Why Doctor Who Needs Protecting from a Hiatus – A Robin Hood Reminder
- doctorbrick
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
The Doctor: "I'm not a hero."
Robin Hood: "Well neither am I. But if we both keep pretending to be, perhaps others will be heroes in our name. Perhaps we will both be stories. And may those stories never end. Goodbye, Doctor. Time Lord of Gallifrey."
Now this was freaky, no sooner had I finished watching Robot of Sherwood on my rewatch through the show, I saw Russell T Davies' interview with Newsround. I found it strangely poetic.
First off, there is no context to RTD's answer, I don't believe we saw or heard what the interviewer led with. That said, his words didn't sound all that promising!
Robot of Sherwood is a bit of an underrated gem from Peter Capaldi’s era that explores myth, storytelling and what it means to be a legend. It struck me, when these two events happened at almost the same time - how fitting Russell's comment was. Doctor Who is a legend by its own right, much the same as Robin Hood, and whilst I think its story will go on forever, I also think it would be a massive shame to put the show on a hiatus and deprive us of seeing the story unfold further.
More Than a Show – It’s Magic
One thing can be said, Doctor Who's story will never fully stop being told. It will continue with Big Finish and audio adventures, it will continue with FanFiction and FanArt, it will continue in our minds as we think about it.
That said, the idea of Doctor Who not being on TV is honestly heart breaking. We have been starved of the show as it is these past few years. This isn’t just a TV show though is it? It’s pure magic. It’s imagination made real. It’s a story that dares to be bold, to challenge norms, to teach compassion, and to celebrate difference. It’s also fun, daft, scary, epic, and sometimes incredibly moving, it can be all of those things over a series or even just one episode.
Few shows, if any, can claim all of that. Fewer still, if any, can say they’ve done it for over 60 years.
Don’t Let the Loudest Voices Drown Out the Love
I think the BBC should protect this show, not ponder shelving it because it’s not pulling Marvel-level ratings or because a few knuckle-draggers on the internet think it’s too woke. Those voices are always loud, but they’re rarely the ones who care. The truth is, Doctor Who is more important than ever.
In a world that feels increasingly divided, cynical, and commercialised, a show like Doctor Who - a show that believes in kindness, change, and hope - is vital. Steven Moffat said the best thing ever about the Doctor:
"They didn't give him a tank or a warship or an X-Wing, they gave him a call box from which you can call for help, and they didn't give him a superpower or a heat-ray, they gave him an extra heart. And that's extraordinary. There will never come a time when we don't need a hero like the doctor."
That is so spot on I don't really need to add anymore. One thing maybe - what other show tells children (and adults) that anyone can be a hero just by being kind, brave, and clever?
Let the TARDIS Keep Flying
The ratings may be lower than before, but that is always going to happen. The ratings are also down on Eastenders, BGT, Stictly, and any other show you can think of. The fact that Doctor Who is slated so much is a badge of honour, not many shows get this much grief, and Varada is right you know, that does mean Doctor Who is doing something right.
And really, even if the show doesn't pull in the figures it once did, there will still be a whole load of families out there who sit down to watch this bonkers show on a Saturday night. Isn’t that the kind of television we should be celebrating? Not chasing hollow numbers or social media metrics, but moments. Shared memories. Generations watching together. Parents introducing their kids to the Doctor, just like their parents did. That’s not just ratings - that’s culture. It is special!
I think it would be a tragedy if we lost Doctor Who now. And not just because it’s part of British TV history, but because it still has so much left to say. There are more stories to tell, more people to reach, more lives to touch.
It would pretty much sum up the state this world is in right now if it was stopped. You can cover it in whatever you want, but the main reason will be because of what people think of RTD and Ncuti Gatwa. I don't mean their talents either, I mean sexual orientation and/or colour of skin. Nothing more, nothing less!
What a shame that these so called fans have missed out on an amazingly fun, brilliant Doctor, just because they hate anything that isn't like them! Don't let them trick you into thinking it is anything but that by the way! They were never going to like Ncuti, whatever the stories were like!
I am off the artist formerly known as Twitter so I don't know what is going on there, but I am sure they are taking the new TARDIS team to their hearts! There wasn't a single hint of sarcasm there!
So much hate for something that's fun, and kind and brilliant, it just doesn't make sense to me. It was, and is, a show that says be kind to everyone - could someone confirm what the fuck is the problem with that?!
Hiatus? Not for Legends Like Robin Hood or the Doctor Who
RTD is so right of course, Doctor Who and Robin Hood will never die, not completely, they will always be there, they are too good an idea and story, not to be. That doesn't mean it should be binned off from our TV screens though. I want to see the Doctor carry on fighting the good fight.
Come on BBC, don’t let short-term thinking silence a timeless voice. Protect it. Nurture it. Let it grow, stumble, soar - because that’s what it does. And because, quite frankly, we need the Doctor now more than ever.
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