When the BBC announced a partnership with Disney+, the intention was to bring Doctor Who to a larger global audience than ever before. In exchange for the show's streaming rights, the House of Mouse gave the long-running sci-fi series a cash injection, leading to a much-needed big-budget overhaul.
Unfortunately, even with better effects and bigger-name guest stars like Frozen's Jonathan Groff, Doctor Who hasn't proven to be a ratings hit either on television ot streaming. Reviews have been mixed, while fans haven't embraced many of returning showrunner Russell T Davies' "woke" ideas for the Time Lord.
Netflix and HBO Max are supposedly in the mix to replace Disney+ should the streamer decide to step out of the TARDIS. We've also heard that, if needs be, the BBC will continue to produce Doctor Who without a partner, even if it means fewer episodes per year and a smaller budget.
Kate Phillips, the BBC's new Chief Content Officer, spoke at the Edinburgh TV Festival today (via SFFGazette.com) and reaffirmed the British broadcaster's commitment to the long-running sci-fi franchise.
"Rest assured, Doctor Who is going nowhere," she stated. "Disney has been a great partnership — and it continues with The War Between The Land And The Sea next year — but going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC. The Tardis is going nowhere."
Lindsay Salt, the BBC's Director of Scripted Programming, added that the corporation was "committed" to Doctor Who, explaining that it continues to perform well with young viewers. That's despite the latest season averaging 3.2 million viewers over its eight episodes, a significant decline from the 4.9 million average of season 13 in 2021.
Those are troubling numbers, and it's been widely reported that Doctor Who didn't find the global audience Disney+ hoped to attract on streaming either.
Veteran Doctor Who producer Jane Tranter recently spoke with InTouch Magazine, and dismissed the notion that Doctor Who's struggles are a result of the ongoing culture wars.
"I like the fact [that] Doctor Who can touch on sensitive issues and do it in an entertaining and engaging way, but that's how Russell T Davies writes," she said. "I also don't see the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor or casting Ncuti Gatwa as the first Black Doctor as some bold step in the culture wars. It's simply as it should be. It's normal."
Ncuti Gatwa left the show after two seasons, and season 3 still hasn't been announced, despite a cliffhanger ending that saw the Time Lord regenerate into Billie Piper.
"We don't know what’s happening yet, and while everyone works that out, I’ll take a pause on this page," Davies wrote in a recent issue of Doctor Who Magazine. "Hopefully, we’ll have news soon."
"'Doctor Who' will never end!" Davies added. "There are pathways leading to potential futures — we've still got the mystery of that bright and blazing ending, 'Oh, hello,' yes indeed, hello Billie!"
Stay tuned for updates on Doctor Who's future as we have them.