With just over a month to go until the 20th anniversary of Doctor Who's return to Saturday teatime, the future of the beloved BBC sci-fi series appears in doubt depending on which media source(s) you may use.
This toxic trope began during the classic era and continues to this day. When it was announced that Christopher Eccleston would leave after only one season to be replaced by David Tennant, some fans speculated whether the series would be cancelled. Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whittaker. Rinse. Repeat.
The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper, suggests the BBC's deal with Disney+ has ended, Ncuti Gatwa is keen to exit the series to pursue a career in Hollywood and filmed a regeneration scene, and Sony's Bad Wolf Studios has laid off staff.
The BBC said the Sun report was incorrect. A spokesperson said: “Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs.”
Like many fans, I was excited when the original deal was announced with returning showrunner Russell T Davies back at the helm ahead of the 60th anniversary.
“The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes – and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.”
A bigger budget and utilising state-of-the-art technology developed for the Star Wars spin-off series on Disney+ suggested a shiny reboot for the TikTok generation. Season one wasn't the home run it needed to be, culminating in Scooby Sutekh going for TARDIS walkies. However, it boasted Boom, 73 Yards and Dot and Bubble.
The fly in the ointment is that a shorter season means not everything feels entirely earned in an era dominated by streaming services. I wanted to spend a little more time with the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and fabulous friends (old and new) before the big bad arrived with a nightmarish flourish worthy of Steven Moffat.
Amidst all the speculation, Tennant is tipped to return again as the titular Time Lord. Let's wait and see.
Doctor Who returns later this year on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland.
Do you think the Disney+ deal will end? How will it affect the future of Doctor Who? Let me know in the comments below.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated for spam. Stay on topic and do not embed links. Keep it family-friendly.
Thank you.