BBC Boss Guarantees ‘Physician Who’ Will Carry On—With or With out Disney

The tip of Ncuti Gatwa‘s run as Physician Who was complicated for a number of causes. However past the “Wait, what’s Billie Piper doing right here?” of that regeneration scene is a larger question concerning the present’s future. With no further seasons scheduled, no updates on the BBC-Disney partnership that powered the Fifteenth Physician’s seasons, and the latest showrunner Russell T Davies distancing himself from any Who-related inquiries, followers have been left questioning if, not when, the present will return. Right this moment, there’s a flicker of recent hope.

In keeping with the Radio Times, the BBC’s Chief Content material Officer, Kate Phillips, addressed the Physician Who conundrum on the ongoing Edinburgh TV Competition. “Any Whovians on the market, relaxation assured—Physician Who goes nowhere,” she mentioned, then made reference to the upcoming Doctor Who spin-off, a restricted sequence set in the identical universe because the present however not that includes the Physician character.

“Disney has been an ideal partnership and it continues with The Conflict Between the Land and the Sea subsequent yr,” Phillips mentioned. “However, going ahead, with or with out Disney, Physician Who will nonetheless be on the BBC.”

For emphasis, she added, “The TARDIS goes nowhere.”

The Radio Occasions additionally quotes the director of BBC Drama, Lindsay Salt, as saying the community will “all the time keep dedicated” to Physician Who, although there’s no replace past that.

The takeaway is that the BBC isn’t closing the door on future seasons of Physician Who—a present it was making for a long time earlier than Disney got here round and enhanced its finances and broadcast attain. No shock there. The Physician will return; that a lot appears sure. But it surely additionally appears the whole lot else stays tangled in time and house for now.

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