That would really ramp up subscriptions!?
Cue indignant outrage from fans!
We already pay our licence fee, why should we have to pay again to see our favourite show?
The simple answer to that is: fans dont own the show.
They can cancel it.
They can rest it for a year.
They can sell the rights to make it to an independent company.
BritBox bosses could be planning cheap-to-produce comedy quizzes, reality TV or magazine shows.
SurelyDoctor Whocould pull off a similar feat for BritBox?
There are many good reasons why the BBC wouldnt want to moveDoctor Whoonto a niche service.
It is, after all, still one of the corporations powerhouse dramas in the ratings.
Why would the BBC want to shove a show with such penetration into the zeitgeist into a streaming ghetto.
However, there could be one significant advantage toDoctor Whomoving to a subscription channel.
When we watch now, we watch something thats quite often better than cinema.
Have you seen the recentGame Of Thrones?
I havent seen anything in the cinema that matches their battle scenes.
Sadly, hes spot on.
The best script in the world can be fatally undermined by dodgy CGI, threadbare sets or overfamiliar locations.
Like it or not, spectacle is an important aspect of visual sci-fi.
And because of the BBC regulations, the Beeb cannot plough money fromWhomerchandise directly back into the show.
It had some moments of powerful storytelling, but it rarely made you go, Wow.
It does mean they could be told in a much more epic way.
And audiences love their sci-fi and fantasy to be epic.
Doctor Whocould premiere on BritBox with episodes following a week later on BBC One.
No longer than we have to wait to watch some US cult shows.
Perhaps, though, a more likely alternative for BritBox that utilises theWhofanbase would be a spin-off.
Hands up who wants to seeTorchwoodseason five?
Or a Paternoster Gang series?
Or The Adventures of Clara and Ashildr?
The irony being that the spin-off could end up looking slicker and glossier than the series that spawned them.
