Russell T Davies brought Doctor Who back from the dead in 2005, and following a hugely successful stint as showrunner, he passed the reins to Steven Moffat. That was another win for the long-running sci-fi property, but Chris Chibnall's time in charge was not.
Doctor Who steadily lost viewers during that period, and when it came time to start over, the BBC turned back to Davies. Unfortunately, his ideas for the show have proven to be divisive, and Ncuti Gatwa's two-season run was a ratings let-down (Disney+ is expected to end its funding/streaming deal with the British broadcaster imminently).
The season 15/season 2 finale ended with Gatwa's Doctor regenerating into Billie Piper. However, there's reason to believe she isn't the next Time Lord and is likely just a stand-in until the character's real new face is revealed.
In the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Davies admitted that he's in the dark when it comes to Doctor Who's future beyond the already-completed The War Between the Land and the Sea spin-off. That isn't generating much in the way of excitement.
"We don't know what’s happening yet, and while everyone works that out, I’ll take a pause on this page," he wrote. "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!"
Deadline (via SFFGazette.com) reached out to a Doctor Who source who told the trade, "This letter is a production notes diary for when the show is in production, or on air, and as Russell has stated within the piece, it is a pause." That response isn't surprising because the BBC has been downplaying concerns about the show's future for some time now.
Addressing those declining ratings, the report adds, "Deadline has analyzed official seven-day viewing figures for Season 15, and it does not make easy reading for those involved in Doctor Who. The season averaged 3.2M viewers over its eight episodes, which was half a million viewers down from last year's season — Gatwa’s first as the Doctor."
"Compare Season 15 to Jodie Whittaker’s last outing as the Time Lord, and things get grimmer. Season 13 pulled in 1.7M more viewers, averaging 4.9M in 2021."
To that, a BBC spokesperson had responded, "Doctor Who is the BBC's biggest drama for the under 35s and remains one of the most popular brands on iPlayer, with over 70 million viewing hours in 2024."
The expectation is that Doctor Who will continue in some form, either with a lower budget or a new partner. Either way, most expect Davies to move on as it feels like the series is in desperate need of a creative overhaul and a fresh start.
It's unclear when we'll get an official update on what's planned, but we'll keep you updated as we learn more.