Doctor Who Will Continue With Or Without Disney
If nobody’s got us, the BBC’s got us.
Doctor Who is speedrunning its evolution. After completely rebooting with a new Doctor, a new partnership with Disney, and a returning showrunner, it seemed like we were going to enter a new Golden Age for the series that has been a British institution since 1963. However, only two seasons in, everything seemed to be thrown into question. Ncuti Gatwa, the current Doctor, regenerated into yet another familiar face, Billie Piper. But despite the exciting reveal, Disney has still yet to renew the series for a third season, leading some fans to think the unthinkable: Doctor Who may be over as we know it.
Showrunner Russell T. Davies has already said the future of the series rests in the boardroom, not the writers’ room, and now after months of limbo, we finally have an answer as to whether or not the show will continue. It may not be the best update possible, but it’s at the very least a promise of more.
BBC Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips has only good things to say about the future of Doctor Who.
At the Edinburgh TV Festival (via Bleeding Cool), BBC Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips discussed the future of the time travel series. Since the BBC partnered with Disney+ in 2023, it seemed like all the decision-making rested with Disney. But Phillips reassured fans that, “With or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC … The TARDIS is going nowhere.”
The partnership with Disney has allowed for a global reach for the series and heightened production values, but the BBC has solely produced Doctor Who for years. It might mean a change in how the series looks from the past two years, but don’t think of it as a downgrade, think of it as a return to its roots.
A Disney-less Doctor Who may look different, but it would mean a path forward.
Of course, this panic may all be for naught, as Disney+ could greenlight more seasons of Doctor Who tomorrow, but it’s good to know that the show isn’t going anywhere. Who knows, maybe Disney’s exit could be exactly what the show needs. Part of Doctor Who’s charm across its half-century of history lies in the scrappy low-budget production value, so the loss of this major partner could mean bringing back that underdog magic.
