With fans still awaiting news on Doctor Who beyond this year’s Christmas special, one key figure at BBC Studios has opened up about its future.
It was announced in October last year that Disney will not partner on any future seasons of Doctor Who. However, the beloved sci-fi will be back this Christmas for a special penned by showrunner Russell T Davies.
Of course, it was no secret that the Disney deal afforded the show a much bigger budget (the exact figure was kept under wraps) and, during a recent interview with Deadline, Zai Bennett, who is CEO and Chief Creative Officer, BBC Studios Global Content, was asked whether BBC Studios will “stump up” some money to give the show a long-term future.
Bennett said that he “won’t speak for the BBC” but that “we’re all in it together” in terms of keeping Doctor Who on screen in the long-run.
He added: “We’re a big important part of Doctor Who and are all motivated to make sure Doctor Who has a long and flourishing life. We’ve got the Christmas special coming. After that, it’s time for us all to work on it.”
Disney partnered on Doctor Who for 26 episodes, which resulted in two seasons for Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor, as well as the spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea.
Before it was announced that the deal with Disney was no more, Kate Phillips, Chief Content Officer at the BBC, also confirmed the broadcaster’s commitment to the series.
“Any Whovians out there, rest assured – Doctor Who is going nowhere,” she asserted in August last year.
“Disney has been a great partnership… but, going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC.”
There’s a lot to tackle story-wise when the show does return to screens, with Gatwa’s final episode, The Reality War, ending with the Time Lord regenerating into returning star Billie Piper, who previously played companion Rose Tyler.
In a statement at the time of her return, Piper said: “It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse as I have some of my best memories there.
“So to be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn’t refuse, but who, how, why and when, you’ll just have to wait and see.”
Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.
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