The BBC has canceled the special Christmas episode of DOCTOR WHO that was promised. AND show-runner Russell T. Davis and producer Bad Wolf are exiting the iconic sci-fi series. YIKES! There she blows…
This will result in the BBC putting the series out to competitive tender. Which means that BBC Studios, which owns the rights to Doctor Who, or an independent producer will have the opportunity to reinvent the beloved Time Lord.
“As part of securing the next phase of the show for future generations, and in line with the BBC’s Charter and Agreement requirements, the BBC will put Doctor Who out to competitive tender this year. Doctor Who remains an important part of the BBC and this tender underpins the BBC’s continued commitment to Doctor Who ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come,” the BBC said in a statement.
“After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode.”
“This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory.”
In a post on Instagram, Davies said goodbye to the show, which he led from 2005 to 2010 and again since 2023 in tandem with BBC’s co-production pact with Disney+. (Disney+ did not renew the show due to low viewership)
“And so GOODBYE from me to Doctor Who but HELLO to a big new future for the show, as the BBC announces it’s putting the show out to tender. As a result, there won’t be a Christmas Special — we only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there’s no need for it,” Davies wrote. “You’ll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who… but you’ll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a one-off. So it’s worth it!”
He added: “For the record: there was no script, I never wrote it, and no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor. You may disagree; fine, sit in that chair and wait to be proved right. You’ll wait a lonnng time 🪑 Now I’m as excited as anyone to see what comes next! Will they keep the theme tune? Will they lose the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?! It’s all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who, exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future, vworp vworp.”
So that’s it for the “Who-niverse” y’all… at least this version of it. And honestly, I can’t say I’m all that surprised. As a Doctor Who fan myself. In my opinion, the last 5+ years have been lackluster at best. I’ve been barely holding on. And after that last regeneration, into Billie Piper of all people, I was ready to give up on the Doc completely. So maybe, just maybe… a complete change of pace might be just what the doctor ordered.
