As fans wait for more news on Doctor Who beyond this year’s Christmas special, one of the key figures at BBC Studios has spoken out about its future.
Last October, it was announced that Disney would not be partnering with Doctor Who on future seasons. But the beloved sci-fi piece is returning this Christmas in a special written by showrunner Russell T Davies.
Of course, it’s no secret that the show’s deal with Disney gave it an even bigger budget (the exact numbers were kept secret), and in a recent interview, deadlineZai Bennett, CEO and chief creative officer of BBC Studios Global Content, was asked whether BBC Studios was looking to “pump up” money to give the program a long-term future.
Bennett said he was “not trying to speak for the BBC” but that “we’re all in this together” when it comes to keeping Doctor Who on screen in the long term.
He added: “We have a hugely important role to play in Doctor Who and we are all keen to ensure that it continues to thrive for a long time. The Christmas special is just around the corner and after that it’s time for all of us to get to work on it.”
Disney produced 26 episodes of Doctor Who, resulting in two seasons of Nkuti Gatwa’s The Fifteenth Doctor and the spin-off War on Land and Sea.
Before it was announced that the deal with Disney had ended, BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips also confirmed the broadcaster’s focus on the series.
“Rest assured, Whovians out there: Doctor Who isn’t going anywhere,” she declared last August.
“Disney has been a great partnership…but going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will continue to air on the BBC.”
Gatwa’s final episode, “Reality War,” ends with the Time Lord regenerating and being reborn as returning star Billie Piper, who once played his sidekick Rose Tyler, but there’s a lot to work on story-wise when the show returns to screens.
In a statement upon her return, Piper said: “It’s no secret how much I love this show, but I’ve always said that I would love to return to the Whoniverse as it brings me some of my best memories.
“So the opportunity to return to that TARDIS one more time was one I couldn’t turn down, but we’ll have to wait and see who, how, why and when.”
Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.
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