S11.E04: Arachnids in the UK

[questionfear]

13 hours ago, dkb said:

Tell me more.... lol. I'm assuming they weren't nice aliens in the end?

The adipose weren't evil but the woman overseeing it was ok with people getting converted 100% into little fat babies...so instead of just a bit of excess fat walking off, the adipose converted bone, organs, etc. 

The adipose itself was adorable as hell though. 

[AnimeMania]

Maybe my problem with the episode was apart from opening a few doors and knowing that spiders hate vinegar and garlic and love rap music, The Doctor didn't do very much.

[benteen]

To me, the three companions is working and I like a crowded Tardis.

[taanja]

21 hours ago, The Companion said:

For the record, this American has had a gun pulled on her 0 times. I would have a pretty big reaction to having a gun pointed at me. I mean, I also assume London doesn't have alien attacks at Christmas either. 

 

 

For the record-- THIS American has had a gun pulled on her (A robbery at a restaurant I worked at) also I have gone out shooting -- meaning out to the woods or the desert (wherever) and set up beer cans or whatever and shoot at it. Don't forget to bring the booze, Cuz drinking and guns go hand in hand.

Conceal and carry is real. Depending on where you live -- rural or city-- more people than you think are carrying guns. 

[The Companion]

5 minutes ago, taanja said:

For the record-- THIS American has had a gun pulled on her (A robbery at a restaurant I worked at) also I have gone out shooting -- meaning out to the woods or the desert (wherever) and set up beer cans or whatever and shoot at it. Don't forget to bring the booze, Cuz drinking and guns go hand in hand.

Conceal and carry is real. Depending on where you live -- rural or city-- more people than you think are carrying guns. 

I still wouldn't say that Americans have guns pulled on them regularly and/or that it is a non-event, which is what I was responding to. I know plenty of people - rural and city - who own guns but they don't go around pulling them on employees, so I think it would be worth remarking on in the US as well.

[taanja]

9 minutes ago, The Companion said:

I still wouldn't say that Americans have guns pulled on them regularly and/or that it is a non-event, which is what I was responding to. I know plenty of people - rural and city - who own guns but they don't go around pulling them on employees, so I think it would be worth remarking on in the US as well.

True that. But years ago I worked at a a bar (the city shall remain nameless -- but think west ) and the bartender was a crazy mother fucker-- he carried a gun tucked in his pant leg -- he'd pull that thing out if anyone riled him up enough. He never pointed at me and never shot the thing as far as I know...

Edited October 30, 2018 by taanja

[Daltrey]

7 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I do have gay friends that I have known for 25+ years. I don't care who one loves. Love is good. Please do not insinuate I am homophobic. Neither of us know each other. My point was I feel that it is being thrown in there gratuitously. I had no issue with Bill, on the contrary, it made the relationship with her and the Doctor better. And it fit with the stories.  I wish she could have stuck around to be the bridge companion. Loved her. 

Love your name! Big Roger fan here! 

Same. And Bill was awesome. I wish she could have been a bridge companion as well. Frankly, I was surprised how eager and almost desperate The Doctor seemed to have these three join her, considering Bill's ultimate fate. She seemed to be acting purposely apprehensive and sad about leaving in the hope that they would feel bad and ask to join her. I always thought it felt more authentic to have the new companion/s accidentally along for the ride and then The Doctor takes them home, only for them to miss the sense of wonder and adventure and become excited when invited or begging to tag along when The Doctor returns. Part of it, I guess, is that they've flipped the script; These people have earthly reasons that they want to escape from, whereas companions are usually driven by a desire to see more of the far flung reaches of time and space that they got a little taste of. I suppose the new companions reasons for leaving will probably be the reasons they end up going home as well......if they make it, lol.

 

Haha, thanks! Best singer and the greatest band, ever!

[HauntedBathroom]

Well, that was mostly competant, which is the best I will hope for from Chibnell.

I still don't know why we have three companions - I mean Graham's there to nearly die at an emotional moment, and Ryan's there to oversome his bike problem, so he can charge the defibrillator to save his life. Still got no idea what Yaz is there for, and even after meeting her family, she's a flat character. RTD gave his three companions and their shrill mothers more life in one scene.

[ganesh]

On 10/29/2018 at 9:42 AM, clack said:

Trump was not a household name because he owned hotels.

That's not entirely true. Trump was very much a name because of his hotels and casinos in the 80s. 

I don't have a problem with the season at all. I've always viewed the show overall as a crazy B movie. So the widower wants to travel because he needs to deal with his grief. That's a good enough reason for me. Yaz's family is largely insufferable and she needs a break. I would like for a change that the characters will grow and move on without a tragic ending. 

I absolutely loved when Graham knocked on the door and the TARDIS let them in. She just as well that the Doctor needs them too. 

I've honestly been so tired and worn out of the fate of the universe cracking and Pandorica and the Silence that these smaller scale stories are refreshing. Most of Nine iirc was like this too. 

I was hoping the Trump guy wasn't going to be a bag because he was kind of joining the team at one point and he seemed to feel bad about his bodyguard. If the queen spider was actually suffocating to death, yes, it is putting her out of her misery, but it would have been more interesting if that was done out of compassion. 

[ganesh]

On 10/29/2018 at 12:39 PM, Chaos Theory said:

Loved hoe The Doctor kept calling Yaz’s mum yaz’s mum.  I thought that but was hilarious and that Graham has already figured out that SOP is to run first and ask questions later.   

He also had the crack last episode about how not having time to stop and eat is becoming too much of a thing. 

[Daltrey]

13 minutes ago, ganesh said:

That's not entirely true. Trump was very much a name because of his hotels and casinos in the 80s.

I wanted to say this too, but in the end I just couldn't be bothered, lol. Perhaps, maybe, the OP wasn't around back then, or is just too young to remember? :shrug:

[ganesh]

Regardless, the statement is not technically correct, which is the best kind of correct. He became a reality star because he was very much a name previously. 

[tessaray]

I didn't get a chance to watch this episode until the wee hours Sunday (or is it Monday?) and mostly people have already mentioned stuff but just wanted to comment on a couple of things. First, 13's vulnerability reminded me a lot of 9 asking Rose to come with him and 10 at the end of Runaway Bride. The Doctor gets lonely and he likes humans as traveling companions, so I was okay with it. 

The second thing was about the sisters comment.  I haven't had a chance to rewatch it yet but I remember thinking of the Sisterhood of Karn, not sure why or if it really would even fit with her comments. 

Overall this one was fair. Lots of good scenes but not very well put together in spots. 

[libgirl2]

15 hours ago, Daltrey said:

Same. And Bill was awesome. I wish she could have been a bridge companion as well. Frankly, I was surprised how eager and almost desperate The Doctor seemed to have these three join her, considering Bill's ultimate fate. She seemed to be acting purposely apprehensive and sad about leaving in the hope that they would feel bad and ask to join her. I always thought it felt more authentic to have the new companion/s accidentally along for the ride and then The Doctor takes them home, only for them to miss the sense of wonder and adventure and become excited when invited or begging to tag along when The Doctor returns. Part of it, I guess, is that they've flipped the script; These people have earthly reasons that they want to escape from, whereas companions are usually driven by a desire to see more of the far flung reaches of time and space that they got a little taste of. I suppose the new companions reasons for leaving will probably be the reasons they end up going home as well......if they make it, lol.

 

Haha, thanks! Best singer and the greatest band, ever!

My favorite too! Did you read his recent autobiography? I really enjoyed it. I have always loved Keith too so I liked some of the insight into him. 

Edited October 31, 2018 by libgirl2

[clack]

9 hours ago, ganesh said:

Regardless, the statement is not technically correct, which is the best kind of correct. He became a reality star because he was very much a name previously. 

Yes, I was around. Trump was New York famous, which is not the same thing as the fame that being on a top-rated TV show can bring. People in Iowa, say, were unlikely to know his face unless they read Spy magazine or the NY Post gossip page.

Still unexplained is how some random folks in the UK would be star-struck at the sight of an American hotelier. I mean, Conrad Hilton has his name on more hotels than Trump, he was much photographed, he even married Zsa Zsa Gabor, yet I imagine few would have recognized him by sight outside of NY and LA.

Edited October 31, 2018 by clack

[April Bloodgate]

On 10/28/2018 at 7:46 PM, clack said:

British TV writers famously can't write Americans, but even by British standards, Chris North was written (and horribly acted) as such a ludicrous caricature.

Trump is a ludicrous caricature, and far more ridiculous than this Chris North character. I honestly think they didn't take it far enough.

[April Bloodgate]

On 10/29/2018 at 7:47 PM, Kite said:

blarghhh not this "I'm not homophobic/etc BUT..." again. (It's been attenuating off the last few years thankfully.) Get used to it, we're not visible to be all about YOU being virtue-signalled or w/ever, we're visible cos um, WE EXIST.

Amen!

[Bruinsfan]

On 10/29/2018 at 12:10 PM, Cotypubby said:

The food was stored in safety boxes, it wasn't just laying around in the open. It wouldn't have been any help to the spiders.

Plus, spiders eat living animals that they catch, liquefy, and slurp down. I don't expect that Not!Trump had live veal calves or geese in his panic room for later consumption, so they likely wouldn't have recognized any of his provisions as food. The only things they'd have to eat would be each other, which as a friend pointed out leads to a single much bigger and possibly angry spider waiting to pop out of that room at some point down the line.

[Mabinogia]

I enjoyed the ep as long as I ignore the ending. That really was terrible. I love the character interactions. 

I actually felt bad for the giant spider at the end, suffocating to death. She didn't ask to become a giant toxin filled mega spider. I kind of wish the Doctor had taken the gun from NotTrump and shot the spider herself saying something about how sometimes you have to do things you don't agree with to show mercy. Better written than that, obviously, but something like she didn't want NotTrump to shoot the spider because he was doing it out of hatred and anger but she, the Doctor was shooting the spider out of sympathy and mercy. Sometimes it is the reason behind the action and not the action itself that matters. 

I love the gang and I don't want to lose any of them. I think they each serve a purpose, Graham, the older, more cautious voice of reason, Yaz the ambitious, brave woman with something to prove and Ryan the middle ground, young and eager to prove himself but with a caution brought about by his illness. I like the slow build on the relationship between Ryan and Graham. I think, once Grace died Ryan probably assumed Graham would leave and not want anything to do with him, but I think, even if they didn't end up with the Doctor Graham would still want to be in Ryan's life. I like the cute friendship between Yaz and Ryan. They have the perfect, used to know each other but weren't really close but I kind of wish we had been vibe. And I love the Doctor's relationship with each of them.

The idea of all those spiders trapped in the panic room is horrifying. 

[Daltrey]

13 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

My favorite too! Did you read his recent autobiography? I really enjoyed it. I have always loved Keith too so I liked some of the insight into him. 

 

No, I didn't realize it was out already, I only heard about it a few weeks ago and it surprised me because he always said he had no interest in doing one. Apparently thte North American release was only last week, on the 23rd.....have to put it on my Christmas list.

Edited November 1, 2018 by Daltrey
date correction

[Daltrey]

3 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

his illness.

I'd actually forgotten about that....something that affected his balance, I think? I don't think they've touched on it since the first episode and it hasn't seemed to be an issue for him since, that I can recall. I don't seem to remember anything about him being cured or overcoming it either. Did I miss something or is it more sloppy writing?

[call me ishmael]

14 hours ago, clack said:

Yes, I was around. Trump was New York famous, which is not the same thing as the fame that being on a top-rated TV show can bring. People in Iowa, say, were unlikely to know his face unless they read Spy magazine or the NY Post gossip page.

Still unexplained is how some random folks in the UK would be star-struck at the sight of an American hotelier. I mean, Conrad Hilton has his name on more hotels than Trump, he was much photographed, he even married Zsa Zsa Gabor, yet I imagine few would have recognized him by sight outside of NY and LA.

 

I don't think this is quite right.  Trump was in a lot of press outside of New York and had already appeared in various television things before the apprentice.  He had had cameos as himself in movies.  It was that that got him the show in the first place.  And think about someone like Elon Musk today.  These days egotistical businesspeople are often celebrities.

Anyway, I agree with the sentiment that this was the weakest of the three episodes.  I'm still thrilled with 13 and on board with the companions.  But there were too many slip ups.  Why make a big deal about the assistant's Chekov's cell phone recording before she died if it wasn't going to come back later.  And when Noth was going on about how it would make his campaign at the end 13 had the doctor's "I'm going to destroy you politically" look but did nothing.

Edited November 1, 2018 by call me ishmael
Correcting autospelling

[Daltrey]

8 minutes ago, call me ishmael said:

I don't think this is quite right.  Trump was in a lot of pressure outside of New York and had already appeared in various television things before the apprentice.  He had had cameos as himself in movies.  It was that that got him the show in the first place.  And think about someone like Elon Musk today.  These days egotistical businesspeople are often celebrities.

Anyway, I agree with the sentiment that this was the weakest of the three episodes.  I'm still thrilled with 13 and on board with the companions.  But there were too many slip ups.  Why make a big deal about the assistant's Chekov's cell phone recording before she died if it wasn't going to come back later.  And when Noth was going on about how it would make his campaign at the end 13 had the doctor's "I'm going to destroy you politically" look but did nothing.

I'm a west coast Canadian and I can remember seeing Trump on Late night talk shows and things like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, not to mention advertisements, long before he had The Apprentice. He's always been a self promoting attention whore. Hilton may have had more hotels than Trump, or anyone for that matter, and run in famous circles but he wasn't one to stick his face into every camera he could find and run his mouth ad nauseum about whatever inane BS he thought might get him headlines. Back then, It wouldn't surprise me that people outside of North America would be less likely to actually know who he was or what he looked like but with the way media is so globalized today, it's completely plausible that a Trump-like business mogul would be world renowned. What really amused me was the idea that this Trump hating character was almost identical to him in every way but appearance.

[Llywela]

8 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I enjoyed the ep as long as I ignore the ending. That really was terrible. I love the character interactions. 

I actually felt bad for the giant spider at the end, suffocating to death. She didn't ask to become a giant toxin filled mega spider. I kind of wish the Doctor had taken the gun from NotTrump and shot the spider herself saying something about how sometimes you have to do things you don't agree with to show mercy. Better written than that, obviously, but something like she didn't want NotTrump to shoot the spider because he was doing it out of hatred and anger but she, the Doctor was shooting the spider out of sympathy and mercy. Sometimes it is the reason behind the action and not the action itself that matters. 

I love the gang and I don't want to lose any of them. I think they each serve a purpose, Graham, the older, more cautious voice of reason, Yaz the ambitious, brave woman with something to prove and Ryan the middle ground, young and eager to prove himself but with a caution brought about by his illness. I like the slow build on the relationship between Ryan and Graham. I think, once Grace died Ryan probably assumed Graham would leave and not want anything to do with him, but I think, even if they didn't end up with the Doctor Graham would still want to be in Ryan's life. I like the cute friendship between Yaz and Ryan. They have the perfect, used to know each other but weren't really close but I kind of wish we had been vibe. And I love the Doctor's relationship with each of them.

The idea of all those spiders trapped in the panic room is horrifying. 

Someone on Tumblr noticed that the Doctor has on a different shirt at the end, and has headcanoned that while no one was looking she nipped back to the panic room, collected all the spiders, and took them off to Metebelis 5 or some other spider-friendly planet, where they can live out natural lives, then probably had an adventure or two before making it back to Sheffield to say goodbye!

I like it. I'm adopting it as my headcanon too! Much better than the resolution we were given on the show, which resolved nothing, really. The hotel is still built on top of a badly managed landfill site. The spiders are simply contained rather than dealt with properly. Not!Trump is free to continue being awful. Nothing was resolved at all!

5 hours ago, Daltrey said:

I'd actually forgotten about that....something that affected his balance, I think? I don't think they've touched on it since the first episode and it hasn't seemed to be an issue for him since, that I can recall. I don't seem to remember anything about him being cured or overcoming it either. Did I miss something or is it more sloppy writing?

Ryan doesn't have an illness. He has dyspraxia, a developmental coordination disorder which comes across as extreme clumsiness, and is why he can't manage to ride a bike and has been seen to struggle with ladders in more than one episode. It isn't something that prevents him adventuring and only really matters when he comes up against a task requiring coordination, which is why we don't see it all the time, but it has been evident in more than one episode: we've seen him daunted by ladders and tripping over his own feet in haste on multiple occasions. The show simply isn't making a huge deal of those moments, instead slips them in as just part of the ongoing action, part of who Ryan is.

4 hours ago, call me ishmael said:

Anyway, I agree with the sentiment that this was the weakest of the three episodes.  I'm still thrilled with 13 and on board with the companions.  But there were too many slip ups.  Why make a big deal about the assistant's Chekov's cell phone recording before she died if it wasn't going to come back later.  And when Noth was going on about how it would make his campaign at the end 13 had the doctor's "I'm going to destroy you politically" look but did nothing.

Yeah, that phone recording did have the feel of a Chekhov's gun that never went off - as you say, there were quite a few loose plot strands left dangling at the end.

[Daltrey]

1 hour ago, Llywela said:

Ryan doesn't have an illness. He has dyspraxia, a developmental coordination disorder which comes across as extreme clumsiness, and is why he can't manage to ride a bike and has been seen to struggle with ladders in more than one episode. It isn't something that prevents him adventuring and only really matters when he comes up against a task requiring coordination, which is why we don't see it all the time, but it has been evident in more than one episode: we've seen him daunted by ladders and tripping over his own feet in haste on multiple occasions. The show simply isn't making a huge deal of those moments, instead slips them in as just part of the ongoing action, part of who Ryan is.

Right, that's what it was, I recall now. Thanks for the clarification. I remember the ladder incident but I couldn't think of why it was an issue. I'd forgotten about the bike riding scene setting up his introduction and explaining his disorder.

[April Bloodgate]

On 10/31/2018 at 4:45 PM, Mabinogia said:

I kind of wish the Doctor had taken the gun from NotTrump and shot the spider herself saying something about how sometimes you have to do things you don't agree with to show mercy. Better written than that, obviously, but something like she didn't want NotTrump to shoot the spider because he was doing it out of hatred and anger but she, the Doctor was shooting the spider out of sympathy and mercy. Sometimes it is the reason behind the action and not the action itself that matters. 

 

That is *exactly* how it should have happened. Bravo!

[benteen]

On ‎10‎/‎31‎/‎2018 at 6:45 PM, Mabinogia said:

 I actually felt bad for the giant spider at the end, suffocating to death. She didn't ask to become a giant toxin filled mega spider. I kind of wish the Doctor had taken the gun from NotTrump and shot the spider herself saying something about how sometimes you have to do things you don't agree with to show mercy. Better written than that, obviously, but something like she didn't want NotTrump to shoot the spider because he was doing it out of hatred and anger but she, the Doctor was shooting the spider out of sympathy and mercy. Sometimes it is the reason behind the action and not the action itself that matters. 

While using a gun on a living thing is not something The Doctor would do (Well, not the NuWho Doctors.  Classic Doctors though...), I agree this is how it should have played out.  The Doctor just looked completely impotent during that scene.  Letting the spider slowly choke to death from its own mass is not sympathy.

Edited November 2, 2018 by benteen

[gonzosgirrl]

I don't know if I liked this episode or not, as I 'watched' most of it with my eyes closed. Giant spiders? Nope. Nopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopeforever.

[festivus]

On 10/31/2018 at 5:45 PM, Mabinogia said:

I actually felt bad for the giant spider at the end, suffocating to death. She didn't ask to become a giant toxin filled mega spider. I kind of wish the Doctor had taken the gun from NotTrump and shot the spider herself saying something about how sometimes you have to do things you don't agree with to show mercy. Better written than that, obviously, but something like she didn't want NotTrump to shoot the spider because he was doing it out of hatred and anger but she, the Doctor was shooting the spider out of sympathy and mercy. Sometimes it is the reason behind the action and not the action itself that matters. 

This is exactly what I wanted to say about this episode and is basically what I said to my husband when we were watching. How is shooting the spider out of mercy worse than watching it suffocate? I don't like Chibnall as a writer and this is one of the reasons why. He could have said something here. Also the abrupt transition to them being in the Tardis. We actually thought BBCA cut some of the episode.

 

Trump was definitely a presence in the 80s because I've been hating his ugly mug since then. I remember him and Ivana in magazines and seeing him on TV.

[Mabinogia]

7 hours ago, festivus said:

He could have said something here. Also the abrupt transition to them being in the Tardis. We actually thought BBCA cut some of the episode.

Maybe that's why it bothers me. There could have been some point to it, some moral, something about the difference between murder and mercy, but when it ended, I felt like there was absolutely no reason for this episode. The bad guy didn't win or lose, the good guys didn't win or lose, the spiders are going to die out but it doesn't seem like anything was done to prevent more from being born. It felt like part one of a two parter. What was the point of it? That toxic waste is bad? But we're not actually going to do anything about it? 

I'm all for poking fun at Trump (I am embarrassed to be an American with him as our leader) but they could have come up with something better than this. Or at least resolved it in the end. 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Wish doctor Who would stop interjecting their story lines with politics, it adds nothing to the show. 

[starri]

9 hours ago, festivus said:

How is shooting the spider out of mercy worse than watching it suffocate?

I'm not sure the Doctor would have objected to letting the spider go humanely, but that's not what NotTrump did.  He just shot it for the sake of shooting it.

[festivus]

14 minutes ago, starri said:

I'm not sure the Doctor would have objected to letting the spider go humanely, but that's not what NotTrump did.  He just shot it for the sake of shooting it.

I understand that as I was agreeing with Mabinogia's post.  I was speaking to Chibnall's writing. He could have done something with that moment and he did not.

[ganesh]

2 hours ago, starri said:

He just shot it for the sake of shooting it.

He also shot it for his own gain. He had a line like "I fixed this" or something. 

To be fair to the Doctor, she barely figured it out when he busted in and shot the spider. 

This season so far has been messy and not everything is wrapped up and the Doctor figured it all out and fixes it. I'm fine with that. 

The Doctor had been around a long time. Maybe she's kind of in a place where she's asking why is she doing what's she's doing?

[Mulva]

On 10/31/2018 at 3:25 AM, eliot90000 said:

I think the real thing in the White House is much more poorly written, to be frank.  

Yeah, the last couple seasons of The Apprentice have really gotten weird.

[Notwisconsin]

I think that this may be where the series jumps the shark, so to speak....

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

The series writing this season has been lacking compared to many  previous  seasons of DW.  I'm not feeling any attraction to any of the new companions and I hope the series can turn this trainwreck around before it loses more viewership. 

[call me ishmael]

Just now, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

The series writing this season has been lacking compared to many  previous  seasons of DW.  I'm not feeling any attraction to any of the new companions and I hope the series can turn this trainwreck around before it loses more viewership. 

I suppose this shows just how different reactions can be.  I've found this season a breath of fresh air after the over the top, emo, end of the world scenarios of the last several years.  I thought that there are some plot holes so far but that is par for the course when you juggle as many balls as Dr. Who does.  JW is great and I like the companions.  I think that the moving back from Time Lord Triumphant with companions there to keep him from blowing up a planet is really as step forward and a return to what has made DW so much fun for decades.

[ganesh]

I think this was the only narrative direction they could have gone in because the plots basically painted the show into a corner. The universe can only be at stake so many times, and the resolution necessarily grows even more trite each time. Much of the same I think would have worn us out. 

[TwirlyGirly]

On 11/1/2018 at 3:26 AM, Llywela said:

Ryan doesn't have an illness. He has dyspraxia, a developmental coordination disorder which comes across as extreme clumsiness, and is why he can't manage to ride a bike and has been seen to struggle with ladders in more than one episode. It isn't something that prevents him adventuring and only really matters when he comes up against a task requiring coordination, which is why we don't see it all the time, but it has been evident in more than one episode: we've seen him daunted by ladders and tripping over his own feet in haste on multiple occasions. The show simply isn't making a huge deal of those moments, instead slips them in as just part of the ongoing action, part of who Ryan is

I appreciate your pointing this out. I was was going to post something similar, but you beat me to it!

 

There is a difference between disability and illness. Of course, someone who has a disability can become ill - but most disabilities don't cause/result in illness (think amputations/short stature/cerebral palsy/etc.).

 

As a person who has a physical disability, I get a bit stabby when being inaccurately described or perceived as having an "illness" or "sickness", because I'm quite healthy, thank you very much! 

[AnimeMania]

3 hours ago, TwirlyGirly said:

As a person who has a physical disability, I get a bit stabby when being inaccurately described

"being a bit stabby" Funny, I would describe that more as a mental disability, rather than a physical disability.

[Last Time Lord]

On 10/30/2018 at 10:00 AM, QuantumMechanic said:

Chibnall has said it is using an American-style writers' room.

I was under the impression the show had had been since its revival in 2005. Is this not the case?

Has it still been the submission/commissioned style this whole time?