The future of Doctor Who is as uncertain as ever, a situation that stretches back to the confusing regeneration scene that capped Ncuti Gatwa’s Time Lord era. Then, we had Disney’s producing-partner breakup with the BBC; the announcement of a 2026 Christmas special from Russell T Davies despite uncertainty over who would actually be playing the Doctor; the subsequent cancellation of that special—and the news that the BBC, which had already been open to finding a new production partner, would soon be officially putting the veteran (and increasingly expensive) sci-fi series out to tender.
For now, at least, the TARDIS seems to be taking an extended vacation. And Mark Gatiss, a British TV staple who has both written for and guest-starred on Doctor Who, thinks that’s probably for the best.
In a chat with the Radio Times, Gatiss said that while he believes “the fact that Doctor Who had a second act of 21 years is absolutely amazing,” and that “the BBC putting it out to tender is a perfectly great idea,” he also thinks that the show’s due for a break, much like it had between 1989 and 2005.
“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,” Gatiss said.
However, as the Radio Times points out, there have been a couple of companies who have expressed interest in Doctor Who: BBC Studios and Electric Entertainment. It’s yet to be seen what will happen with the tender, but Gatiss sounds pretty relaxed about the whole thing.
“It’s fine. I think the fact it’s come back so successfully means it will come back again.”
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