Doctor Who’s future continues to be nebulous as the show is currently up for tender. Some sources claim that the long-running sci-fi series won’t return for several years. And honestly, we don’t think it is a bad idea to have an extended break, go back to the drawing board, and come up with a solid plan for how to approach upcoming seasons. But, if you ask former showrunner Russell T Davies, Doctor Who will start production in 2027 with a new TARDIS team.
According to Variety, Davies was on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show, where he openly criticized BBC director general Matt Brittin over his praise of an AI-generated Doctor Who episode. It was a fair call out to be honest because that type of “work” is probably disrespectful to him as a creative. As we all know, Davies was the showrunner who brought Doctor Who back to life in 2005, and he returned as showrunner in recent years.
Davies is no longer in charge of Doctor Who following the show parting ways with Disney+. But he still said that a new Doctor Who season is on the horizon and that we won’t have to wait years to see it. “You’ll start to see production with a brand-new Doctor, a brand-new companion, summer next year,” he said.
Could he just be talking to hear himself talk? It is possible. But Davies is embedded in the industry and could know something that we, the general public, aren’t aware of yet. It would be awfully quick to find someone to invest in the show, cast the Doctor and at least one companion, gather a writing team, and start shooting another season.
However, it could happen if that’s what the BBC really desires. Money talks and Doctor Who still rakes in cash for the network, so maybe they want to get it back going before fans lose too much interest. Even if production starts in 2027, it could easily be 2028 or 2029 before another season arrives, depending on how long they are shooting and in post-production. We shall see if Davies’ words ring true in a few months.