Ex-Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss has given a “doomy” verdict on the series’ future, following the announcement earlier this year that the BBC show was being put out to tender. It was announced earlier this year that plans for a 2026 Christmas special had been abandoned, with showrunner Russell T Davies departing the show in order for Doctor Who to be put out to “competitive tender” – whereby production companies pitch ideas to take stewardship of the show. Gatiss, who wrote and acted in several episodes of Doctor Who during its revival series, has cast doubt on the show’s future, predicting that there will be “a proper break”.
Doctor Who originally ran on BBC One from 1963 to 1989, before it was cancelled. The series was later revived in 2005, and ran for two decades. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. I think the fact it's come back so successfully means it will come back again. It's not a one-off 26-year run, but I think maybe it's just time for a proper break, because you want people to miss it and have fresh ideas, and probably someone to run it who grew up with David Tennant as the Doctor, rather than Tom Baker.” While announcing that the 2026 Christmas speical had been cancelled, the BBC said: “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.” The corporation added that putting the show out to tender “underpins the BBC’s continued commitment to Doctor Who, ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come”.
The same was done with Casualty last year – with the BBC retaining the rights for the programme and continuing to air it, but finding a new producer to make it. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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