Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has issued a disappointing update for fans of the iconic British sci-fi series, confirming that there have been “no meetings” to discuss the show’s future.
The second season of the Ncuti Gatwa-led Doctor Who revamp arrives on screens in just a few days time, and yet conversations about the next season haven’t even started yet.
Speaking to Radio Times at the premiere of the new season, legendary British TV writer Russell T Davies said that he “hopes” that the show will come back for another season, but has no confirmation so far.
“There’s no decision until after season two,” he confirmed. “It’s funny, because even people who work on the show think that means we’re having secret meetings about it. People I work with every year say, ‘What’s really happening?’ and I’m going, ‘Nothing! No meetings, nothing.’
“That’s when the decision is – and the decision won’t even be made by the people we work with at Disney Plus, it’ll be made by someone in a big office somewhere. So literally nothing happening, no decision,” he added.
It’s a disappointing revelation for fans who would’ve thought that behind the scenes conversations about the show’s future would’ve started by now.
It seems that Davies is hopeful though, as he confirmed that the Doctor Who creative team are “ready with different plans” to explore a potential next season.
“[It] could go this way, could go that way. That’s our job, to be ready… but we’ll find out. Dying to find out. Hope it comes back.”
In February, the BBC hit back at reports that the adored show had been axed due to “abysmal ratings” and poor response to its so-called “woke” plots. In addition to Gatwa being the first Black, out queer actor to star as the two-hearted Time Lord, Davies’ first season included appearances from RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon, Heartstopper’s trans actress Yasmin Finney, and made history by featuring the Doctor’s first queer romance storyline.
In a statement at the time, the BBC said: “This story is incorrect, Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season three will be made after season two airs.
“The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes – and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.”
There may be a small issue with one episode of Doctor Who season two making it to air though, as it’s set for a possible clash with the FA Cup and the Eurovision Song Contest. If the FA Cup match goes into penalties, its run-time will be extended.
“The FA Cup is going live on BBC One, and then you have Eurovision going live in the evening, we’re squeezed in the middle,” Russell T. Davies confirmed.
“We don’t know if we’ll even be transmitted that day. It will be on iPlayer but you’ll have to sit through a football match to know whether Doctor Who will be out that night.”
The second season of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who is set to feature the franchise’s most expensive episode ever, a Eurovision-inspired episode entitled “Intergalactic Song Contest”.
Fans can expect a host of exciting, queer guest stars in the new season too, including Slow Horses’ Kadiff Kirwan, Coronation Street’s Charlie Condou, The Traitors host Alan Cumming, and British TV royalty, Rylan.
Doctor Who season two will be available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK on 12 April. The show will also be available to stream internationally on Disney+.
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