The budget cuts at the BBC are having an impact on all TV programs, including Doctor Who which will be split into two segments separated by a few months. Rather than simply split the series in half, Moffat sees the break as an opportunity that is incredibly cryptic.
Steven Moffat with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in NYC
“Looking at the next [season], I thought what this show needs is a big event in the middle,” showrunner Steven Moffat recently told attendees of the Edinburgh International Television Festival, according to The Guardian. “I kept referring to a mid-season finale. So we are going to make it two [seasons] — seven episodes at Easter building to an Earth-shattering climax, a cliffhanger we could never normally do because it would be too long before it came back. An enormous game-changing cliffhanger that will change everything.”
“The wrong expression would be to say we are splitting it in two,” he said. “We are making it two separate” seasons.
This is to my knowledge the second time that a 13 episode run has been stated as double what would usually be allotted for a year’s run. I recall reading back when Eccleston took over back in 2005 the actor stated that he had signed on for two series of Doctor Who and the production staff decided to combine them into one long series of double the intended length. Since then a 13 part series has been regarded as the norm. Apparently, those days are over.
With Matt Smith being courted to stay a full three years and the 50th anniversary series looming in the distance, this news regarding a shorter series ending in a game-changing finale after episode 7 could mean anything.
What do you think?
