[RhysJR]

In the nicest possible way: good.

I think I can live with the concept and 14's ending, as long as David is retired for a good, long while.

www.gamesradar.com 

Russell T Davies says there are "no plans" for David Tennant to return to Doctor…
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies says there are no plans for David Tennant…
  Source: www.gamesradar.com

[Flux]

In the nicest possible way: good.

I think I can live with the concept and 14's ending, as long as David is retired for a good, long while.

www.gamesradar.com 

Agreed, though I do think they’ve rather tied themselves in knots if that’s the case - any current day episodes where London is in any kind of danger will need to address why an incarnation of the Doctor (who has his own TARDIS and a best friend so brilliant that Unit want her on their staff) who lives just down the road isn’t bothering to help out with the threat…

I know he’s meant to be resting, but in universe that’s a rather very flimsy excuse if people are dying.

[JMT1985]

Agreed, though I do think they’ve rather tied themselves in knots if that’s the case - any current day episodes where London is in any kind of danger will need to address why an incarnation of the Doctor (who has his own TARDIS and a best friend so brilliant that Unit want her on their staff) who lives just down the road isn’t bothering to help out with the threat…

I know he’s meant to be resting, but in universe that’s a rather very flimsy excuse if people are dying.

When we watch the last scene with Tennant's doctor with Donna's family and she says to him he doesn't have to stay, and he replies we will see. So we all know the doctor would get bored, he actually got bored already by taking Rose to Mars on a trip. So this can easily explain his absence when London or the UK or indeed the world is in danger.

[Brekkie]

They used to film 13/14 episodes in 9 months, but now, the 60th specials alone took 3 months to film last year. Whilst for the 8 episode S14/season 1 with Ncuti and Millie, filming started in December 2022 and didn't wrap until July 2023

That's pretty much the same with the specials being 60 minutes rather than 45, so equivalent of 4x45 min episodes.

I assume the series will be 45-50 minutes, though suspect with the flexibility to run longer as required.

[Flux]

When we watch the last scene with Tennant's doctor with Donna's family and she says to him he doesn't have to stay, and he replies we will see. So we all know the doctor would get bored, he actually got bored already by taking Rose to Mars on a trip. So this can easily explain his absence when London or the UK or indeed the world is in danger.

Isn’t it just as bad if he pops off to Mars because he’s bored and doesn’t bother returning even when his own family are in trouble?! He’d deserve the slap Sylvia gave him when he returned!

In all seriousness though, I know there are plenty of ways to explain his absence. What I find perplexing is why RTD would create the need to explain it in the first place. There was no reason to have 14 settle in 2023. There were many other ways to give his story the same full stop without creating the issue. It just seems uncharacteristically sloppy for RTS as a writer, and even if they choose to ignore it going forward it still leaves an awkward loose end for any earth-based stories in the main show or future spinoffs based on present day earth.

[JMT1985]

That's pretty much the same with the specials being 60 minutes rather than 45, so equivalent of 4x45 min episodes.

I assume the series will be 45-50 minutes, though suspect with the flexibility to run longer as required.

Now that Disney has the international licensing rights, the BBC does not have to think about timings for commercial channels around the world. This is why for the 2005 until 2017 run, the regular episode was nearly always around 45 minutes in length, easy for international commercial channels to use in a one hour slot with adverts.

Now Disney is there, they don't have to think about that, and can run for as long as they can afford to

[Brekkie]

Have the 2005+ episodes ever been repeated in the UK outside of the BBC, presumably on one of the UKTV channels?

[RhysJR]

Have the 2005+ episodes ever been repeated in the UK outside of the BBC, presumably on one of the UKTV channels?

I remember seeing one (original) Tennant era episode on in a pub around five years ago on Watch. I think they might have been shown on Drama more recently as well.

[JMT1985]

I remember seeing one (original) Tennant era episode on in a pub around five years ago on Watch. I think they might have been shown on Drama more recently as well.

The "new who" era is often repeated on the W channel

[UTVLifer]

Agreed, though I do think they’ve rather tied themselves in knots if that’s the case - any current day episodes where London is in any kind of danger will need to address why an incarnation of the Doctor (who has his own TARDIS and a best friend so brilliant that Unit want her on their staff) who lives just down the road isn’t bothering to help out with the threat…

I know he’s meant to be resting, but in universe that’s a rather very flimsy excuse if people are dying.

RTD said on either the commentary or Unleashed, can’t remember which but he definitely said it, that the Fourteenth Doctor and the Nobles are in France - which gets around the whole London issue