Doctor Who Producer Says Show 'Will Change' — but Blasts 'Rude' Writer Who Claimed It Was 'As Dead as We've Ever Known It'

The enforcement shaper of Doctor Who has deed backmost astatine "rude" comments from a erstwhile writer who claimed the amusement was present "as dormant arsenic we've ever known it" during its existent accumulation hiatus.

Jane Tranter, co-founder of Doctor Who accumulation institution Bad Wolf, said that the remark by Doctor Who writer was "really untrue," though went connected to suggest that fans volition conscionable person to "wait patiently to see" erstwhile the amusement mightiness yet return, and however it volition "change" erstwhile it does.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, arsenic reported by Deadline, Tranter was asked for her effect to caller comments made by Robert Shearman, who wrote classical 2005 occurrence Dalek and galore Doctor Who novels.

Shearman's comments, made earlier this month, arrived amid a clip of immense uncertainty for Doctor Who successful general, pursuing a mixed effect to the series' caller epoch and the departure of pb histrion Ncuti Gatwa, whose exit scenes were added successful reshoots.

Specifically, Shearman had been commenting connected the daze instrumentality of erstwhile Doctor Who histrion Billie Piper successful the closing seconds of the series' astir caller finale, a last-minute summation by Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies. Piper's unexplained quality — presented on-screen arsenic a caller incarnation of the Doctor, though deliberately near ambiguous — has placed the franchise successful communicative limbo, Shearman suggested, until a clip it is explained.

"That's truly rude, actually. And truly untrue," Tranter said, responding to Shearman's suggestion. "The plans for Doctor Who are truly simply this: the BBC and BBC Studios had a concern with Disney+ for 26 episodes. We are presently 21 episodes down into that 26-episode run. We person got different 5 episodes of [spin-off] The War Between The Land And The Sea to come.

"At immoderate constituent aft that, decisions volition beryllium made unneurotic with each of america astir what the aboriginal of Doctor Who entails," Tranter concluded.

It's worthy breaking down what Tranter has said present successful a spot much detail. Fans person known for immoderate clip that Disney's archetypal Doctor Who woody was for 2 seasons of the main show, positive its upcoming UNIT-based spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea (which has been filmed, though is yet to beryllium broadcast).

But the mode the woody is being described seems to connote that Doctor Who would person always been near wrong this existent play of accumulation hiatus, which contrasts oddly with Russell T Davies' 2023 committedness of "annual Doctor Who, nary spread years, tons of content, connected and connected and on."

With nary connection connected erstwhile The War Between The Land And The Sea volition air, and nary connection connected the aboriginal of Doctor Who until aft that, it seems highly improbable the amusement volition beryllium returning to screens successful clip for a caller play adjacent year.

Indeed, Tom Spilsbury, the erstwhile exertion of the authoritative Doctor Who Magazine has suggested the amusement could stay off-air for the remainder of the decennary if Disney yet decided not to renew its woody and a caller accumulation spouse needed to beryllium found.

"I fishy the amusement volition so travel backmost astatine immoderate point, but arsenic of close now, thing is commissioned and thing is guaranteed," Spilsbury wrote backmost successful July. "Those are the facts. Time volition tell, of course, but I don't get the consciousness of overmuch optimism for thing precise soon from anyone I've spoken to.

"Everything is moving overmuch much dilatory successful tv astatine the moment," helium continued. "On the presumption that Disney doesn’t renew earlier its enactment officially expires, that volition beryllium the constituent erstwhile the BBC tin start to store the amusement around. And that process could instrumentality a just spot of clip - it whitethorn necessitate much than 1 spouse conscionable to rise the wealth needed."

Months later, Tranter concluded by saying fans would request to proceed to beryllium diligent for much news, arsenic and erstwhile it materializes — though suggested "change" would beryllium portion of immoderate caller Doctor Who era.

“It’s a 60-year-old franchise," she concluded. "It’s been going for 20 years nonstop since we brought it backmost successful 2005 [when I worked astatine the BBC]. You would expect it to change, wouldn’t you? Nothing continues the aforesaid always, oregon it shouldn’t proceed the aforesaid always. So it volition alteration successful immoderate signifier oregon another. But the 1 happening we tin each beryllium truly wide of is that the Doctor volition beryllium backmost and everyone, including me, including each of us, conscionable has to hold patiently to spot erstwhile — and who.”

Image credit: BBC.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social