I was just looking through the archives when I saw the thread marking the end of the BBC Cult Messageboards, and it struck me that given the rampant success of the new series it seems suprising they haven't brought at least a Doctor Who one back. The question is, why not? And would you even want one?

Personally I'm quite happy here and at OG (actually more so here - I find OG too big and overwhelming these days). But it would be interesting to see if you ever had any contact from someone in the show. Unlikely, but on their Archers boards the person in charge was, until quite recently, the producer, and still writes the odd script. He makes frequent comments.

Similarly I recently joined Red Planet, the official Biker Mice from Mars forum, and one of the producers of the new series is a frequent poster ( I actually got a private message from him on my first day! :o ) , making comments, answering questions and even once or twice asking for help from fans of the original series.

So, would you like to see a return of the BBC messageboards - and if so, what would you like from them?

No. They are a thing of the past and way too over moderated. Let sleeping dogs lie.

The best thing to come out of the old BBC message boards was this forum and LM. That gave Thasc and I the courage to start our own Sci-Fi forum in the form of The Final Frontier. Now, the 'old' community is not in contact anymore and a BBC board would not do anything to bring it back together again.

One positive would be that it would bring us in to contact with new people though.

I'm inclined to agree. It still surprises me that they haven't created one, though.

I'm not sure if you're aware but the BBC boards (or at least the 'adult' ones) are all entirely reactively moderated now. The trouble is new members have all their posts pre-modded, so that it is some time before their post actually appears. It is generally agreed by the members that this is both discouraging to new members, and incredibly frustrating for established members who are trying to engage in cohesive discussions. :angry:

Furthermore in a bid to cut down on 'frivolous' posting (the BBC's word) you now have to wait three minutes between posts. THREE MINUTES!!! :grr:

Actually, because a 'Doctor Who' MB might be regarded as one for children, all messages would be pre- and post-modded, which would I think kill it anyway.

I was aware of the three minute ruling as I am a member of the BBC sports boards which have been scaled right back now and are not worth posting on anymore.

I agree with the general concensus. The BBC, rightly or wrongly, have to be over-zealous with their moderating in order to prevent being sued or under fire from higher up. This takes some of the fun away from being on their boards and doesn't really help build a nice community.

As you said Chevie, with kids under 13 possibly posting on a Dr Who messageboard, it would require the strictest level of moderation and post checking for it to be "safe" for them and would be far too much hassle for them.

The modding on the BBC boards is now slipping from being over-zealous into being downright paranoid now. 'The Archers' boards include a Fantasy/Parody section, and many of the messages are 'Archers' themed pastiches of famous books, songs etc, as is the point of the board (I've done a couple of Doctor Who/Archers crossovers).

But now one of the regular posters has had his pastiche of 'The Day the Music Died' removed because, apparently, it may break copyright law. What is most bizarre is that he was reposting something he posted a while ago, which didn't get modded back then.

Oh dear. :(

Sadly the BBC does have the position of being a forum run by a broadcasting company itself, which means that it has to be very careful about these things. Maybe they received complaints last time it was posted? :unsure:

Anyway, it's much better to be on an informal forum because you aren't so restricted by the BBC's policy.