As Doctor Who enters another period of transition, with the results of its competitive tender process expected to be announced in spring 2027, Russell T Davies, who helmed the show for its most recent era, has revealed the decision he believes ultimately "f****d it from the start."
Davies, who had previously revived the sci-fi series in 2005, returned as showrunner for its 60th anniversary in 2023, while the show also entered a co-production and global distribution deal with Disney+.
This deal ended in 2025 and was not renewed, leading to the current state of play where the BBC is set to select a new production company to take it over following the tender process.
Now, writing in his new memoir The Queerest of Folk, Davies has said the biggest "stumbling block" for his new era was that it started with the 60th anniversary celebration, meaning it was both a 'launch' for new audiences on Disney+, and a 'regeneration' at the same time.
"It was a confused launch," Davies wrote. "We knew it would be, but there was no way around it. It was the sixtieth anniversary, which meant going to a streamer to say this is a brand-new show that's celebrating sixty years. It's launching and regenerating at the same time. Quite a difficult concept. I think that f****d it from the start.
"Disney's solution was to throw away the three anniversary specials, more or less. They dropped them on to the platform, but they didn't really advertise them. I don't think David Tennant did a single interview with the American press. And I accept that, because we'd created that oddness. But it was a stumbling start in America, from which I think we never quite recovered."
The 60th anniversary specials, the first three episodes of Davies's second era, saw David Tennant and Catherine Tate return, with Tennant handing over to new actor, Ncuti Gatwa, at the end of the third episode.
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These were then followed by a 2023 Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road, which was Gatwa's first full episode and also introduced Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday. The first full season started after this, in May 2024, with the episode Space Babies.
Davies's second run ultimately featured the three anniversary specials, two Christmas specials, two full seasons and a spin-off show, The War Between the Land and the Sea. He confirmed his departure from the series at the same time as the decision to the put the show out to tender was announced.
The Queerest of Folk by Russell T Davies is out now.
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