So the ABC’s announced that the next season of Doctor Who will air on a Monday, and certain segments of the fandom are up in arms. Certain segments of the fandom seriously need to get over themselves.
Not long after the BBC announced that the long-awaited next season of Doctor Who would air on 7 October — which is a Sunday — the ABC followed with a suitably altered trailer that states it’ll air on 8 October here in Australia.
It’s About Time… #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/1pXPrTI4Ly— ABC TV Australia (@ABCTV) September 5, 2018
Which, if you’re paying attention is a Monday.
Rather predictably, quite a lot of the fandom is up in arms about this, because it rather breaks the weekend convention of watching new Who. It’s the whopocalypse, claim some fans.
These fans seriously need a sense of perspective. Like, right now.
Realistically, the decision on airing was the BBC’s call, and it wasn’t likely to let the ABC air one of its more expensive flagship shows before it did. Sunday night in the UK is early a.m in Australia, and that’s just one of those timey-wimey things that (unless you’re in possession of a TARDIS) you can do nothing about.
It’s not clear yet whether the ABC will do an iView simulcast or release as soon as the episode finishes, although the early Monday morning slot wouldn’t be great for most folks who work, myself included.
I’ll survive. So will you. Frankly, it’s miles better than the situation I grew up watching Doctor Who with, where we’d wait months for new episodes. Yes, that’s an old man grumble, and yes, the TV watching world has moved on.
Still, the episodes, for better or worse, will be the exact same content they were the morning after as they were the night before. Obsessive Who fan that I am, I sense multiple watchings going on anyway, because I’m a stickler for detail. Or I’m not-so-mildly OCD. Probably the latter.
Frankly, given the airing time, I can only presume that the folks who feel super-entitled (because once again, that’s what this boils down to) will pirate it anyway.
Me? I’ll be booking myself in some viewing time, presumably on ABC2 on Monday nights for some good times, sans entitled whinging.