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Fuck it.

I did lodge a complaint with the BBC about Waters of Mars. It wasn't suitable family viewing, end of. I've got kids and I don't want this kind of shit from a kids' show.

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I appreciate your posts on this. I chose not to watch it. I've had enough emotional abuse from RTD while trying to watch my (supposedly) fun, goofy shows..

It was hugely unwatchable anyway. It dragged for 45 minutes and then became all about the Doctor being such a dick that someone chose to blow their own head off, more or less just to spite him. Fun times with the kiddoes.

I can appreciate where you're coming from. Others have commented about that particular part of the show as well. Not what you call family viewing.

Lori

The merchandising of this show is aimed at my kid. My kid's only five, but still, he's well into it, has all the toys and the duvet cover and all that. I don't appreciate him having to witness someobody killing themselves because the Doctor acted like an asshole. The Doctor's supposed to be the hero of this particular show.

Maybe they need to put a notice saying may not be suitable for all children. The show is getting darker the last couple eps anyway.

Lori

I think perhaps they should. I mean, this was on at 7pm in England. That happens to be 8pm my time, but still, if I'd lived in England, my kid would have watched just the same, as it is, it was a can-I-stay-up-and-watch situation, to which we said yes, because he loves Doctor Who and there's only been a few episodes this year. Having him become this morally ambiguous character was quite disconcerting, there's always been the odd death and stuff and he can handle that, but in the end, to a kid, the Doctor is the Good Guy. I can't believe Russell went there in breaking that fundamental premise.

I can't believe Russell went there in breaking that fundamental premise.

I liked Waters of Mars... well, more than I expected to, which is not quite the same as liking it.

But as far as I'm concerned, RTD broke all fundamental premises by not hinting or alluding, but going so over the top that he literally presented a snuff film as entertainment in CoE. The only concession in Waters is that he had the snuff offstage and not lovingly lingered over.

Edited 2009-11-20 01:45 (UTC)

It kind of reached the montage where everyone started dying and I was like "...is this really how this episode is going to end?"

And then it got a bit worse.

Good on you for complaining.

INORITE? I thought I was hallucinating the last 15 minutes, I couldn't believe where it was going.

THIS

You've every right to complain and I agree that something has been lost. I've watched DW since the first Doctor (I was 6) and I watch it still, but I don't expect nor want the stories to be for me as an adult. In the next 2 specials, I can't think what story they'll run underneath the adult stuff that the kids will understand, but it'll have to be a good one or it'll be a huge betrayal of the show (but I'm not holding my breath).

It did this flip somewhere along the line, I think in series 4, where the doctor's-hubris-and-manpain storyline went from being the underlying for-the-adults B-plot, as it were, to being the A-plot. It is still a kids' show, and I resent the fact that that happened.

Wow, I went back to your original reaction and read the comments, and you really opened my eyes. I think you have every right to lodge that complaint!

My daughter really enjoyed it, and tells me her friends did too. Perhaps my girl's just unusually heartless, but the suicide didn't phase her at all.

I enjoyed TWOM but agree that the suicide at the end wasn't suitable for younger children.

This is interesting because in the U.S. you can show a horrific amount of violence on what purports to be a children's show, but sex (sshhh! don't even say the word!).

Looks like DW is going the way of TW - ramping up violence to a level unacceptable for viewing by young children. If I were a Brit - I'd be way pissed.

Dr Who has ALWAYS been a children's show - scarey enough that the little one's hide behind the sofa but not so dark that they are having nightmares. WTF is wrong with the BBC.

Did you manage to quote bits of the BBC Charter or programming guidelines for pre-watershed family viewing? They hate it when complainers can quote shit at them

I just had to tell you that your icon is hidiously hilarious! Perhaps we should have some stories around the theme 'yellow is SO NOT my color.'

GDL told Hub 3 convention that the costume for his panto would look nothing like this. It's a stock one that they use for promo shots. The promo photos for pantos are usually shot in the summer ;-) I used to work in an arts centre, I know these things.

Good thing! Cause he looks pretty silly with a fortune cookie on his head!

In view of BBCAmerica's acquisition of the new series of Doctor Who and the specials, it's particularly interesting to see RTD pushing DW as "It's all about fun! Come have fun with the Doctor!" Waters of Mars is being heavily promoted across the channel. Curious to see what first time viewers will think.

I haven't seen the latest ads for WOM on BBC America, but I never got the impression that that channel's aim was at any kind of children's programming, so maybe it's supposed to be "adult" fun with the Doctor!

If its adult fun, then why did they find it necessary to fuzzy out 2 seconds of JB's bare bottom in CoE. That's nothing new for American shows at the appropriate time slot.

Looks like they are a bit confused about who they are or what programs they are showing. Can't say I'm surprised.

I didn't mean that kind of adult fun. ;) BBC America has always censored things, sometimes inexplicably, even though it's a cable channel. I just don't think they consider Doctor Who a "kid's show", but another one of its sci-fi/genre shows.

Looks like they are a bit confused about who they are or what programs they are showing. Can't say I'm surprised.
-- Me neither. It's been a real head-scratcher over the years. At least, they're finally catching on to their viewers wanting to see the entire episodes and not half cut to fit into a time slot. There's some progress.

I think BBCA has surprised itself and done better than it had anticipated. in my more cynical moments (of which there are legions)I like to imagine them being asked what the source of their ad revenue increases were and having to explain the pretty much nonstop ads for 'male enhancement' they were running for so long. Those and 'sham- wow' pitches were staples of their ad rotations for quite some time.

I complained too, and I don't even have kids!

Have you heard anything back from them yet?

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