Russell T Davies for Doctor Who / BBC
This year’s planned Doctor Who Christmas special has been cancelled and Russell T Davies has departed as showrunner, the BBC has announced.
The future of the long-running sci-fi show has been in doubt for some time after Disney+ pulled the plug on its partnership deal last year and Ncuti Gatwa exited his role as The Doctor.
The BBC initially confirmed a special episode, penned by Davies, for this Christmas which would have resolved a cliffhanger that saw Billie Piper emerge from the TARDIS following The Doctor’s regeneration.
Those plans have now been shelved, however, as the BBC looks “to invest in the long-term future of the show” by putting it out to tender with third-party production companies.
A statement read: “As part of securing the next phase of the show for future generations, and in line with the BBC’s Charter and Agreement requirements, the BBC will put Doctor Who out to competitive tender this year. Doctor Who remains an important part of the BBC and this tender underpins the BBC’s continued commitment to Doctor Who ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come.
“After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode. This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory.”
Posting to Instagram, Davies confirmed his departure and also revealed that he had never even written a script for the Christmas episode.
“And so GOODBYE from me to Doctor Who but HELLO to a big new future for the show, as the BBC announces it’s putting the show out to tender,” he wrote. “As a result, there won’t be a Christmas Special – we only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there’s no need for it.
“You’ll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who… but you’ll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a one-off. So it’s worth it!
“For the record: there was no script, I never wrote it, and no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor. You may disagree; fine, sit in that chair and wait to be proved right. You’ll wait a lonnng time. Now I’m as excited as anyone to see what comes next! Will they keep the theme tune? Will they lose the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?! It’s all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who, exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future, vworp vworp.”
Davies’s departure also casts doubt over the Piper cliffhanger, with a resolution or explanation almost certain to be part of the new series.
Separately, the BBC also confirmed that the 52-episode animated kids spinoff of Doctor Who is unaffected by the news and is currently in production.
