Doctor Who: 10 Reasons The BBC Should Increase The Budget

6. Absence Makes The Audience Drift Away

The per-episode budget may be comparable to the US shows but the series budget is the crucial element. Key to the splitting of the series recently were well publicised cut backs at the Beeb. Doing this was a cheat to fans but more than that it made no commercial sense. There is a balance to be struck between too much of a good thing and keeping them wanting more but 6 episodes a year could hardly be called satisfying demand. Whilst the core of fans will always watch, more transient viewers or those new to the show will only just be getting interested when the series ends. This means hoping that they remember they liked it and want to see it again but also that they look out for it in the schedules 6 months from now. Trying to win a new audience every time you bring out a new series is not the most efficient strategy. We have been assured that this season's episodes will be shown in sequence and without interruption but there is still an 8 month gap between Matt Smith's bow tie hitting the floor and us finding out if Peter Capaldi can find the steering wheel. For some that will just be too long.