Doctor Who and Sundays: What needs to happen and why

Doctor Who is making a big change with Series Eleven by moving to Sunday. But there is one crucial way that the move could work in the show’s favor…

So, as I’m sure you’re aware by now, the rumors are true: Doctor Who is moving from Saturdays to Sundays when it comes back on October 7th. It’s something that I’m a little sad about, if I’m honest. Doctor Who was created for Saturday night viewing. Even knowing that it has been moved to different days in the past doesn’t quite lessen the blow.

However, having said all of that, I’m also aware that this was more of a reactive decision to the current television landscape than anything else. Doctor Who did use to slot into Saturday night entertainment perfectly. It used to go up against television series like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent nicely.

But for some time, there’s been a problem: scheduling. While Doctor Who would usually be broadcast on a Saturday, it would rarely be broadcast in the same timeslot twice. While many TV shows would have a set time at which to broadcast, and usually on the hour, Doctor Who wasn’t getting that luxury.

It’s all change for Doctor Who, as the show is now being moved from Saturdays to Sundays. But could this work in the show’s favor?

Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC

Image obtained from: BBC Press

A regular time

If the TARDIS is going to be landing regularly on Sundays – something the Tenth Doctor said never happens, as “Sundays are boring” – then the move needs to be worth it.

This means a regular time at which the series is broadcast. Ideally on the hour, so that it’s much more memorable. 7 o’clock or 7PM is just easier to remember than 7.35PM, in my experience.

It also shouldn’t be on too late, either. Certainly, at least as far as the UK time is concerned, it should never be on as late as 9PM. While this is a regular timeslot for the series to be broadcast in the US, in the UK, 9PM is generally known as “the watershed”.

“The watershed” means that after 9PM, TV programmes broadcast in the UK will be aimed towards a more mature audience, with increased violence, language and sexual scenes. The later a programme is broadcast, the more likely you’d be able to get away with showing HBO shows uncut.

(Having said that, some of them would be on extremely late. When BBC got to broadcast acclaimed TV show The Wire, it was usually less than an hour before midnight.)

Family viewing

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In short, if a television series is shown after 9PM in the UK, that generally means that families will automatically assume that it’s unsuitable for family viewing. It doesn’t matter if it was perfectly acceptable. If it’s after 9PM, that means that the kids need to be in bed.

And that’s something that’s really important to remember – the kids. The kids are a big part of Doctor Who‘s audience. If it starts being shown too late for them to watch it, then Doctor Who is losing a big part of its audience, maybe even the biggest.

So it needs to be shown at a family friendly time. Early in the evening, at least. 6, 7 or 8PM would be good times to show it. 7PM would be my particular choice.

So that’s my thoughts on the matter. I’m sad about the move away from Saturdays, but if this needs to be done, then it needs to be done right. And the best way to do that is by having a regular time for the show so that everyone can watch.

Next. Class: How the Audio Adventures have improved upon the TV series. dark

What do you think? Do you think Doctor Who moving to Sundays could be a good move for the show? Are you going to miss the Saturday timeslot? What do you think is the best time for Doctor Who to be broadcast? Let us know in the comments below.

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