For the first time in over 20 years, the beloved and enduring sci-fi series Doctor Who is taking an extended (and indefinite) break with a future that still feels uncertain. Fans were looking forward to a Christmas special, but now that’s cancelled. Recent showrunner Russell T Davies and his Bad Wolf production team are no longer involved with the show. No one has any idea who the next Doctor will be, but it surely will NOT be Billie Piper in the role. And it is not clear who the BBC will partner with next to bring Doctor Who to the masses, as the show is up for competitive tender. While it is disheartening to see Doctor Who in such a precarious position, a long-term break is exactly what the series needs right now.
In 2005, Doctor Who made a strong return to television after a hiatus since 1989. The revived show’s first two Doctors—Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor and David Tennant’s ever-popular Tenth Doctor—catapulted Doctor Who into a modern era with global success. A new wave of Who fans joined Classic era lovers as the BBC pumped out merchandise, encouraged live-tweeting, and consistently delivered seasons that felt cohesive and fresh. Podcasts popped up all over the place and Doctor Who fan conventions were busier than ever. The years went by and, although there were some bumps and not-so-great episodes/arcs along the way, the general consensus was that Doctor Who provided a solid blueprint for commercial sci-fi success.
Things became even more exciting for Doctor Who’s swelling and diverse fanbase when Jodie Whittaker stepped into the role in 2018. With companions like Ryan Sinclair and Yasmin Khan by her side, this TARDIS team felt deeply representative of the show’s global fanbase. However, Doctor Who’s ongoing train of time and space adventures began to lose its creative steam.
Seasons 12 and 13, the latter of which was both truncated and overstuffed, were largely uneven with massive changes to the Doctor’s backstory that didn’t sit well with the fandom overall. Payoffs felt less epic and satisfying, with some pretty forgettable foes. And, the fandom became more divided than ever, with certain people (you know the ones) unfairly blaming the show’s creative stumbles on its diverse cast.
The television watching landscape also changed significantly, with more shows going straight to a growing number of streaming services. In a world with seemingly endless options and some incredibly consistent and solid shows, Doctor Who’s viewership experienced a continuous decline.
The 2023 anniversary specials felt like a grab for nostalgia, bringing Donna Noble into the mix and giving David Tennant the chance to briefly play the Fourteenth Doctor. Were they enjoyable episodes? Sure. Did they do much to honor the milestone legacy and lore of Doctor Who as a whole? Not really.
Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor showed much promise as Russell T Davies returned to helm the series and a big streaming partnership with Disney+. However, Gatwa’s run was more chaotically creative, with massive mysteries like Ruby’s mom coming to a fizzle and episodes that were flat out stinkers. Uneven character and plot development riddled the season and often undermined the genuinely great chemistry between Gatwa and Millie Gibson. For every gem like “73 Yards” and “Rogue,” there were episodes and conclusions that made their punch feel weaker.
The same goes for Gatwa’s second and final season, with a conclusion that led to a disappointing and bizarre ending for both Fifteen and Belinda Chandra. The “odes” to the past were not very seamless and there was nothing particularly interesting that pushed the Doctor forward as a character. Again, there were far too many people who wanted to blame progressive casting and themes for the show’s decline when it was simply not well packaged together with inconsistent tone and quality overall.
A hiatus gives the BBC a chance to not only carefully vet and secure a new partnership for its future, but for there to be meaningful conversations about future leadership and creative strategy. What is the structure of a season in terms of storytelling format, number of episodes, and release schedule? How does Doctor Who compete in a world where streaming has a far stronger foothold than it did 20 years ago? What are ways to bridge the gap between generations and honor the show’s long-standing legacy yet still push it forward?
Those are just a few questions that require time and deep thought to ensure that this next foundational overhaul is solid. Personally, I’d rather see a return to earlier form with more practical effects and props versus super CGI-heavy effects, and return to some darker, weirder, and more grounded storytelling that still sends poignant messages about hope, humanity, and the future. Also, as a long time lover of this franchise, I think Doctor Who is not as weird and quirky as it used to be. Bring back those eccentric vibes over something far more polished that looks and feels, well, a little too much like most things on TV.
Most of us don’t love the long waits between seasons of a show in our post-COVID world. But, in this case, absence really can make the heart grow fonder. With Doctor Who streaming on AMC+ and Big Finish Audios giving us fresh stories, fans who feel a bit disconnected from the fandom can reconnect with the series and reignite that passion for it.
Unlike newer shows that are frequently flash-in-the-pan, forgotten successes, Doctor Who has staying power through its fandom and core principles. It will never, ever not be cool to see an humanoid alien with two hearts travel in a space box that’s bigger on the inside. That type of wonder, joy, and even danger is an escape that we all increasingly crave in fraught times.
As a fandom, whether we’ve loved, hated, or felt indifferent about a certain character, episode, or arc, we forget that we’ve had quite the luxury of having this era of the series around for two decades. We need that time not only to miss it, but to find creative ways to maintain and build new connections and perhaps stop giving voice and platforms to people who only mean to incite division and push harmful and horrible rhetoric. Nothing is above criticism, but it is something different when bigotry clouds the lens.
Current fans aside, newbies also have a chance to dive into the Whoniverse and eagerly wait for the day it returns. Because, as far as the BBC has stated, it will indeed return. For fans who truly love Doctor Who, the wait will be worth it if the BBC takes its time to recalibrate the series and set it on an exciting new trajectory.
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