“Doctor Who” showrunner Russell T. Davies has revealed why he returned to the BBC series more than a decade after handing over the reins – and how the “Star Trek” franchise ties into it.
“Partly, it’s just that I love it and have always loved it,” said the veteran writer-producer. gq In the profile of 27 January. “But the world has changed. And now we are in the age of the dreamer.
For the first time, Disney+ will air the upcoming season of “Doctor Who” in the US instead of the BBC, which has aired the series since its inception in 1963. The new partnership means much bigger budgets and spin-off potential, Davis said — two key advantages that weren’t available before the streaming era.
“There’s a problem with the BBC, it’s a public service broadcaster, so there’s only so much they’ll ever commit to,” he explained. “So I thought – without any criticism towards the people who were running it at the time, because they were running it within the BBC’s measures – it was time for ‘Doctor Who’ to take the next step.”
Davis, who hosted the series from 2005 to 2010, pointed to “Star Trek ‘Empire'” as an example of a franchise “that’s been transformed from an old archival show into something spectacular.”
“The cast is so progressive, so cool, so beautiful,” he said. “And very cleverly I think ‘Star Trek’ is reaching out to make something like 52 episodes a year.”
Without revealing any numbers (“We’re not allowed to talk about budgets, and we’re not at that ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Star Trek’ level”), Davis said the season’s budget was “as much as I There is more to do together than we ever did.”
He cited the expanded resources as a major reason for coming back. “You can tell stories on a larger scale,” he said. “It’s the same old problems, I still have to cut scenes because they’re too expensive, and I still have to reduce the number of monsters and things like that. But my imagination actually felt much freer, much freer.” Does
Davies also attacked Nuti Gatwa, who was named as the 14th Doctor in May 2022.
“Last night we had Nakuti [Gatwa]first read-through,” he revealed. “She’s so unbelievably stunning. I can’t wait for you to see her. That just takes your hair off your head. She is beautiful Absolutely beautiful, in every sense. So very excited.”
“Doctor Who” returns on November 23 for a special celebration of the show’s 60th anniversary, with the new season expected to air in 2024.
