Russell T Davies says he remains in the dark over Doctor Who‘s future.
In a production diary for the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Davies said the BBC‘s iconic sci-fi series will never end, but he was less certain about its immediate future following Season 15.
“We don’t know what’s happening yet, and while everyone works that out, I’ll take a pause on this page … Hopefully, we’ll have news soon,” the showrunner wrote.
A Doctor Who source explained: “This letter is a production notes diary for when the show is in production, or on air, and as Russell has stated within the piece, it is a pause.”
Ncuti Gatwa has confirmed his exit as the Doctor, with the drama ending on an ambiguous note, as Gatwa regenerated into Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler.
The BBC has not yet made a decision about a renewal, while questions linger over its co-production deal with Disney+, which streams Doctor Who in the U.S.
Produced by Bad Wolf, spin-off series The War Between The Land And The Sea is up next. It features Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
‘Doctor Who’ Ratings
Deadline has analyzed official seven-day viewing figures for Season 15, and it does not make easy reading for those involved in Doctor Who.
The season averaged 3.2M viewers over its eight episodes, which was half a million viewers down from last year’s season — Gatwa’s first as the Doctor.
Compare Season 15 to Jodie Whittaker’s last outing as the Time Lord, and things get grimmer. Season 13 pulled in 1.7M more viewers, averaging 4.9M in 2021.
Deadline has used viewing figures from Barb, the UK’s official ratings body. They include on-demand and streaming viewing on televisions, but are not the full picture.
Broadcasters and streamers prefer to use 28-day figures, which provide a more conclusive overview. Nonetheless, seven-day viewing is usually directional and the pattern of decline will likely be reflected in Doctor Who’s final ratings.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Doctor Who is the BBC’s biggest drama for the under 35s and remains one of the most popular brands on iPlayer, with over 70 million viewing hours in 2024.”