Summary
- Uncertainty looms over the future of Doctor Who due to declining ratings.
- The Doctor Who franchise remains expansive with various spin-offs, audio plays, comic books, and more in the works.
- Despite current challenges, Doctor Who's legacy ensures that it would return in some form eventually if cancelled.
Something is coming for the Doctor, and it isn't the Daleks or the Cybermen. If the current showrunner of Doctor Who is to be believed, the future isn't looking too bright for the venerable sci-fi series.
At this point in time, it would be a massive understatement to say Doctor Who is a bona fide pop culture phenomenon. Since first airing way back in 1963, Doctor Who has become something of a genuine science fiction institution. Nearly 900 television episodes have aired over the decades, and that's just from the mainline series. The so-called "Whoniverse" is quite expansive, consisting of numerous spin-off shows like Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Throw in feature films, a television film, stage shows, various aftershows, video games, comic books, audio plays, novels, podcasts, and more... And you begin to see the full picture. The entirety of the Doctor Who franchise is almost awe-inspiring. Its unending popularity and influence know almost no bounds. Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end eventually.
Doctor Who's Latest Shocking Regeneration Is Leaving Fans Speechless
Fans had been speculating that Ncuti Gatwa would leave the show after this season, but not like *that*.
Russell T Davies creates production diaries for Doctor Who Magazine, and the latest issue of the publication included a bit of a whopper from the showrunner. When writing about the show following the finale of the latest season, he elaborated (via Deadline): "We don't know what's happening yet, and while everyone works that out, I'll take a pause on this page." If the man running the show doesn't know if the show even has an immediate future, that seems to be a big problem.
"Hopefully, we'll have news soon."
Doctor Who's Showrunner Doesn't Know If The Show Has An Immediate Future
The latest season (or series) of the show was the fifteenth since Doctor Who was rebooted back in 2005. It was also the second season to exclusively air on Disney+ in the United States. The show used to air on BBC America for years, but that ended when Disney stepped in. Unfortunately for the Mouse House, the BBC, and everyone working on the show in general, this season's ratings didn't exactly set the house on fire. Well, actually, maybe they did.
It's unsurprising that Doctor Who is an expensive show to produce. It is a science fiction show about an essentially eternal alien who can go anywhere in space and time. As such, the series' scope is limitless. Pretty much anything can happen, and it often does. To realistically pull this off, high production budgets are necessary, and those budgets are only justifiable if people are watching. If ratings are on the decline (and they are), then the people in charge of funds are going to start asking questions.
Doctor Who Is In Trouble, And David Tennant Can Save It
Doctor Who could reportedly be axed after the next season, but David Tennant might be able to save the show.
Even if Doctor Who takes a sabbatical, there is just no way it is gone for good. Not only is the latest spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, set to debut this year, but the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart card game is still ongoing, new audio plays are in the works, and comic books from Titan Comics surrounding various Doctors are ongoing as well. Also, Doctor Who would undoubtedly return in some form or fashion at some point down the line. After all, regeneration is the Doctor's thing, isn't it?
Doctor Who is currently available to stream on Disney+.
- Release Date
- 1963 - 1989-00-00
- Network
- BBC One, BBC Television
- Directors
- Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Peter Moffatt, Richard Martin, Chris Clough, Lennie Mayne, Pennant Roberts, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Graeme Harper, Gerald Blake, Hugh David, Mervyn Pinfield, Rodney Bennett, Waris Hussein, John Gorrie
- Writers
- Robert Holmes, Bob Baker, Malcolm Hulke, Dave Martin, David Whitaker, Brian Hayles, Robert Sloman, David Fisher, Dennis Spooner, Terrance Dicks, Eric Saward, John Lucarotti, Don Houghton, Chris Boucher, Ian Stuart Black, Louis Marks, Peter Grimwade, Henry Lincoln, Johnny Byrne, Mervyn Haisman, Jane Baker, Pip Baker, Robert Banks Stewart, Anthony Read
Cast
-
Barry JacksonGordon Lowery -
Brian BadcoeAdam
-
Catherine Lough HaggquistWheeler
-
David BanksCyber Leader
Source: Deadline