There are a host of rumors swirling around Doctor Who at the moment, and coupled with lower ratings during the latest season (via Deadline), some are fearing the worst. One of the biggest question marks revolves around lead star Ncuti Gatwa, which started from a report from The Sun that stated Gatwa had been “exterminated” after the series experienced a ratings “nosedive”. The BBC called the report “pure fiction”, but The Sun also stated that Doctor Who would be “rested” after Season 15 finished screening, and that’s where things get a bit more murky.
As of right now, Doctor Who has yet to be renewed, though the BBC also said that they won’t make any decisions regarding the series’ renewal until after Season 15 has finished screening. Disney+ has also not commented on its status with the show, which it co-produces outside of the UK.
As for that series pause, showrunner Russell T Davies threw some fuel on that fire with recent comments to BBC Newsround. During that interview, Davies said that Doctor Who is like Robin Hood, and while “there might be a pause” in the story, “no good idea ever dies”. That’s not to say there isn’t work already done on season 16, though, as Davies also said that scripts have been written for season 16. “Three of them [are] sitting there, three different writers. One script [is] already on draft six,” Davies told Dr Who Magazine.
A BBC spokesperson has addressed the season 16 limbo status by reiterating that decisions will be made after season 15 fully airs, but they also pointed out that there’s still more Doctor Who content coming. The BBC spokesperson said, “As we have previously stated, the decision on Season [16] will be made after Season [15] airs and any other claims are just pure speculation. The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes – and we still have an entire spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, to air. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.”
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Now, it is worth noting that while the BBC has stated that Gatwa wasn’t fired from the show, they didn’t deny that he had quit. As of now though Gatwa nor his rep have commented on that, and no official announcements have been made either way.
This all comes at a time where the ratings paint an uneasy picture for the show. The official seven-day viewing figures for the first half of season 15 are down considerably from season 13. Season 13 launched with 5.8 million viewers and by episode 4 was down to 4.5 million viewers. Season 14 saw a drop with 4 million for episode 1 but came back up to 4 million by episode 4, but season 15 is lower than both seasons in those respects.
Season 15 launched with 3.6 million viewers and by episode 4 is down to 2.8 million viewers, with the average viewers for all three seasons seeing a substantial drop. Season 13 had 5 million average viewers, while season 14 had 3.9 million, and season 15 is pulling in 3.1 million.
Hopefully, there’s some clarity brought to the situation soon, whether that means we are getting another season with Gatwa in the lead or a shaken-up season with a new Doctor, or getting a pause in the franchise. Fans just want to know either way, but the good news is there’s still at least some additional Doctor Who content to watch before that fork in the road.
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