Though the BBC often lets tabloids get on with reporting speculation about Doctor Who, sometimes, the corporation hits back — as it has done with recent reports that Doctor Who has been cancelled and Ncuti Gatwa (the Fifteenth Doctor) has been “axed”.
Various newspapers ran the story, but the latest iteration of the rumours come from The Sun; in response, the BBC has said:
“As we have previously stated, the decision on season three will be made after season two airs and any other claims are just pure speculation. The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes, and we still have an entire spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, to air.
“And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.”
Business as usual, then!
It’s interesting to note that the BBC says “the deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes”, which is understandable, but not what we were initially led to believe, given the big change-around that came with Disney taking on the programme and enthusiastic promises of yearly Doctor Who interspersed with spin-offs.
The BBC adds:
“Whilst we never comment on the future of the Doctor, any suggestion that Ncuti Gatwa has been ‘axed’ is pure fiction.”
That, too, is believable. Nonetheless, Gatwa might’ve decided to leave the show. Current rumour has it that Series 15 could end with a surprise, so we’ve just got to tune into The Reality War, this weekend, to find out.
