BBC Boss: “Doctor Who is one of the most important shows that we have”

Screen OD staff

Doctor Who is on a bit of a roll right now…

After the excitement of Jodie Whittaker’s final episode The Power of the Doctor saw Chris Chibnall’s era as showrunner come to an end with a return of many old faces including classic companions and classic Doctors – plus the unexpected regeneration of Whittaker into David Tennant, we are all now looking forward to the 60th-anniversary celebrations under Russell T Davies in 2023, and the beginning of the Ncuti Gatwa tenure in the TARDIS as the Fifteenth Doctor.

Add to that the news that the BBC is partnering with Disney to release future episodes of the science fiction series outside the UK on Disney+ with a “shared creative vision” and there’s a lot for fans to be excited about.

Enter Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer of the BBC to ensure that if you still have any doubts that Doctor Who’s current purple patch might come to an end anytime soon, you need not be concerned.

“Doctor Who is one of the most important shows that we have. We’re coming up to [the show’s] 60th year and it’s reinvented itself every year; every series it goes on the next journey,” Moore told RadioTimes.com

She added: “It’s the most extraordinary drama franchise and global phenomenon. The fact that the Doctor himself regenerates is a great symbol for the whole of the BBC. Jodie has been such a fantastic first-ever female Doctor Who.”

Indeed, with David Tennant back in the TARDIS alongside returning Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, and plenty of theories about how the latest regeneration may have come about, it’s true to say the show is certainly reinventing itself right now.

With Russell T Davies, the man who brought the show back to screens in 2005 after being off the air since 1989 – excluding the singular 1996 TV movie- back at the helm of the show and plenty of twists and turns expected across three specials in November 2023 that will lead us to Ncuti Gatwa’s first full series as the Doctor, it feels like the adventures in space and time are only just getting started.