BBC Warned To Never Kill Doctor Who — 'It's A National Duty'
Former Doctor Who boss says the BBC has a 'national duty' to keep the show alive. The ex-showrunner isn’t mincing words, insisting that dropping the series would be a betrayal of British culture itself.
Doctor Who is in one of those weird limbo moments: a massive cliffhanger on-screen, big question mark off-screen. And into that walks Steven Moffat, saying out loud what a lot of fans are already thinking.
Moffat: the BBC should keep making it, full stop
Moffat, who ran the show from 2010 to 2017 (the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi era) and recently popped back to write season 14's Boom and the Christmas special Joy to the World, told RadioTimes.com he does not know what comes next. He says he is only loosely in touch with Russell T Davies these days, mostly because they are both busy at Channel 4 on upcoming series Tiptoe and Number 10.
His broader point was simple enough:
"I think there is a national duty for the BBC to make Doctor Who."
He added that a new spin-off has already been shot and he figures big decisions probably will not land until after that goes out.
Why this is even a question right now
The latest episode, The Reality War, ended with a very un-quiet bang: Ncuti Gatwa regenerates into Billie Piper. Wild twist, even by this show’s standards. Meanwhile, everyone is waiting to see if Disney will order more seasons as part of the co-production deal. That is the limbo.
The BBC line: it is not going anywhere
Shortly after Moffat spoke, BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips tried to calm the room at the Edinburgh TV Festival. She said fans should relax — the show is staying on the BBC regardless of what Disney decides. She called the Disney partnership a good one and said it continues through next year with the spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea. Her bottom line was basically: the TARDIS is not moving.
Lindsay Salt, who runs BBC Drama, did not have a fresh update on future seasons either, but stressed the corporation will always be committed to the series.
Where things stand (and what is next)
- Moffat wants it back on air and says the BBC should keep making it, period. He does not have insider info on renewals.
- He and Russell T Davies are both juggling Channel 4 projects right now: Tiptoe and Number 10.
- The most recent episode, The Reality War, pulled the surprise of Ncuti Gatwa regenerating into Billie Piper.
- Disney has not announced whether it will commission more seasons yet. Moffat suspects decisions may wait until after the new spin-off lands.
- The BBC says Doctor Who stays on the BBC with or without Disney, and the Disney relationship continues at least through next year’s spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea.
- The spin-off is already filmed and stars Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. It is due sometime next year.
- In the meantime, Doctor Who is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
Short version: the off-screen politics are messier than the on-screen timeline (which is saying something), but the people in charge at the BBC are treating the show like the institution it is. As they should.