Weeks after Doctor Who season 15 finished, the future of the show is still uncertain, with rumours and reports circulating about what's set to happen next.
After all, five of the 26 episodes originally agreed with Disney are still yet to broadcast, and will be coming our way in the form of spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea (which we're waiting on a release date for).
It said: "Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs." It added that "the deal with Disney Plus was for 26 episodes".
To be crystal clear, none of the below options have been confirmed or hinted at by the BBC — this is speculation and analysis from our team at Radio Times.
1. Recommission from Disney
What would this mean for the show? If the recommission comes, we'd expect the show to continue for at least two more seasons in more or less the same vein as it has since Russell T Davies's return (albeit with a new Doctor) - potentially alongside more spin-offs.
We'd also expect Davies to stay on as showrunner, as he's said he already has plot lines for seasons 17 and 18 in mind, and he's mentioned that he wants to answer unanswered questions from the season 15 finale (including the return of Carole Ann Ford's Susan and, of course, what Billie Piper's return means).
What would lead to this? While Doctor Who was previously available to air in the US and other countries, with some past eras actually proving pretty popular across the pond, the Disney deal marked a new era for Doctor Who's global reach.
Disney has not addressed Doctor Who's performance, but we do know that ratings in the UK have been lower this time around than we've seen in previous years (although terrestrial TV ratings as a whole are now lower than they have been in previous years, so this should be taken with a pinch of salt).
Streaming expert Robin Parker says: "Doctor Who landing its first Emmy nomination is a welcome reputational boost, though this may equally reflect wider industry love for choreographer Jack Murphy, who’s also nominated for Bridgerton.
2. Picked up by another streamer
If the Disney deal is not renewed, it's possible that Doctor Who could be shopped around to other streamers, for instance Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Apple TV+ etc.
What would this mean for the show? If another streamer does decide to pick up Doctor Who, the benefit would be that it would likely continue with an increased budget. Whether or not you liked how Doctor Who's bigger budget was used for the past two seasons, there's no doubting that a big budget for a show like Doctor Who is a good thing.
In this scenario, we'd still expect Davies to stay on as showrunner - as long as the new streamer's vision for Doctor Who aligned with what he hopes for it.
However, this option would likely take quite a long time, and we'd expect Doctor Who to be off our screens for a few years while a new deal is worked out.
At the moment, it's difficult to see a better fit than Doctor Who and Disney, but it's very possible that other streamers would want to diversify their content - and there are certainly worse ways to do that than a British institution like Doctor Who!
"Disney has the biggest family focus of any streamer, but Amazon Prime has gone big with fantasy with shows like The Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
"There may also be a tussle about release dates – due to the funding balance between its commissioning partners, Good Omens aired internationally long before BBC Two viewers got to see it."
3. The BBC goes it alone
What would this mean for the show? If BBC Studios/Bad Wolf go it alone, we'd probably be looking at a similar sort of show to the one we watched for years before the Disney deal.
However, it would probably be on a very limited budget. It's no secret that the BBC has faced significant budget challenges impacting its TV output - and that's not an uncommon problem at the moment.
In fact, as plenty of the show's writers have said, necessity is the mother of invention and plenty of Doctor Who's best episodes have been produced due to this necessity — the prime example being Steven Moffat's Blink, which needed to be a Doctor-lite episode, and went on to become one of the best-loved ones of all time.
It would also mean that Davies gets to retain more creative control over the series.
While it would likely be a longer route to getting Doctor Who back on TV (if other potential deals are explored first), it's not a bad option from where we're standing.
"The BBC simply couldn’t make it in the same volume without sacrificing a major chunk of spend – either on Doctor Who or elsewhere.
4. Cancellation/hiatus
Obviously, this is the worst-case option - but it doesn't have to be absolutely disastrous. It's not outside the realms of possibility that Doctor Who will have at least a short hiatus.
What would this mean for the show? Of course, it would be bad news for Doctor Who fans who have loved seeing the show back on screen almost every year since 2005. However, there would be benefits too.
If this iteration of Doctor Who is cancelled, we'd expect it to be brought back again in the future after a number of years - probably by writers who grew up with the rebooted version. There are some that argue that a rest would do the show good. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder!
What would lead to this? At the moment, this is looking like an unlikely option, and it stands to reason that Doctor Who will continue in some form. However, if all three of the above options fail, it may be the only choice - at least for a time.
"A special or two exploring – or rapidly moving on from – the implications of Billie Piper’s casting could perhaps bridge the gap, but the show just isn’t part of the national conversation it once was, and it has seemed incapable of picking up casual viewers unless David Tennant’s involved.
"It needs fresh eyes to determine how and why it deserves a place in today’s TV landscape – and what form that should take. We might be waiting some time."
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