Doctor Who is an iconic series franchise that first premiered back in 1963 on the BBC! Being a science fiction series, Doctor Who has undergone several recasts, reboots (not completely), and, rebrands.
The series has, however, never left BBC’s side since its inception in 1963. The Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies, talked about how he wants the franchise to be as big as Marvel or Star Wars. Hence, in a swift move, Davies revealed that he is not afraid to break a franchise tradition as long as Doctor Who becomes a big universe like the MCU!
Doctor Who Has Never Left BBC’s Side!
Starting in 1963, Doctor Who premiered on BBC, and fans around the world loved it. With 26 seasons, the show ended briefly in 1989 and went out as one of the finest TV series created. In 2005, the series was picked up once again by creator Sydney Newman and continued for an additional 13 seasons.
The rebranded show ended in 2022 but several spin-offs followed. During that run, showrunner Russell T. Davies was a part of the franchise until he left in 2009. In a recent report, Davies stated that he is returning to the franchise once again and this time, he’s bringing a drastic change. As mentioned earlier, Doctor Who has never left BBC’s side during its entire run. Well, Davies is of mind to change that.
In an interview with IGN, Davies revealed that he wants to make the Doctor Who franchise as big as Marvel or Star Wars/Star Trek.
“I think all the showrunners since are now looking at me in horror. They thought they’d escaped, and I’ve set this terrible precedent that they might be needed once more.”
However, this wasn’t the end of the conversation. As the interview further continued, Davies revealed that there was only one reason why he came back to be the showrunner of Doctor Who again, and it had everything to do with Disney+ and nothing to do with BBC!
Doctor Who Showrunner Feels It’s Time To Break Tradition!
With the franchise having 39 seasons to its name (26 seasons until 1989 and 13 till 2022), the 40th season has just been released. The season will be a part of the rebranded Doctor Who and will be the 14th season of the 2005 show. However, the marketing campaign has already marked the season as Season 1 of Doctor Who.
Russell T. Davies revealed that it has got to do with the rebranding of the show (again) and to announce to the world that the franchise has shifted gears. As the interview further continued, Davies stated that the only reason he came back to the franchise was because Doctor Who had shifted to Disney+ and left BBC behind!
“The reason I came back was that I absolutely agreed with the BBC and Disney+’s ambition of the show to make it a big worldwide streamer, and to put it up there with all the big Marvel shows and the Star Wars shows and the Star Trek shows,”
This move would break the almost 60-year-old tradition and friendship between Doctor Who and BBC. As for now, two episodes of Season 14 (or Season 1) of Doctor Who have been released. The series stars Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa as the new Doctor.
Season 14 of Doctor Who is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
