Doctor Who could remain off-air for the rest of the decade, a notable insider has suggested, as concerns grow over the long-running show’s immediate future.
That’s according to Tom Spilsbury, a journalist and writer with close ties to the show’s production, who previously served as editor of the officially-licensed Doctor Who Magazine (DWM) for more than a decade.
Writing on fan forum Gallifrey Base, Spilsbury said that while he expected Doctor Who to return at some point, fans should “adjust their expectations” for its immediate future, as the wait for official news on the series’ Disney co-funding deal renewal drags on.
“I suspect the show will indeed come back at some point, but as of right now, nothing is commissioned and nothing is guaranteed,” Spilsbury wrote. “Those are the facts. Time will tell, of course, but I don’t get the sense of much optimism for anything very soon from anyone I’ve spoken to.”
Over more than 100 issues with DWM, Spilsbury repeatedly interviewed key figures within the show’s production, and separately worked with the BBC to record audio commentaries for the broadcaster’s Doctor Who DVD range. And now, based on his knowledge of the show’s production, Spilsbury has said that fans should prepare themselves for a lengthy wait for new episodes to air.
“Everything is moving much more slowly in television at the moment,” Spilsbury wrote. “On the assumption that Disney doesn’t renew before its option officially expires, that will be the point when the BBC can start to shop the show around. And that process could take a fair bit of time – it may require more than one partner just to raise the money needed.
“Potential partners who may have some very specific requirements or stipulations. They may need to go back to people who they turned down last time. Have you noticed how more productions have needed multiple backers just to make them viable these days? Yes, the BBC could go for the ultra-cheap in-house version of the show, but I really don’t think that’s as viable an option as it used to be – the licence fee simply hasn’t kept up with inflation over the past few years.”
Spilsbury caveated his comments by saying they were simply his “perspective”, albeit one based on his production “knowledge and real-life conversations with people who do actually know a thing or two about television”.
“I’m not saying that things will definitely turn out this way,” he continued, “I just think people may need to adjust their expectations about how long this will all take. As I’ve always said, Doctor Who might not be officially ‘cancelled’ – but for now, the absence of a commission essentially amounts to the same thing. I’m sure that commission will come at some point, but the longer it takes, the more likely it will be that the show will return as a completely reimagined relaunch. And maybe that would be a good thing?”
While not a member of the show’s current production, Spilsbury’s previous closeness to the brand gives his words weight amongst Doctor Who fans, who are taking his sense of the series’ future seriously. And a key element here, reading between the lines, seems to be the suggestion that the longer it takes for Doctor Who to return, the more likely it will be that it will be with a fresh team behind it.
“My guess – and it is just a guess – is that it will be five or six years before we see anything new,” Spilsbury suggested. “At which point, it will be the children of 2005 who will be bringing the show back, just as Russell [T Davies, current Doctor Who showrunner] predicted. As ever, time will tell.”
Spilsbury here is referencing a recent BBC Newsround interview with Davies, who referenced the last time Doctor Who was off-air for a considerable period, prior to his own first season as showrunner in 2005, when Christopher Eccleston took on the show’s title role. In it, Davies said that Doctor Who would sometimes “pause” until a new generation took it on.
It’s worth considering Spilsbury’s previous comment that “potential partners” may have some “specific requirements or stipulations” — and it seems logical to suggest that, as time goes on, and sentiment around Doctor Who’s most recent seasons settles, there may well be a greater desire from future potential co-funding partners for any new deal to also promise a fresh vision for the series.
Asked whether he believed the show’s current finale — its last-minute reveal of Billie Piper, following the departure of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor via a reshot ending — had created a rod for the show’s own back whenever it does return, Spilsbury agreed, though suggested the longer the wait, the easier it would also be to ignore.
“Yes,” he wrote, “but I think it will eventually become academic. I suspect it will be quite a while before new episodes are commissioned and announced, by which point enough time will have passed that everyone will be expecting a clean slate anyway.”
Last month, Davies admitted Doctor Who’s current production team “don’t know what’s happening yet” regarding the show’s future. Meanwhile, the BBC has announced plans to mount an animated spin-off to air on kid’s channel CBeebies, though it’s unclear whether this will feature The Doctor as a main character.
Image credit: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
