Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T Davies, has cast doubts on the programme being picked up for another season, meaning Doctor Who could either be cancelled or put on hiatus.

Talking to Newsround, Davies was asked about Series 16 and he responded:

“I kind of know that the Doctor’s reached the status of like Robin Hood. Sometimes there might be a pause, and during that pause, the viewers of Newsround now will grow up a few years and start writing stories and they’ll bring it back. So I have absolute faith that that will survive because I am living proof of it and that’s what happens to good ideas. No good idea ever dies.”

Cards on the table: our very own Rick Lundeen brought this quote to my attention and I responded with, “Oof, it’s been cancelled, hasn’t it?” That’s a fatalistic attitude and a bit of a gut reaction, but the quote isn’t exactly enthusiastic, at least in the short term and especially with rumours that there isn’t going to be another series for some time.

But he might simply have been trying to be positive because the future is uncertain — reassuring fans that, no matter the news, Doctor Who will come back; inspiring the next generations.

Bear in mind that we all wait to hear whether Disney is recommissioning the series based on Doctor Who Series 15, currently being advertised as Season 2. Davies might be preparing us for the worst but hoping for the best.

Ncuti Gatwa (the Fifteenth Doctor) and Varada Sethu (new companion, Belinda Chandra) were also asked about another run of the show and remained tight-lipped, hinting that they don’t know anything right now either.

So: we wait and keep our fingers crossed. My gut tells me that it could be better for Doctor Who long term if it were rested for, say, five years… although the Doctor Who Companion would suffer a bit in that time. Let’s see what’s around the corner…