportunities. I think the time allocated to a story has hurt the series and they should consider either doing more two-parters, or go back to 4 x 30, with less story-lines to allow the action and characters more time to develop and explore the universe. Jodie has proved herself as an exceptional addition to the Doctor lineage and Graham has become the best companion in years… Aaron Richardson The story-lines are what needed change, not the actors. Y. Davis I love the new Doctor, love the companions and love the new composer, but the plots, pacing, and dialogue are utter garbage. Cam Munro Jodie is a wonderful Doctor, however the new concepts and writing are terrible. I think it is too PC and bland. There is so much potential to make this program great, but it is yet to be. Sue Hutchings I just wish there were more episodes and it wasn't such a long delay between series. Rai Akers The stories were marvellous, and I loved 'Rosa', despite my lower scoring of it, but the writing of the stories is where it falls. Also, Yaz needs more character. Maddy
I literally loved this entire series and it's honestly hard to even pick a favourite story. Castiel McIntosh My low average for the series in whole is based on the fact that there was no time given for the Doctor. Fine, let each of the crew have their spotlight moments, but in the end, it felt like the Doctor was a supporting character, with the exception of 'Resolution'. That felt better, more like a Doctor Who story. A fairly weak, plot-holed series compared to previous series offerings. We really missed out on getting to know this most excellent Doctor, particularly at the start, because the show seemed to be more interested in playing with all its other new toys. Steven Overall, Series 11 was something of a disappointment. The casting of our first female Doctor has been seriously let down by very mediocre writing from Chris Chibnall. It's notable that all the stories written by people other than Chibnall are far more enjoyable. The cast are great but Yaz is so often sidelined. Tristan Alfaro The series was OK, but we must bear in mind its only just finding its feet. Terry Watts The series was disappointing and bland, even mediocre in places. The only real irredeemable evil the Doctor confronted was Tim Shaw, who was dispatched with ludicrous ease. Luckily the Dalek in the New Year's Special raised the bar at the end and gave hope for the next series. Alex Rohan Chibnall's scripts, besides the New Year's Special, were the weakest. Todd Jodie has brought back a sense of wonder and excitement to the Doctor. Instead of acting like "Ho hum, here we go again, silly humans, blah de blah", she is excited to be learning and relearning new things. She is never preachy when she is explaining things to Team TARDIS and she is generous, loving, desperately kind and infinitely fierce and loyal. She is the Doctor we needed! Susan
It is a bit hard to choose between 'Kerblam!', 'Rosa' and 'Resolution' because I liked them all equally, but I suppose 'Kerblam!' edged the other two out because I found it different. However, it was only by a hair's breadth. 'Rosa' was well acted and written and taught me something I didn't know because I was more aware of the later stages of the movement, growing up in the early 60s. And 'Resolution' was a first rate Dalek story. Nikki White My favourite was 'Kerblam!', but just over 'Resolution'. Dave White It was a difficult choice between 'Rosa' and 'Demons of the Punjab', both of which had contemporary relevance. I enjoyed most stories thoughout this series, with the exception perhaps of the 'Tsuranga Conundrum'. Matt Cardier I love watching Doctor Who but the format of this series I must say, is one I am not a big fan of. I much prefer continuity and a bigger picture. Even a moment like the reveal of Jack as the Face of Boe makes the series. Michael Olsen I found this series very uneven, but 'Resolution' was up there with the best new Who ever made. Alex Paige
1) Rate the character of the 13th Doctor after you had seen the first story Fantastic Very Good Good Great Average Below Average Abysmal
31.9% 18.5% 15.9% 13.4% 8.9% 3.2% 3.2%
Above Average Poor Bad Very Poor
2.5% 1.3% 0.6% 0.0%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 56. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 8 which was equal to "Very Good". The mean or average score was 7.80 which equates as less than "Very Good".
2) Rate Jodie Whittaker's performance as the Doctor after you had seen the first story
3) Rate the character of the 13th Doctor after you have seen the whole series
The total number of votes that were received was 1 56. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 9 which was equal to "Great". The mean or average score was 8.22 which equates as greater than "Very Good".
The total number of votes that were received was 1 40. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 9 which was equal to "Great". The mean or average score was 7.54 which equates as less than "Very Good".
Fantastic Great Good Very Good Average Above Average B elow Average Bad Poor Abysmal Very Poor
38.9% 22.9% 10.7% 10.2% 7.6% 1.9% 1.9% 1.9% 1.3% 1.3% 0.6%
Great Fantastic Very Good Average Below Average Good Abysmal Above Average Bad Poor Very Poor
27.0% 24.8% 15.6% 7.6% 5.7% 5.0% 4.3% 2.1% 2.1% 1.4% 1.4%
4) Rate Jodie Whittaker's performance as the Doctor after you have seen the whole series Fantastic Great Very Good Average Good Above Average Very Poor
35.3% 22.5% 15.8% 7.2% 6.5% 4.3% 3.6%
5) Select four words from the list below that best describes Jodie Whittaker's performance. Passionate Playful Comic Natural Dramatic Layered Realistic Nuanced Farcical Over-the-top
16.3% 14.5% 12.4% 8.5% 7.1% 5.3% 4.6% 4.3% 3.2% 2.8%
Abysmal Below Average Bad Very Poor
2.9% 0.7% 0.7% 0.0%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 39. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 9 which was equal to "Great". The mean or average score was 8.04 which equates as greater than "Very Good"
Theatrical 2.8% Intense 2.8% Melodramatic 2.8% Subtle 2.5% Action 2.5% Wooden 2.5% Forceful 2.5% Versatile 1.8% Histrionic 0.7%
The total number of words chosen from the list was 282. All words were selected at least once. The extra words people suggested will be listed later in the "Commentary and Analysis" area.
6) Select four words from the Commentary and Analysis list below that best describes I asked two sets of questions about the character of the 1 3th Doctor and Jodthe 13th Doctor's character. Friendly Energetic Adventurous Awkward Funny Joyous Intelligent Smart Witty Dull Brave Heroic Wise Loopy Annoying Gentle Flamboyant Verbose Tender Brash Cold Romantic Sly Cunning Gallant Handsome Belligerent Demure Didactic Caustic Aggressive Taciturn Angry Grouchy Vain
12.6% 9.9% 8.3% 7.6% 6.6% 6.6% 6.3% 4.3% 4.0% 3.6% 3.6% 3.3% 3.3% 3.0% 3.0% 2.3% 2.0% 1.7% 1.7% 1.0% 1.0% 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
ie's performance to see if there was any appreciable change from people’s first impressions till people had seen the whole series. In other words do first impressions stick? The average figure for the character of the Doctor dropped marginally from 7.80 to 7.54, whilst the performance of Jodie also dropped marginally from 8.20 to 8.04. Thus I feel I can say that people’s first impressions did stick. These figures show that basically Jodie has been accepted as the 1 3th Doctor and people like this Doctor. The extra words people used to describe Jodie Whittaker's perfromance included: Amazing, awesome, brilliant, captivating, childish, cringe, delightful, directed, emotive, empathic, forced, friendly, generous, intriguing, lost, loveable, monotonous, open, quirky, relaxed, understated and whimsical. The extra words people used to describe the 1 3th Doctor’s character included: Alien, astute, boring, caring, childlike, considerate, cynical, daft, determined, Doctorish, dumb, endearing, exciting, family, happy, hopeful, inclusive, interesting inventive, kind, loyal, over-explanatory, perceptive, preachy, regeneration-failure, resistant, ridiculous, simple, underwritten, uninspiring, unknowledgeable and Yorkshire!
7) Do you have any comments on this section? After the first story
Loved her. She was quirky like the Doctor should be. Murray Swift I liked her performance after one story. Steve Glasby The total number of words chosen from Jodie was good. She had to do the the list was 302. Five words were not best she could with a terrible script. selected. The extra words people suggested will be listed below in the "Com- Her performance was solid. This shows promise, I just hope the writing immentary and Analysis" area. proves. Michael Stapleton
Loved her after only a few minutes and I really liked was how she built her own sonic screwdriver. Jodie's Doctor reminded me on how much the third Doctor like to invent things. She has a very human touch, like the third Doctor, and was very compassionate. Luke Steele Sandford I could find nothing about her performance that irked me. At least not any more than previous recent incarnations, so I'm ready to see more. Fraser Clark I loved Jodie as the Doctor. I think she nailed the character to a 'T'; right from the post regeneration madness, to when she finally knew who she was, and everything in between. Corrina Miller She was "The Doctor" from the first second and never let go. I loved her. Stephen Collins I can totally believe she is the Doctor. The same person as all the other Doctors. She has the 'Doctorishness' spot on. Matthew Rayner It was nice to have a kind, empathetic Doctor who isn’t weighed down by angst and self-doubt. She’s just a traveller who helps out. Nathan Bottomley I think she is going to work out well. She nailed the post regeneration madness and to be honest, I had to keep reminding myself this Doctor is female. That is no bad thing, it just shows how seamless the transformation was. Karen Carpenter After most regenerations, it has taken time to get used to the new incarnation, however Jodie has got me hooked on her Doctor immediately. I am really looking forward to this ride. Paul Fitzgibbons I think Jodie did very well. I was really against a female Doctor but she really won me over with her performance to the point where I really was very impressed, and she got the character down pat. Kelvin Welbourn
I frankly couldn't see any character to speak of. This was not her fault, but that of the abysmal writing. Alex Paige I was very pleased with Jodie's performance and it is very nice to have a kind, empathic Doctor again. Unfortunately, I had trouble understanding half her dialogue through her accent. I suspect it is something that will take a bit of getting used to. Otherwise, can't wait for the upcoming stories. Richard Andrew Plane
After the whole series
A great mix of seriousness and comedy. I loved the historical stories harking back to classic Doctor Who, where the main purpose of the show was education… Dave White I'll revise my score once she shows some character, and isn't purely passive. Aaron J Climas I thought she did the best with what she was given. I would love to see her with a different showrunner. John Richards She is finding her way, but is being hamstrung by the material, which doesn’t seem tailored to her. Something about her Doctor isn’t right, just as the first series of Capaldi's Doctor wasn’t right. I found that Eccleston found his groove by ep 4, Tennant found his by ep 3, Smith took longer and was there by ep 6-7, but Whittaker has moments where she might break through then backslides back to fumbling about again, still not finding her groove yet (and it’s a whole series). I’m almost tempted to call her approach ‘the accidental Doctor’ as it strikes me (unfortunately) that this Doctor still doesn’t seem to know what to do, or how to do it, with any real or feigned, as with Smith, confidence. Craig Walker I think the first and fifth Doctors both did well with three companions at once. So I put a lot of blame on Chibnall and the scripts, as a crowded TARDIS crew can be done well. Brian Cherry
I like her. She wasn’t a victim of her past, she wasn’t a broken old man lashing out at the world, or running away from herself. She was compassionate and daft, witty and very clever when she needed to be. She wasn’t written as some manic daredevil or someone who needed cards to understand how to interact with people. She wanted to show her mates the universe and every so often had to stop because someone was being beastly to someone else. No mission. No quest. Just some-one with a moral code that came across a problem and knew how to solve it. We often use Patrick Toughton’s performance as the Doctor as a yardstick, and she was very Troughton-esque. Not in her manner, but in her outlook on life. We see the Doctor who’d lark about in silly hats or dressing up in disguises reborn. Daniel Worsley When she says "I am the Doctor" for the first time, I’d call that a Doctor moment. I also felt she was pretty good as the Doctor in the finale too. The problem is, we’ve become accustomed to long Doctor speeches thanks to Moffat, which isn’t a bad thing, but Chibnall doesn’t seem to do that, which also is not a bad thing. They’re just different. Neither RTD or Moffat’s first series were 'blow your mind' brilliant so I’m looking forward to next series. Scott Marshall There were references to a lot of eras in the show's history but to me it felt in some ways like 60s Who, when the Doctor didn't know it all and the companions enjoyed each other's company. It wasn't perfect as some episodes felt like they could have had a couple of extra rewrites, the gang / fam thing got a bit irritating, but those are minor problems. This was a welcome change of pace after some of the convoluted and overwrought stories of the last few years. Matt Cardier Totally enjoyable and she was the Doctor from the first story. Colin Young
Bradley Walsh was the best Doctor this season. Best actor. Best character. Best heart. Best laughs. Jodie made a great number two. Philip Edney In the end, her facetious helplessness was infuriating, and when she kept saying 'fam' I wanted to boot her in in the backside! Deborah Loraine Kean Sorry, I’ll need another series to properly assess, I think. Jon Swabey
General
I felt the new Doctor had elements of the past Doctors as well as new vibes. I'd like to see some emotional stakes explored with a Doctor-only adventure such as Peter Capaldi had ('Heaven Sent'). I think Jodie Whittaker is very fine in the role and with a series under her belt there can be some deeper exploration of the nuances of the character going forward. Craig Wellington A female Doctor could have been a wonderful thing if only they chose somebody who could act! Jodie's dialogue delivery is very forced and monotonous. She needs to learn how to convey intelligence and gravitas and not just blather away like a Tennant clone because it wasn't that great when he did it either. Michael Cloonan A strong start and has a solid understanding of her past. She needs to be given the opportunity to actually play the role without the need for the companions and actually establish her view on how she wants the character to be as she is definitely unique and a wonderful interpretation. Aaron Richardson All in all a good performance which was going to be heavily criticised due to her being female. Terry Watts As the first female Doctor she has done a fantastic job ,it is just a pity about the scripts she has been given. Allan Wheelhouse Jodie is great but they have forgotten the darker side of the Doctor. Doug Rumble
I honestly really like Jodie's 13. I just wish the show was more focused on her (the Doctor). I'm afraid her time will pass without feeling we've spent any time with her. Stephen I loved Jodie Whittaker's performance a lot. Lauren Meagher Love the new Doctor. Stephen Oehlman She is one of my favourite Doctors. Jordan Verbeek
She was a good choice. David Carroll The 13th Doctor never really developed. She basically boiled down to two snarly faces and a mouth that never stopped running. Scott Walton I am so very happy that girls and women can finally have a real role model in the Doctor. My granddaughters are finally getting into Doctor Who, because of Jodie Whittaker. Susan
1) Rate the team of – Graham, Yasmin and Ryan Very Good Fantastic Good Great Average Above Average Below Average Poor
27.3% 15.4% 15.4% 14.0% 10.5% 5.6% 4.9% 2.8%
2) Select who is your favourite of the Doctor's new friends Graham Yasmin Ryan
78.6% 13.8% 6.9%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 44.
Bad Abysmal Very Poor
2.1% 1.4% 0.7%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 40. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 9 which was equal to "Great". The mean or average score, was 7.54 which equates as less than "Very Good".
3) Rate Bradley Walsh's performance 4) Rate the character of Graham Great Fantastic Very Good Good Average Above Average Poor Below Average Bad Very Poor Abysmal
36.7% 34.5% 11.5% 7.9% 3.6% 2.2% 1.4% 0.7% 0.7% 0.0% 0.0%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 39. "Great" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 9. The median figure was 9 which was equal to "Great". The mean or average score, was 8.65 which equates as less than "Great".
Fantastic Very Good Great Good Above Average Average Below Average Poor Very Poor Bad Abysmal
38.0% 23.4% 19.0% 8.0% 5.1% 2.9% 2.2% 0.7% 0.7% 0.0% 0.0%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 37. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 9 which was equal to "Great". The mean or average score, was 8.51 which equates as less than "Great".
5) Rate Tosin Cole's performance 6) Rate the character of Ryan Very Good Fantastic Good Average Great Above Average Below Average Poor Abysmal Bad Very Poor
34.6% 18.1% 14.2% 12.6% 7.9% 3.1% 3.1% 3.1% 2.4% 0.8% 0.0 %
The total number of votes that were received was 1 27. "Very good" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 8. The median figure was 8 which was equal to "Very Good". The mean or average score, was 7.33 which equates as greater than "Good".
Very good Good Above Average Average Great Fantastic Below Average Poor Abysmal Bad Very Poor
20.8% 16.0% 16.0% 13.6% 12.0% 10.4% 4.8% 3.2% 2.4% 0.8% 0.0%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 25. "Very Good" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 8. The median figure was 7 which was equal to "Good". The mean or average score, was 6.84 which equates as less than "Good".
7) Rate Mandip Gill's performance 8) Rate the character of Yasmin Very Good Great Fantastic Good Average Above Average Below Average Abysmal Poor Bad Very Poor
26.9% 15.7% 13.4% 13.4% 13.4% 10.4% 2.2% 2.2% 1.5% 0.7% 0.0%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 34. "Very Good" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 8. The median figure was 8 which was equal to "Very Good". The mean or average score, was 7.28 which equates as greater than "Good".
Very Good Average Great Good Fantastic Above Average Below Average Very Poor Poor Abysmal Bad
19.4% 15.5% 14.0% 13.2% 11.6% 10.1% 5.4% 4.7% 2.3% 2.3% 1.6%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 29. "Very Good" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 8. The median figure was 7 which was equal to "Good". The mean or average score, was 6.67 which equates as less than "Good".
Commentary and Analysis
With three new companions joining a new Doctor, as well as the obvious decisions to look at each individually, it was also thought a good idea to look at them as a group. Please note that at the time the survey was created it was not known that they would become “Team TARDIS”. As a team, their highest rating was for “Very Good”, which coincidentally was the same highest rating for both Tosin Cole’s and Mandip Gill’s performances and also for their characters. Or was it just a coincidence? It was clear from the start that Bradley Walsh’s performance of Graham was the stand-out. The performances of Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill were judged to be about the same, but people were disappointed that the character of Yasmin did not get enough chances to shine.
9) Do you have any comments on this section? Graham
I love the way that two older male characters, Wilf and Graham, are getting such depth of character in the new series, not to mention the actors themselves are flipping awesome! Dwayne Bunney Donna's grandfather Wilf was such an outstanding character I feel that Graham adds that same element. I wasn't sure about the three companions when they were revealed but it really works. Gemma Styles Graham was the one character I'd get rid of! I really didn't know he was popular. But good for him. I did warm to him a lot more in Rosa. John Richards I was worried the character of Graham would overwhelm the Doctor as Bradley Walsh is such a strong actor, but Graham is my favourite companion this season. Bradley Wash acts with such honesty; it's wonderful. Isabella 'Izzy' Von Lichtan
I think Graham is awesome. Bradley Walsh is such an awesome actor, always has been as far as I am concerned. He is one of those rare ones who act with their whole being, not just in the voice with the lines they say. The scene on the bus towards the end of Rosa, where it is him she is being told to give up her seat for… Outstanding, really. I agree with Gemma in that he is providing the same element as Wilf and that is a good thing. I love how this crew are so like the first ever "Team TARDIS". Karen Carpenter Graham is by far the best of the companions. Character is spot on. Questioning the Doctor but going with the flow. Kelvin Welbourn I think Graham is the best of them. He could be a great quiz show host one day. Ron Godwin
Yasmin
Yaz needs more to do, but they work together well. David Carroll Yasmin has been Nyssa'd throughout this series. She's given so little to do except be there for the Doctor to explain the plot to in tedious detail. She really needs to be given better service next season. Alex Rohan Yaz has been very much underused but I can't fault any of the performances. Brendan Jones In episode 1 she's a cop and has things to do. Have we seen her do a single 'policey' or 'investigatory' thing since then? Daniel M Payne Ryan called her a "Fed" which put me right off from the start. I was reminded of New Zealand children who think our emergency number is 911, or the one my brother told me about who said that when he grew up he wanted to go to "the capital". My brother pointed out that they were in Wellington, and the boy said "I mean the real capital, Washington". People who get all of their knowledge of the world from American TV should not be TV characters! :O Deborah Loraine Kean
Ryan
Diverse set of companions. All interesting in their own way. Stephen Oehlmann Bradley Walsh's Graham is the absolute standout of the four leads. Mandip Gil's Yaz doesn't get enough to do. Tosin Cole as Ryan could do with a broader range of emotions. Tristan Alfaro Graham and Ryan have been given all the emotional stuff. Bradley Walsh has great range and depth. Tosin Cole has a more limited range but what he does, he does well. Poor Mandip Gill is so likeable but Yaz is a 'Nyssa Nobody'. Todd Graham carries the team. Yasmin is good but suffers the same fact as the rest bad writing. Ryan is an up and down one. His condition with his coordination changes more often than my girlfriend deciding what to wear to go out. All are good characters but the Graham, Ryan and Yasmin can only do what the writers say. Definitely Graham. Yasmin second, I actors Alfio Gallo like her energy. Ryan isn't acted fantGraham went from least to most faastically, in my opinion, and likely would not miss him. I DO hope there's vourite as he developed. Ryan is solid, no romance between the younger ones. but has had some dodgy writing. Yasmin is great, but they don’t give her Susan Wolf They are truly setting themselves up enough to do. Cam Munro I love the character relationships of to be a gang long remembered for all the TARDIS team and their extended the right reasons! Ivan de Vulder families. Now we've had the Ryan's dad As people, they are quite believable reconciliation see any point and you get the impression they really bringing AaronI don't back but I can see the care about each other, but not in a value in Yasmin's family having a role in forced, OTT way. Nick Mays future episodes if it is as anchored as it Graham was the one I was initially was in ‘Demons of the Punjab’. Craig worried about. I needn't have been Wellington though, he's brilliant. His anguish at It's hard to pick only one favourite! the end of Rosa gave it more poignancy, Each time one of the team is 'featured' even if that scene didn't need any in a scene, really shine… until the more. But they are all wonderful. Matt next scene, they when it's another characCardier ter's 'turn'. I love the camaraderie that I loved Ryan and Yaz straight away. is developing amongst them and the I’ll admit Graham took a while to grow maturing of relationships. It's a lovely on me. Katie Hardwick synergy and I am surprised that there All three actors are great, but having hasn't been a dedicated team of comsuch a large central cast means that panions before this. Susan they're often underused, and it feels I would just like a little more backlike we still don't really know the char- story on the characters. Rai Akers acters that well. James It's tricky because I think the actor is doing a good job with the material, and I think he has a lot of potential for being an amazing character. But judging by his material it's impossible to say. It's a bit like trying to judge Rose Tyler if the first episode had just been her morning at work and having her lunch break. Aaron J Climas Ryan seems like an add on, and so far (I haven't seen the latest episode yet) hasn't had enough to do. In that, he seems a bit of a Micky Smiff! Deborah Loraine Kean I had never really seen much of him before this and I didn't know what to expect. I think this TARDIS crew works really well and he gives a lovely performance as Ryan. Karen Carpenter
The writers are struggling with balancing the three characters and finding a focus for them; but it will come. The relationships are excellent, but one must leave and possibly in a tragic manner. Aaron Richardson This section is difficult given that I think the friends (with the exception of Graham) have been under-utilised. Yaz in particular. What’s happened to her police officer job? Longer episodes and story arcs might help with some better character development. Karina McKoy
Too many companions. Doctor Who doesn't work as ensemble drama, it's not Broadchurch . Yaz had so little to do for the most part, except feel like she was forced in there for some kind of token equality. I might have rated her higher if there were less companions and she had a chance to be "used". Steven
1) Rate the new version of the theme music Great Fantastic Very Good Good Above average Average Below Average Abysmal
28.7% 24.0% 11.3% 11.3% 7.3% 5.3% 3.3% 2.7%
Poor Very poor Bad
2.0% 2.0% 2.0%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 50. "Great" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 9. The median figure was 9 which was equal to "Great". The mean or average score, was 7.64 which equates as less than "Very Good".
2) Rate the new title sequence
3) Rate the new look TARDIS
The total number of votes that were received was 1 53. "Great" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 9. The median figure was 8 which was equal to "Very Good". The mean or average score, was 7.58 which equates as less than "Very Good".
The total number of votes that were received was 1 45. "Fantastic" and "Very Good" were equal favourites so the mode was 9. The median figure was 7 which was equal to "Good". The mean or average score,was 6.66 which equates as less than "Good".
Great Good Fantastic Very good Average Above average Below Average Poor Very poor Bad Abysmal
23.5% 19.6% 18.3% 17.0% 6.5% 5.9% 2.6% 2.0% 2.0% 1.3% 1.3%
Fantastic Very Good Good Below Average Great Average Abysmal Above Average Very poor Bad Poor
20.7% 20.7% 15.2% 8.3% 7.6% 7.6% 6.9% 5.5% 2.8% 2.8% 2.1%
Commentary and Analysis
New title sequence
I love it. At first, it made me stop and stare. "What the hell is this?" I thought. But then, that's exactly how I felt the very first time I saw Hartnell, all those years ago. It's full of heart, this sequence, and it reflects or nods to a lot of the pre-JNT titles. I'd prefer to have Whittaker's face form and dissolve, but I adore the musical links to the original and also the statement being made : this is a less frenetic, more surprising, but utterly beguiling version of the show. And that final hiss as the episode title is revealed is genius: old and new, fused brilliantly. Gold! I realise on repeat viewing that the titles could also represent the two beating hearts of the Doctor, time and space both inside and out of this incarnation. Endless possibilities. Stephen Collins Titles – understated and unsettling. Lovely. Alex Rohan The best of the modern show. More like Classic Who. Paul Fitzgibbons I'm at the opposite place I was at with 4) Do you have any comments the initial 11th Doctor titles. Then I on this section? liked the music and disliked the seNew version of the theme music quence. Here, I really like the organicI've heard it full, it's very good. If ness of the titles, it's like a cross 'McMenace' could avoid talking over it between 'Scream of the Shalka' and that would be brilliant. Gavy Lad 'Dalek Invasion Earth'. Jon Andersen Loved the new intro. It has the feel of Titles also good, but the logo needs to the classic years especially the 60s / be better integrated. Tristan Alfaro and 80s. Luke Steele Sandford I think it's a nice, fresh, development, The theme arrangement reminds me and is much better than lightning bolts of the 80s a bit but quite liked it. Nikki hitting the TARDIS. Nick Mays White It reminds me of Pertwee's first seThe music is muted and unremarkquence, and that's a good thing. able. There is no eeriness, other-world- Dwayne Bunney liness or even the triumph of previous Very nice. I think they could be versions. Louis Scholten slightly longer, maybe not as long as It was a big improvement on the last previous ones, but slightly longer. one. I don't like what they have done to Colin Sharpe the bass-line, it's supposed to be an actual bass-line, not just a percussive New look TARDIS beat. Alex Paige I think I’d rather the crystals be blue It's good, makes me think more of the or purple, but I do like it. Darkness original Hartnell era theme music. hides imperfections on HD cameras. Mattie Rayner Daniel Worsley Of the three things I selected, that were new to the series, ‘the new version of theme music’ edged out the other two by being more liked. It got the highest “Fantastic” result and also the highest average, whilst 'the new look TARDIS' came a distant third. However ‘the new look TARDIS’ was the only one of the three to get “Fantastic” as its most popular choice. I only asked people to rate the new version of the theme music but I think some people got confused and gave their rating of the music in general. The new look TARDIS polarised many people, but I was only referring to the new interior, yes, the exterior has been altered but again just marginally. Maybe I should have had five questions: one on the theme music; one on the music in general; one on the title sequence; one on the TARDIS exterior and one on the TARDIS interior.
Exterior is nice, but I don't like the Crystals inside the TARDIS. Gives it a very cramped feel. I do like the little spinning TARDIS and the biscuit dispenser, but otherwise I'm not a fan. However, we've only seen it for a couple of minutes so I'll give it a chance. :) Scott Marshall Biscuit dispenser; so deliberately quirky. I want the Doctor and his machine to be alien, fantastic, and only semi-comprehensible. Same reason I hated the guitar wielding of Capaldi… Bishop Margaritatus Rate the new look TARDIS: 10 for exterior, 0 for interior, just to be sure. Gary Leigh I want to know why the new series TARDIS interiors are all dark and gloomy. With the exception of the S14 console room, they were bright and sleek. This new one is just another rendition of what we've essentially had since 2005. I was hoping for a more significant change. Simon Moore It is a bit Superman. But I think it will grow on me. Philip Edney My first thought is why, oh why do they change that interior every time a new showrunner takes over? I think running the interior from the rear of the box sort of throws the in-show logic of "bigger on the inside" out the window, as this is 'bigger on the tacked to the back'. The crystals take over the look WAY too much. The new version of the roundels is the best new feature thus far. Not enough screen time thus far to judge, but it's better than Matt Smith's everything, INCLUDING the kitchen sink original version. Steve Glasby It did give the naysayers the excuse to say "Oh, a woman's TARDIS is of course one big salt lamp / hippy crystal" I personally dislike organic TARDIS interiors, I much prefer the more mechanical. Steven I don’t love the TARDIS interior but it’s great how different it is from previous incarnations. Allison Kett
I'm not really sure about the flexing TARDIS columns, but apart from that it's all good. David Carroll The new TARDIS I think is appalling. It looks 'cluttered' in the sense that the columns seem to take up all the room. The console, which we never really got to see, is tiny! The TARDIS was very under-utilised in this series. Also, the colour scheme is nauseating. Scott Walton How can you not like a TARDIS that gives you a bikkie? Though I’d be wary of the Ogri powering it ;-) Karen Carpenter The almost annual redesign of the TARDIS in the last half of the revival gets on my nerves, but I have to say I did not realise that until I thought through my answer to this question. Having grown up with the classic series where for most of the time, the TARDIS interior was the TARDIS interior, I may have preferred them to stick to one iconic design for the revival, which, like the police box exterior, is a strong continuity element when all else changes. But you'd need a time machine to make that happen at this late stage ;) Craig Wellington The interior of the TARDIS feels super cramped and looks incredibly cheap, even by Doctor Who standards. Cam Munro The interior of the TARDIS is no longer inside the police box. You walk through the doors and out through the back of the police box. Wayne The TARDIS was often shot very poorly except for Comic Relief and 'Resolution'. It's a great set that needs a bit more love. Brendan Jones I wasn't really sure about the dark sign on the outside, but I am getting used to it. The inside has grown on me and just love the way the tops of the crystal columns move up and down with the centre. It could have been a touch lighter inside. Corrina Miller
1) How many episodes of Whovians Series 2 did you watch? None All episodes One episode Most episodes Some episodes
45.7% 37.1% 10.5 % 3.8% 2.9%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 44.
2) Rate Whovians Series 2 Fantatsic Average Good Above Average Great Abysmal Bad Very Good
19.5% 14.9% 11.5% 11.5% 10.3% 10.3% 8.0% 6.9%
Very Poor Below Average Poor
4.6% 1.1% 1.1%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 40. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 9 which was equal to "Great". The mean or average score, was 7.54 which equates as less than "Very Good".
3) Rate Rove's performance in Series 2 of Whovians Abysmal Fantastic Very Good Good Great Average Above Average Very Poor
15.5% 13.1% 11.9% 11.9% 10.7% 10.7% 8.3% 8.3%
Poor Below Average Bad
6.0% 3.6% 0.0%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 40. "Fantastic" was the favourite choice and thus the mode was 1 0. The median figure was 9 which was equal to "Great". The mean or average score, was 7.54 which equates as less than "Very Good".
4) Which was better, Series 1 or Series 2 of Whovians? Series 1 Series 2
50.8% 49.2%
The total number of votes that were received was 1 44.
Commentary and Analysis
Over 50% saw at least one episode, with a large 37% having watched them all. However, over 45% didn't watch it at all. A considerable minority vehemently disliked Rove, as the highest rated choice was “Abysmal” with over 1 5%, but the next highest response was that 1 3% thought he was “Fantastic”. Clearly Rove sharply polarised the views of people about the show and maybe this is why many did not watch. As he is the heart and soul of Whovians, without him it would not exist, being the front-man has taken its toll.
5) Do you have any comments on this section? Series 2
I love it, but I am not objective because I have been to the recordings which makes it quite a different experience. It really is a show for the fans: which is what I love about it, but it also what limits its ratings. I think it's too focussed on Rove, with occasional passes to the other guests; I would like to see them taking more screen time. Some of the guests only got a couple of lines through the whole show. Greg Neilson
Great fun. Shame there was not a final episode for the New Year Special. Stephen Oehlmann Be more critical of the episodes rather than sycophantically fawning over them. Michael Cloonan I enjoyed the few episodes of Whovians I saw but didn't feel compelled to watch. Tristan Alfaro I think Tegan and Bajo are very amusing.:-) Ron Godwin They just seemed to be patting themselves on the back most of this series. Rove was certainly more annoying this time, than last series. Their Tim Shaw bit was funny for a moment, then got as tired as Rove! Vicky Manning I wish there was more interaction with the audience. Cate Morgan I went to see Pting at Whovians – it made the episode more exciting to watch in a room full of fans. Laura I wish there was the news section. Lauren Meagher It’s been a fantastic Series 2 for a fantastic show and it’s really great how they have made a show for all Doctor Who fans. This series has been brilliant and I’ve been at the taping of the shows this year. It is so much fun. Like last series, it’s been really fun. What I enjoy is to meet fellow Whovians. Luke Steele Sandford Tried hard to watch it, but all the hysterical laughter at things I didn’t think were all that funny, made it unwatchable for me. Mark Corben
cheated there was no episode to follow ‘Resolution’ so it appealed to me a lot more than Series 1, which I still enjoyed, just not as much as Series 2. My biggest gripe is that "Whovians” is such an Americanism, one I have disliked since they started using it. This is Australia and we say “tomato sauce” not “ketchup”, so could they not have called it Doctor Who Fans, Fandom Who , Fandom Random – something. I have become a proud curmudgeon. Ha ha. Craig Wellington In some ways better than Series 1. But still not great. Teagan annoyed me to no end last series but is a bit better this time. Rove can be too cheesy. Bajo and Adam have the best input and the guests are hit and miss. Sometimes they say stuff that is explained in the episode, but they seem to have missed it, which is annoying. Gemma Styles I generally like the show and Banjo and Teagan always make me smile. I don’t like the 'on the street jokes' with Rove as they’re not funny and have nothing to do with the show. Series 1 spent more time discussing the show than Series2. Alfio Gallo Loved both series the same. Corrina Miller I honestly don't remember much of Series 1, but have enjoyed seeing a variety of different people on this series discussing it. And they all visibly love the show, no matter what you may think of their views or personality. Colin Sharpe Both series are dreadful. If they actually believe fans behave and think like Series 1 vs Series 2 that they have a pretty low opinion of They’ve settled into their roles, and how Whovians should work. More fun. us. The jokes are banal and it is one fool screaming above another fool. The David Drury analysis is so simple it is mindless. I was surprised the ABC went to a Sadly it had so much potential but the second series with more cutbacks of panel members are generally looming. Series 2 was tighter and had a choice woeful. Philip Edney higher quality of panel guests (please I think it's been tighter this series, no more politicians ever! A mistake in the ‘Rosa’ one for instance had some Series 1 I thought). Overall it felt slickinteresting discussion on Australian raer and funnier and a lot more relaxed cism, and I've actually found Tegan and and natural. I actually felt a little
Bajo almost amusing this year. The humour still falls a bit flat for me but I've actually thought about a few things the panel have said after the show this time. Getting rid of that news segment has already improved it. Matt Cardier
I just don’t find his sense of humour funny. Angela Gillespie JP I think Rove does a fantastic job of ‘legitimising’ fandom by having articulate and telegenic people geeking out in front of the camera – it helps the norms understand it's funny, and the rest of us to feel like it's something that everyone Rove would do too if only they knew how He’s enthusiastic and obviously a real else good the show is :) Christian Kent fan, but they should drop the silly “I Always found him more irritating went out in public and tested this” segments, as they are dumb and a waste of than amusing. Steven Nicholson valuable time. It would be better to dig into the episode more. Andy Poulsen
Age
40-49 50 over 30-39 20-29 12-19
118 77 41 30 12
I would have hoped for more respondents in the 1 2-1 9 bracket and would have expected more in the 20-29 bracket but the results show that, for at least this survey, fandom is getting older as the show ages.
Gender
Male Female Other
177 100 1
Whilst fandom may be getting older more and more fans are women and when I did an analysis based on age I found that 50% of the 1 2-1 9 bracket were women, but this dropped dramatically to 30% in the 20-29 bracket, rising to 32% for 30-39, peaking at 39% for 40-49 and finally 34% for the over 50s.
Place
NSW Vic Qld UK SA WA ACT NZ Tas US Canada NT
83
66 45
26 18 17 8 5 4 3 2 2
243 people came from Australia with the greatest number from NSW. I compared the percentage of respondents from each state with the percentage of people in that state. NSW had 34% of all Australian respondents and 32% of the population of Australia, next was Vic with 27% vs 26%, then Qld with 1 9% vs 20%, SA 7% vs 7%, WA 7% vs 1 1 %, ACT 4% vs 2%, Tas 2% vs 2% and NT 1 % vs 1 %. Other than possibly WA and ACT, no particular state was over or under represented.