As part of its ongoing effort to cut budgets, the BBC has just announced that it’s taking the axe to ‘Doctor Who Confidential’, BBC3′ s companion program to the iconic sci-fi show.
Since the show’s re-launch in 2005, ‘Doctor Who Confidential’ has served as a look inside each individual episode. Featuring cast and crew interviews and lots of exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, the hour-long program has aired on BBC3 right after the premiere of each new episode. It would air in America in truncated form on BBC America, typically cut from one hour to about fifteen minutes.
While many of the episodes have felt somewhat padded at times, it was always a nice window into the world behind ‘Doctor Who.’ Seeing the cast and crew interact with each other, seeing how they would construct a particularly complex stunt or FX sequence, or listening to the writers and producers discuss the inspiration behind a new villain or character were always very interesting and fun to watch. It also helped to add an extra dimension of understanding to each episode.
How do you feel about this decision by the BBC? Please leave a comment below and tell us your thoughts. This Whovian is somewhat saddened to see it go.
Josh Rubinstein
Born a scant few months before a little movie called “Star Wars” hit the big screen, Josh was destined to be a sci-fi fan. Raised in a suburb of Philadelphia with a geeky family, Josh has never known a time when shows like “Star Trek” and “The Twilight Zone” were not a part of his life. As he grew up, his tastes expanded into fantasy, horror and any genre that held potential for great stories. Having dreams of being a writer and director, he studied film at Temple University. In 2001, he took the plunge and moved to Los Angeles with a few thousand dollars, precious few contacts and a dream. He soon crossed paths with the growing fan community for “The Lord of the Rings” and lucked into a job working in DVD which has since blossomed into an award-winning career. Organizing events for the Ringer community, he has become a fixture in local geek culture. His work in DVD has given him the opportunity to work with many of his favorite franchises like “Star Trek,” “Farscape,” “Stargate SG-1,” “Cowboy Bebop,” and “Highlander” to name a few. Never giving up on his dream of being a writer, he published his first novel in 2004. In 2008, his DVD work won him a Saturn Award. Josh still loves exploring the nooks and crannies of Los Angeles that cater specifically to the sci-fi/fantasy geek and considers himself a “geek adventurer.” While he has accomplished many of his dreams, he still unironically hopes to one day go into space.