Can’t Fix

Yay, Russell Davies returns as showrunner for Doctor Who. But is he the solution to the problem? According to this article, Russell Davies can’t fix Doctor Who. The problem is beyond the showrunner. Okay, what is the point? What he says is quite simple. He makes a good point. New Who’s focus seems to be who the showrunner is. The showrunner must know what they want. They also must be creative. They must know what they are doing, but should the focus be on them? The BBC seems to think the showrunner makes Doctor Who. Doctor Who will be better with Davies as showrunner, but he will not completely fix the problems. You wonder what this means.

Davies will fix a small aspect of the problems, but Doctor Who needs a different focus. The BBC’s focus is on the showrunner. But the showrunner does not make the show. Whovians don’t tune into the show to watch Davies direct and produce the show. He is good at writing as well, but who is the focus? The BBC has lost focus. What does that mean? How does that affect Doctor Who? Ratings for Doctor Who weren’t the best over the last three years. People can make excuses and blame Chibnall, the writing, or even Jodie. As a fan, one can get caught in the traps of fandom. Fans desire certain things to remain the same. When change arrives, it must fit their little picture of Doctor Who.

Davies will be a great showrunner. Doctor Who will be better, but the BBC must change its focus. Davies can’t fix that aspect of the problem. Chibnall might be one problem, and Davies fixes that problem. But the BBC needs to change its focus to the Doctor. The classic series is Doctor focused. The main character is the focus. Who cared about the producer back in the day? The Doctor makes the show. Having a good showrunner is a plus. But the BBC”s focus needs to return to the Doctor. The author of the article is correct in his assessment. Things will be better with Davies, but the BBC needs a focus change.