Former showrunner, Chris Chibnall, says that the news about Doctor Who being on a (hopefully short) hiatus is “definitely disappointing”, but that he has his fingers crossed that there are solid plans for its return.
When asked about how he felt after the news of Doctor Who going out to tender, Chibnall said:
“Definitely disappointing. I probably had the same reaction as everybody else did. I think it’s a shame that it’s not going to be on for a while. I hope they’ve got good plans to bring it back. It’s an amazing idea. It’s an amazing series. Hopefully, they’ll find people who, you know, reinvent it for the next generation of kids.”
Chibnall, of course, was showrunner for the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) era, but wrote a few serials before then, including 42, The Hungry Earth/ Cold Blood, and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
He further reflects on the impact no Doctor Who might have on a generation of youngsters:
“I feel sad for the kids who are not going to have a Doctor for a little while because I think that’s always the amazing thing, when you work on the show, you cast a Doctor and you know that that Doctor is going to be quite a lot of people’s first Doctor. And your first Doctor is a bit like your first love. I think if you watch Doctor Who, it’s a real connection and it’s there for life. So I think it’s a shame it’s not going to be on the air. It’s not the best thing but hopefully people are going to be working to bring it back.”
I grew up in the so-called wilderness years, so I didn’t have any affinity for the franchise back in the 1990s beyond knowing it was something Dad enjoyed. Nonetheless, I was excited for it coming back, recorded Doctor Who Series 1 on VHS, and became a fan, with Christopher Eccleston, the Ninth Doctor, being my first Doctor. So it is sad that young viewers will go without it for a while, but at least it will come back and so they’ll get a chance to fall in love with the show themselves.
And we might have quite a wait because details of the tender process are still to be announced…
