Summary
Doctor Whohas been at the recieving end of a lot of negative rumors recently, and the franchise’s longtime custodians have finally released an official statement addressing the most recent wave of allegations concerning the show’s future.
Doctor Whohas been around for decades, with the franchise’s central character kept around perpetually thanks to regeneration, a quirk of the Time Lords that allows members of the species (The Doctor included) to radically regenerate after taking lethal damage, taking on a whole new visage in the process. Through this in-universe plot device, the show has cycled through fifteen different incarnations with fourteen different actors, with Scottish star Ncuti Gatwa most recently taking on the role. However, the show has seen some turbulence recently, and it’s beenrumored that Disney was set to cancelDoctor Whodue to ‘underwhelming’ viewershipafter Gatwa’s upcoming second season.
While these initial claims received some pushback from some familiar with the situation, more rumors recently emerged suggesting that in addition to the impending cancellation,Gatwa himself might already be done with hisDoctor Whoroleamidst increased attention from Hollywood and fears of reputational drawbacks from the role. However, reports of the show’s demise seem to have been greatly exaggerated. In an official statement from a spokesperson for the show reported byRadioTimes, the rumors were shot down in very direct terms. “This story is incorrect, Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs. The deal with Disney Plus was for 26 episodes – and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.”
The statement seems to be conclusive and gives fans new information on the original deal struck with Disney forDoctor Whoto make the jump to Disney+ in the US. Gatwa’s run has yielded only eight aired episodes andthe most recentDoctor WhoChristmas special, meaning that the vast majority of Disney’s deal is yet to be fulfilled. However, it’s easy to note that thios official statement doesn’t actually address a lot of the things posited by the recent rumors, and certainly doesn’t offer any assurances concerning the Disney+ deal. Reiterating that the decision will come after season two airs falls in line with the idea that the show’s numbers are a cause for concern, and there’s no reason to think that the Disney+ deal can’t fall through before the agreed number of episodes air on the platform. As for the charge that the BBC is considering taking the show off the air entirely, that could also be in the pipeline. All in all, it really does seem that nobody will breathe a sigh of relief until after the next season airs.
All in all, none of the reporting on either side of the issue changes the fact that fans will soon get another season of the show on Disney+ that’s already filmed, and that should be the main focus for now. WithformerDoctor Wholead Matt Smith putting forth Rhys Ifans as the next Doctor, there’s certainly a starting point for casting if Gatwa really does have to exit the show to explore new opportunities in Hollywood. Fans can only really wait and see how things play out, but a good portion of the fanbase probably does wish that the show was taking a hiatus to reevaluate its creative direction, as the reports suggested.
Doctor Whois available to stream on Disney+ in the United States.
