UPDATE: As some of you guessed, this was an April Fool’s Day gag, so sadly, Philip Hinchcliffe isn’t coming back to Doctor Who. Nonetheless, we hope we fooled a few of you, if only for a few brief moments. Come back to the DWC for your usual mix of features, reviews, and actual news…

ORIGINAL POST:

The BBC today confirmed that Doctor Who will be returning for a third (or 16th, or 42nd) season – but that production will return to the BBC as an in-house production for BBC Studios. 

And it seems that there are exciting plans afoot. 

A “BBC Spokesperson” spoke to the British tabloid, the Daily Mirror – in the past, a reliable source of information for news about Doctor Who. The Mirror quotes him in its online edition this morning: 

“The deal with Disney+ was very exciting and produced some highly regarded content, but we have had some creative differences with them and Bad Wolf; not least because it has taken Disney far too long to greenlight a third series.  

“The BBC is anxious to get on with producing the show. We had a frustrating series of discussions which seemed to go round and round and on and on, so the BBC finally pulled the plug and returned the show in-house to BBC Studios. Production has already started.” 

This sudden announcement will leave fans reeling, but there are more revelations to come. The BBC spokesperson confirmed that Russell T Davies has left the show, to pursue his other projects: not least, his new series with Channel 4, Tip Toe. Says the spokesperson: 

“We do have a new showrunner lined up but I can’t reveal their name at this stage. What I can say is that veteran Doctor Who producer Philip Hinchcliffe, who oversaw some of the most popular stories in the mid-1970s, is returning to the show in an advisory capacity as executive producer.” 

The news of Hinchcliffe’s return has excited and intrigued fans, who are speculating that this 42nd season will see the programme looking back at Classic Who (1963-1989) for inspiration. The spokesperson confirmed this: 

“We want to programme to go back to its roots. Obviously, the BBC has less money that Disney, so we need to return to the cheap and cheerful look of the original series [presumably meaning Classic Who, 1963-1989] which relied on good writing, acting and characterisation rather than flashy special effects.” 

The spokesperson confirmed a return to 25 minute long episodes – “so that we can have longer to tell a story, and a cliffhanger ending every week to encourage viewers to tune in to the next episode” – and even that some of the stories “will be shot in black and white.”

They continue:

“It’s important to get the look of the show right and many of us loved the atmosphere of those old black and white episodes. We’ll also be making at least 48 episodes a year, to go out every week on Saturdays, and to be sold all over the world. And you can expect the return of Professor Zarroff and the Fish People.” 

But will Ncuti Gatwa return as the Doctor? The BBC spokesperson ruled it out: 

“Ncuti did a great job as the Doctor but has moved on to other projects. There will be a new Doctor, she or he has been cast, but my lips are sealed about who it is. Watch this space – and time!” 

All of this news is obviously very exciting and DWC welcomes the revelation, after months of speculation, that the show has been saved and will continue. We look forward to many years of new Doctor Who: in black and white and colour, 48 times a year!