10 Biggest Doctor Who Criticisms (And Why They're Wrong)
6. [Insert Writer Here] Is Ruining Doctor Who
Some advice to offer Chris Chibnall ahead of him taking over from Steven Moffat is this: “You will get blamed for everything you do, everything you don’t do, and everything that other people do.” It’s been that way since at least the days of John Nathan-Turner and almost certainly before that.
Part of the job description is being a professional scapegoat and a lightning rod for criticism. If something happens that fans don’t approve of, it’s automatically the showrunner’s fault. And with that come the cries of “They’re ruining Doctor Who”. But while actual criticisms like poor plotting and characterisation can be brought to the table with valid points to back it up, the idea of “ruining Doctor Who” is entirely subjective. What someone really means when they say this is “Doctor Who does not currently match what I think it should be”.
Which is a criticism that can never be accurate because it’s rooted in opinion. And one person’s opinion doesn’t represent the whole fan-base. Especially with a programme that has gone through so many transformations over five decades. Unless a Doctor Who showrunner is at the helm when everything crashes and burns, they can’t be said to have ruined it. And as the 1980s showed us; even when that happens, you can’t pin the blame on a single person.