Burnout - Falling Out of Love With Who

General / off topic
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I genuinely struggled to come up with a decent or witty title for this post - which shows quite how long it’s been since I’ve written a review or had to engage my brain in that regard - but I just feel like I have to put pen to paper as it were and vent about where I’m at with the franchise at a whole.

Let me just preface this long - and likely rambling - post; by no means do I hate Doctor Who nowadays. I’m not gonna turn into some bitter so-and-so that takes pleasure in beging negative over the franchise. I mean, do I look like I make cheap AI reconstructions (haha, witty retort).

Up until around September 2024 I was writing reviews daily, amassing quite the backlog and basically spending every waking moment with BigFinish filtering through my ears. I put myself under so much pressure to review things that I ended up in the hospital with a severe panic attack, which is when I took an intended 6 week hiatus… which ended up being a lot longer.

I genuinely wasn’t sure how I would cope not having Doctor Who be the forefront of my life constantly, but it honestly felt pretty liberating to begin with. Not forcing myself into deadlines that only I was bothered about and just relaxing. Christ almighty, I didn’t even watch the Christmas special - still haven’t - which feels like something my younger self would be horrified at!

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I’ve recently made a couple attempts to jump back into the franchise but there have been several moments where I’ve just been put off for a variety of reasons. My room looks like someone ransacked the BigFinish warehouse with the sheer scale of my collection, and it wasn’t something I wanted to give up on - then I saw that we’d be getting a new Constance set and the grand return of Iris Wildthyme (two things I’ve been begging for for years).

But I just couldn’t bring myself to click purchase. I know I’ve been positive in quite a few of my reviews covering more recent releases, but I generally thing BigFinish has been on a gradual decline in quality since the end of the Monthly Range - of late, it feels like the decline is gaining momentum, and it’s just disheartening.

I think the biggest cause for concern is how those of us who pride ourselves on having the stories physically are seeing the CD releases dwindling. The writing has been on the wall for a while, since the download first policy was introduced, but now you have all new releases limited to strictly 1,500 CD copies and it’s becoming apparent they’re gonna be digital only eventually. I get the environmental concern with the plastic used for the cases, but paper and card cases are a thing - Christ, BigFinish have done them before for stuff like ‘Zagreus’ and ‘The Next Life’. But it feels like they haven’t even bothered trialling those sorts of options, and have just gone for the nuclear option as it were. It just feels like the end of an era and, yeah, I’m saddened by that.

I don’t want this post to come across as a depressing moan or a full-blown rant. I haven’t been particular engaged with the Series 15 but the quality is still very much there. Same goes for some BigFinish series - I think the new 13DAs clearly have a lot of potential and might be just what is needed to revitalise the audio adventures.

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I guess the reason I’m making this post is just because I wanna know if anyone else has felt the same - if anyone else has experienced burnout with the franchise to this degree, and how long it lasted.

I hate being so critical over the franchise - not counting my more critical reviews of garbage like ‘Heroes of Sontar’, which I still consider one of my best reviews - and I wanna go back to enjoying the series.

Sorry if this post seems like the incoherent ramblings of a sleep-deprived nutter, I just had to get my thoughts out to people who might understand where I’m coming from.

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Personally I’ve only ever gotten burnout from BF if I’ve done too many consecutively. To combat this, I just go without any for a while before getting back into it with either a new release I’m excited about, or something from my back catalog. So perhaps as you say the 13DA’s may be a great moment for you to try getting back into the swing of things! :blush:

Unfortunately I don’t share your opinion on the quality of current BF, I feel like they’re on a roll at the moment. Also, I’m not a CD purchaser these days due to costs but I know its important to you and many others, however ultimately if they don’t make CD sales they’ll reduce them.

For releases such as the 6DA one or even the 13DA’s we’ll have discussion threads and you are more than welcome to hop in and see what the general consensus is too !

I do hope you’ll be able to get back into things at your own pace :hugs:

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With the amount of Doctor Who currently coming out and the extremely polarising nature of various recent releases, it’s very understandable as to why somebody would be burnt out. Hell, I’ve gone from listening to Big Finish daily to putting it off for weeks myself.

While I haven’t listened to much recent stuff from Big Finish, it does seem to me like the general quality is decreasing (probably just stemming from the sheer number of ranges they’re putting out, I mean Christ).

My advice would just be do what’s making you happiest. If you don’t feel like getting back into right away, you don’t have to. Wait until you feel ready, trying to push through burnout just makes it worse.

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I don’t think your position is unusual but I wonder if part of the issue was the compulsion to review everything you consumed.

I write a lot fewer reviews than stories I actually consume and only review ones which either are a) part of my chronological marathon or b) I’m really inspired to share some thoughts.

I think reviewing a story can sometimes kill your enthusiasm. Sometimes you can’t necessarily think of things to say other than ‘I enjoyed that’ or ‘that was bad’ and that’s okay. We don’t all have to be writing 1000 word essays on every story. Doctor Who is there to be enjoyed first and analysed second (or maybe even third, fourth or fifth).

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Whilst its not the thread for it, I’d be curious to know in perhaps another thread what “polarising” releases you could mean as I really have no idea /gen @Speechless

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I didn’t quite get a burnout but a few years ago I just found out one day I don’t care about Doctor Who that much. The things that onece touched me so deeply just feels… less, for lack of a better word. Similar thing happened with One Piece before, twice. I’m still taking a break from OP and only read the manga every three or four month.

I ended my break from dw because of TG. Logging all the stories I once finished made me want to try more. And I enjoyed more since my English clearly improve when I’m gone watching other shows and becames sick of the often poor quantity subs.

I guess what I’m trying to say is… It’s completely fine if you don’t enjoy something now like you used to. Watching Doctor Who is supposed to bring you joy, and you can come back anytime you want to — and it ok if it’s not in a “listen to BF everyday” sense. Just pick something when you feel like it and have some fun. Hell, you know you don’t need to be that hard-core to be on TG right? /j

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I love incoherent ramblings, they’re very genuine, also they make me feel better about my own incoherent ramblings :laughing:.

I can’t really relate to the CD issue because I don’t collect them, but I do know that physical collectables are always better than digital ones, and it sucks that they’re starting to phase them out. I do agree with you though that they should trial other options first before cutting them entirely.

As for the titular issue, that I can at least personally relate to, and is something I myself have been worried about for a while. At least for myself, I don’t think my “crisis of faith” has anything to do with the quality of the show or anything, and more to do with my brain deciding now that it no longer wishes to be obsessed, stupid annoying brain :sweat_smile:. I think a magical thing about Doctor Who and the fandom is it’s all timeless, you could take a break for 10 years, come back and watch everything you’ve missed, and you’ll easily find people who are willing to talk about it.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but I think taking breaks from things is good. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and all that, sometimes the break can help you look at the series with fresh new eyes. I hope you can eventually rekindle your love for Doctor Who, or find something that works for you, but you’re definitely not alone with these worries, even if sometimes it can feel like it with how damm positive this place is :grin: :hugs:

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I have a good friend who I keep trying to persuade to get on here, but she and I bitch about ‘Big Finish just isn’t as good as it used to be’, which I don’t think is true. I think it’s just in an era I don’t vibe with as much at the moment, or perhaps my own interest is in a waning period - like @Meara, I’m not in an obsessive phase right now with anything and that makes me a little sad.

Watching most of s6 yesterday also made me realise nothing will ever feel as great as DW did when I was 13 again, and I think I have to make my peace with that. Because the newer seasons just aren’t doing it for me, and the New Who feel BF audios aren’t really either, by and large.

I hate to sound like a ‘BF was better in 2002’ person because there are good bits and shit bits in all eras, and you betcha when Gallifrey finallyyyyyyyyy returns to me, I am going to become unbearable. But I think I’m just in a bit of a fallow patch with DW lately too. Maybe it’s my life in general - I’ve been supremely busy, new job, finished school (again), going to have to move soon, new meds. All those things add up.

But the fact is this. I will never not love DW. I wouldn’t listen to an audio a day if I didn’t love it. I don’t think there’s a force on earth that will stop me watching new episodes whether I love them to the point of obsession or not.

And I also quite often wish I wrote more reviews, but with the quantity of listening that I do, it would be way too much. I want to review it all, but I’m trying to forgive myself for not, and instead trying to prioritse stories I either have a lot to say about or have no reviews at all.

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In my opinion your feelings are justified. I know the DW fandom at large wants to promote this idea of positivity everywhere (and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that), but at times I feel like I’m being “too” critical and opinionated, even though my thoughts aren’t coming from a place of malice.

I am also disillusioned with Big Finish nowadays. I only follow one range and I can still agree with your assessment that their output has become more lackluster over the years. I should be over the moon excited about the new Six release, but I find myself more concerned about its potential quality than anything else. I also don’t agree with how they have treated his range since the MR ended, but I’ve already talked bout that at length in other threads. Six went from having the fewest episodes to the most, but if they’re going to crank out duds just so he can stay ahead, they can keep it. Give Six a break and give Colin other characters to play (not The Warrior).

Then there’s a concern I have about how they treat their employees monetarily. I keep hearing stories about how the (non-staple) writers and actors are being paid peanuts, but I’ve never heard anyone say they’ve seen Briggs and his coterie living paycheck to paycheck. I’m guessing a big part of the CD phase out is to cut costs also? I know the fandom likes to tout that BF is a “small” business, and while their headcount may be, unless I can see their income statement, I refuse to believe they’re struggling in any sense of the word. They can get away with lackluster releases because they know they have a dedicated fan base who will buy anything they produce.

I don’t hate Big Finish nor do I dislike them, but I don’t hold them on a pedestal like many others seem to do. They’re a company doing company things.

Regarding the show itself, if it weren’t for this community and a friend I have, I wouldn’t have bothered watching the newest season. It’s nothing against the show as I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen thus far, but I’ve noticed that my overall interest in DW as a franchise has been waning for a while. Actually, to be frank, if it weren’t for this forum I probably would’ve dipped from this fandom a long time ago and just dabbled in Six stuff on my own. I don’t really feel fannish about it anymore. “The Power of the Doctor”, “Tales of the TARDIS”, and Mel’s return for the most part elicited little from me but a scowl. From the 1980s ousting of the Sixth Doctor to Colin’s pariah status in the industry to the aforementioned episodes and everything in between, I know what could’ve been for my favorite era, and that lowkey ruins everything for me. It wouldn’t be wrong to say I might be disillusioned with everything DW nowadays. I can’t even find peace when I’m coloring alone in my Sixth Doctor corner sometimes. No one cares about Colin and it pisses me off. Not the show, not Big Finish, not the so-called fans who use his name to bring attention to their shoddy indie productions[1]. A wasted talent is what he is.

(And I concur with what was said about your feelings possibly being instigated by your daily reviews. You turned what should be a hobby into a pseudo-job, and that would make anyone want nothing to do with their interest after a while.)

  1. I am speaking generally ↩︎

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There was a time I wrote reviews after every Who story I consumed. It did not last very long because it made me enjoy the stories a lot less.

Sometimes media analysis can deepen your enjoyment of a story; sometimes it makes even watching/listening feel like a chore. It depends on the person and where your mind is at, but I don’t think anyone should feel obliged to watch, listen to, enjoy or write about Who. Take it at your own pace and be kind to yourself. <3

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Sorry I really don’t want to derail this thread but I cannot ignore this comment. They’ve explicitly stated CD’s are being phased out due to poor sales, they don’t have infinite warehouse space, and rising production costs. In terms of being a small business, they are. I hate to be the person who goes ‘I know someone’ but I do know someone at BF and they aren’t afraid to drop a range if the sales are poor. I’m sure Briggs has explicitly stated a high percentage of their listeners listen via piracy too, which obviously hurts them.

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This is very cynical and, I’m sorry, I just don’t believe BF handwave stuff away just because they know fans will buy it. I don’t believe for one minute they set out to produce lacklustre stuff because there is no compulsion to produce quality. It’s clear from all the behind the scenes stuff that they want to produce the best product they can. It not working for you isn’t a sign that they are lacking the will to do better.

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That’s fine, but again, I don’t think they’re hurting as much as the fandom makes them out to be.

It has nothing to do with me. You can just look in this thread and see people agreeing that the quality isn’t how it used to be. It’s literally in OP’s post. I don’t mean to say they’re conspiring to release the worse possible audios, but that they can continuously (unintentionally) put out substandard releases and they’ll still get buyers and people praising them to Timbuktu.

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But this smacks an awful lot of how fans talked about how Chibnall was tanking the show with substandard writing. Just because a few people in one thread agree BF’s output is lacklustre doesn’t make it true. There have been a slew of recent releases which, round here, have been getting huge praise - Fugitive, Genesis of the Cybermen, Hooklight and even Call me Master had generally favourable reviews. Where are the continual lacklustre releases?

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I also don’t want to derail this thread so I’ll just say that I 2020 was the year I started listening to a substantial number of BF stories as they were being released, and year on year, I’ve been enjoying those new releases more and more. I think the quality’s only gone up since I began to take an interest in their current output.

The important thing about that, though, it that’s just my personal experience.

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Not going to get into the quality debate. Instead just going to echo what others have said which is that it’s perfectly normal and understandable to have burn out and I’m glad you stepped away and took care of yourself. I hope the 13DAs help you get back into DW. it even if they don’t, that’s totally valid

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And also, to go back to the original point a little, I do think sometimes we are inclined to blame the show rather than changes in ourselves when we start to struggle with the current era. I think we do forget that just as the show changes, so do we as people and what we might have enjoyed in our childhood, or teens, or 20s or whatever isn’t necessarily going to be the same as what we enjoy in our 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.

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That’s extremely true. Sometimes what DW is doing and what you want from media become two different things. That’s nobody’s fault and it’s okay.

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This is a really big issue for me too. I only buy CD releases for several reasons, and BF moving more and more to digital is really depressing. The limited stock means that if you ever want to buy a release, you have to do it immediately. If someone became a fan of a certain series some time after it comes out, they don’t have the chance to buy it. (Yes second-hand is an option but it doesn’t come with a download, some things can’t be found as easily, and they can be overpriced, so there’s still a pressure to buy the official BF release).

Regarding burnout, I haven’t properly experienced that yet, partly because I spend a lot of time rewatching/relistening to old favourites, which I’m unlikely to feel disillusioned with as one might be with newer stories. Stories and fandom are meant to be fun and I’d just say that people shouldn’t feel they have to force themselves to interact with it if they aren’t enjoying themselves.

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Didn’t expect this post to explode quite so much, so apologies if this ends up being multiple messages - otherwise people will be reading a thesis from me and I do wanna respond to everything people have said. Also may take me a while to respond as I’m currently scarfing down a peshwari naan (lovely stuff).

Delta and a few others here made this point, and you’re absolutely correct. This is likely going to sound very “oh woe is me” and a bit pathetic, but it’s the best way to describe it. I have very few friends, and even fewer that I talk to on a regular basis (I don’t blame them, life is hectic) but the things I’ve always prided myself on is my sharp tongue, acidic sense of humour and generally being incredibly blunt because autism (to cut a long story short).

I started writing reviews on YouTube where I would read them like a script, under the series name Whoviews (this was pre-lockdown) and it gained a decent following. I swore like a sailor, something that’s been toned down for obvious reasons, but I tried to make it so that my negative reviews were at the very least humurous.

2022-April 2024 I spent my time gaining traction on TimeScales and refining my style, before that site imploded and I migraited here. Always keeping my rambling slightly cynical style.

Truthfully, the validation kept me going. Feeling like I was a valued member of a fandom, a community. I felt like people like me and what I was doing, and I didn’t feel like nothing. It kept me going, and it pushed me to keep going (even at the cost of my own sanity since I ended up in hospital last year).

It got to the point where if a new story came out, I would race to be the first reviewer because I thought “people will remember my review in conjunction with that story and I’ll be valued”. Pathetic? Yeah, completely. But that’s just how it was for me. God I sound tragic!

I think the fact BigFinish are stretching themselves so thin is definitely a contributing factor to the decline in quality some of us have experienced. I mean, let’s be realistic - who actually wanted to box sets centred around Lady Christina De Souza (they were actually quite good shockingly, but you get my point).

They went box set mental years ago, going back all the way to Dark Eyes. Once they got the New Who licence though… it kinda just opened the flood gates to a large quantity of dross…

I’m looking at you, ‘The Churchill Years’!

This actually reminds me of a conversation I had in the ShepskyDad Discord server - Pokemon YouTuber, basically where I spend all my time these days - where I described my laser focus on writing Doctor Who reviews and stuff like that as “autistic tunnel vision”, because for me, that’s the most accurate way to describe it.

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