Series 17 Autopsy

Series 17 was simultaneously one of the highest rated series of DW in the UK, the equal shortest at just 20 episodes and the poorest received.

The contemporary fan reviews are excoriating.

It concluded the otherwise fantastically received and highly regarded 70's DW and heralded a 80's revamp which was at least as big as the 60's/70's jump from B&W to colour.

Graham Williams was a producer who was thrust into the show suddenly and unwilligly at the end of 1976. He presided over disaster in the studio (Bromly and Goodwin), punishing adverse budgetary conditions (inflation in Britain in the late 70's was 15-20% pa), and script and staff problems. To the extent that the producer is responsible he is responsible but the luck was on his side.

Why is it so poor?
The ideas are present. The execution is slapdash and careless. The direction is weak. The time and budget are short.

Douglas Adams appointment as Script Editor was bizarre. He was never a particularly fastidious details kinda guy. Outlandish, big ideas and wild imagination have their value but trying to tame that and be a scruplulous, tight wordsmithing script editor is a fool's errand for a guy like Douglas.


We have rated Series 17 as three 'trouble' serials (30%'s), one more really close to that and one 1st division (80's%). Only if Shada is included is the average rating above 50%.

Season average is under 50% for the first time. Tom's worst season by far.

I had just started being a fan club member at the time this was new. JNT's revolutionisation was like a salvation at the time.

Discipline (killing the jokiness), getting the directors to make a serious effort and refreshing the look (new titles and incidental music) were all things that seemed overdue at the time.

Forty years on I guess DW survived it eventually. But fanservice killed it when the continued BBC management support failure undermined the show to the extent that episode counts went down to 14 in 1986.

But we'll get to that later....