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Doctor Who‘s shift to Disney+ in the U.S. (and other parts of the world), as well as its consolidation on BBC’s iPlayer in the UK and Ireland, means more eyeballs than ever have convenient access to the long-running sci-fi series—but that hasn’t exactly translated to blockbuster ratings. Current showrunner Russell T Davies said last June that he wasn’t overly worried about that fact, especially since Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor has caught so well with younger fans. But it is something to think about now that Gatwa’s second season is approaching.
In Davies’ column in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (via Den of Geek), he looks back at what he calls “quite a run,” meaning his return to the helm of Doctor Who in 2023 after spearheading its initial revival from 2005-2010. That includes “the first order of three Specials, two seasons of Doctor Who, and a five-episode spin-off, 26 episodes in total. Shooting them felt like forever; it felt like 10 seconds.” That has a ring of finality to it, doesn’t it?
While the piece conveys his deep love of working on the series both in the past and present (even as he admits “I’ve sat in Doctor Who FX meetings for 20 years now, and I still have no idea what the FX people are talking about”), and he teases team Doctor Who‘s excitement about season two, there’s notably no mention of what may come next. Instead the column talks about how quiet it is at the studio when Doctor Who‘s not in production (“now, the TARDIS sits in shadow”), and there’s no mention of a “second order,” which would presumably include more seasons of the show as well as the creation of a Christmas special for 2025.
Davies doesn’t address ratings in his piece, but it’s hard not to wonder if the powers that be are waiting to see how Gatwa’s second season fares before sinking more money into future installments. In November 2023, after “The Star Beast”—the first 60th anniversary special spanning Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa’s tenures on the show, with David “The Fourteenth Doctor” Tennant returning for a brief arc—premiered, ratings were strong but nowhere near the series’ highest point. Disney’s involvement helped the show bring its production values up to date, which means Doctor Who is now a much bigger-budget show than it has been in the past. That’s certainly something that’ll be a factor if its viewership slides further.
Davies signs off with an optimistic “Doctor Who is forever, and the future is bright!”—although what that means in practical application we don’t yet know. Fingers crossed the new season, which arrives later this year, will bring enough success that Doctor Who can continue on in its current form.
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