Speaking at the annual Edinburgh TV Festival this week, BBC bosses have spoken about Doctor Who following the conclusion of its first full season produced in partnership with the Disney+.
In 2022 it was announced that the BBC had partnered with Disney Branded Television to “transform Doctor Who into a global franchise for UK audiences and the rest of the world” under the vision of returning showrunner Russell T Davies.
Speaking at the BBC Spotlight session at the festival, and responding to a quetion from TV Zone, BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore, said: “Doctor Who has done so well for young audiences. We were just delighted, it’s been actually part of iPlayer’s growth for younger audiences which has been phenomenon this year… We have just announced the new spin-off show, ‘The War Between’, which is very exciting…
“We’re very excited about season 2 which Lindsay and I have been watching and it’s going to be fantastic. Look it’s been a great collaboration and we’re really enjoying it. It is a great ride to be on.”
Also this week, responding to a question from TV Zone, Senior Vice President of Disney+, Liam Keelan said: “[Doctor Who] is a fabulous series. Obviously, in the UK it’s fully BBC, rightly so. We take rest of world rights. But really, really happy to have it. I think just, you know, the quirkiness of it, the fact that it’s in that sci-fi world and when you think about what Disney offers in other regards, I think it feels like a really good fit to me. I mean, you know, it’s great to have it.”
Last month it was announced the BBC and Disney+ had commissioned new Doctor Who spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea. Leading the five-part series is Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The series will also see the return of UNIT alumni Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrien.
A short synopsis for the new series, due to air in 2025, reads: ‘When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war.’
Doctor Who returns this Christmas with its annual festive special. Written by former showrunner Steven Moffat, Joy To The World will see Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor come face-to-face with classic villains The Silurians and guest star Nicola Coughlan.
Joining the Christmas special, alongside Couglan and revealed in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, are Peter Benedict and Julia Watson as Basil and Hilda. Niamh Marie Smith will play Sylvia, Phil Baxter is Edmund Hillary, Samuel Sherpa-Moore is Tenzing Norgay, Steph de Whalley is Anita and Jonathan Aris played Melnak the Silurian.
Doctor Who will then return in 2025 with Season 2, which will see The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) reunite alongside new companion played by Varada Sethu. Sethu made a surprise appearence in Season 1 as part of the cast of Boom.
Doctor Who Season 1 is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ worldwide where available. Doctor Who is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television.
