Former showrunner, Steven Moffat, has said that, while he doesn’t know the future of Doctor Who, he suggests staying positive is the key.
Talking to the Radio Times, Moffat said:
“No clue what’s going on, all news to me. No idea what’s coming either. But brave heart everyone. It’s a cliffhanger – the Doctor ALWAYS survives those.”
The cliffhanger in question saw Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerate into an apparent sixteenth incarnation played by former Rose Tyler actress, Billie Piper. It’s a cliffhanger we doubt will ever get picked up, but we’ll have to wait and see. I can’t see a new production team wanting to deal with the mess left over from The Reality War.
(Moffat, of course, has left us with some astounding cliffhangers, including the Ninth Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack being surrounded by gas-mask-wearing patients; the Eleventh Doctor being trapped in the Pandorica after Rory shoots Amy and the universe ends; and the Twelfth Doctor being confronted by Missy and the Master who have turned Bill Potts into a Cyberman. Steven resolved all these brilliantly.)
The BBC are similarly positive about the show having a future. In the announcement that Russell T Davies and production team, Bad Wolf, will no longer be working on the series, the BBC said:
“After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode. This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory.”
This quote does naturally cover a huge behind-the-scenes shake-up, and it’ll be interesting to learn exactly what went on in the past few years… if that story ever actually gets told.
For now, we just have to wait and enjoy 60+ years of Doctor Who history in the meantime. We’re really lucky actually!
