After 62 years of adventures, aliens and drama, it seems time has finally run out for the BBC’s favourite Time Lord.
But it wasn’t the Daleks or Cybermen that brought an end to Doctor Who’s long reign in the sci-fi sphere, but rather a string of behind-the-scenes moves that sent it spiralling into the vortex.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that a Christmas Special planned for this year has been scrapped, with bosses announcing the show would be put out to tender to find new producing partners and ‘secure its long-term future.’
This has undoubtedly raised questions about how the show reached this point, given just four years ago, returning showrunner Russell T Davies declared he would take the series to dizzying new heights.
Despite signing a big money deal with Disney+, fans have deemed the partnership to be a ‘failure’ after it led to two series with ‘woke’ storylines and finales that failed to deliver the pay-offs they’d become used to for decades before.
The turbulent ride has even been mocked by Ncuti Gatwa, who departed the role of The Doctor after just two series, and proceeded to roast his stint in the TARDIS while hosting Saturday Night Live UK last month.
News that the Doctor Who Christmas Special has been axed has cemented what’s been a downward spiral for the show in recent years
Despite signing a big money deal with Disney+, fans have deemed the partnership to be a ‘failure’ after it led to two series of ‘woke’ storylines
It wasn’t always such dark times, as indeed fans were excited by the news Russell would be returning, given he’d been the brains behind the show’s 2005 reboot, and star David Tennant’s beloved stint on the show.
Loyalty to the show remained during Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi’s tenures, which were plot-heavy but well-received by most, and while Jodie Whittaker’s run earned a more mixed reaction, Whovians agreed en masse that her performance was one of the shining lights of her run.
Ncuti’s casting was originally unveiled to much fanfare, as it coincided with the news of Disney’s involvement, but as the episodes hit screens, this turned to concern.
Tom Spilsbery, former editor of Doctor Who Magazine told The Telegraph: ‘They were hoping for two more years and Russell had plans for a third and fourth series.
‘You can argue how good or otherwise it was with Disney, but it’s now going to be perceived as a failure because, in the end, Disney walked away.’
One source also noted that watching the series turned into an ‘arcane lifestyle choice’ due to its complicated plots, with an inconsistent broadcast schedule post-Tennant’s run meaning the series became ‘less reliable.’
Backlash first built when Jodie was unveiled as the first female Doctor, sparking complaints from some fans that the show had ‘gone woke,’ with storylines digging the Doctor’s past muddling things even further.
Under Russell’s tenure, complaints that storylines were bogged down by political and social themes were repeated by many fans, particularly after an episode in Ncuti’s second series, which shone a light on the dangers of incel culture.
A former writer on the show said: ‘We had this nonsense, this identity politics, and there is nothing less likely to make people feel at ease than by making them think they are being hectored or lectured.’
In a survey conducted by London firm JL Partners last year, half of current continuing viewers, 46 per cent, said they believe the series now puts social justice and so-called ‘woke’ issues above quality, according to a poll.
Overall, 38 per cent of people responded by saying it put social justice and ‘woke’ issues over quality – rising to 46 per cent among those still tuning into the show.
James Johnson, from pollsters JL Partners, said: ‘This is the first ever major poll done on attitudes to Doctor Who and the results are bleak.
The turbulent ride has even been mocked by Ncuti Gatwa, who proceeded to roast his stint in the TARDIS while hosting Saturday Night Live UK last month
Under Russell’s tenure, complaints that storylines were bogged down by political and social themes were repeated by many fans
‘The public believe a once-great show has lost its way – and their biggest complaint is it puts pursuit of wokeness above entertainment value. The main words associated with it are rubbish, boring, and woke.
‘If the BBC want to grow the show’s audience once more, they will need a total revamp – and to get back to telling entertaining stories rather than preaching lessons that simply do not have an audience among the British public.’
A small number of social media critics have pointed to the diversity of the cast, a drag queen villain and the introduction of transgender and non-binary characters.
During Who’s 60th Anniversary Special, fans were introduced to Donna Noble’s transgender daughter, Rose, played by trans actress Yasmin Finney.
Tennant was called out by Finney’s character for describing a fluffy rat-like creature called Beep The Meep as ‘him’.
Fans also lamented at the introduction of the screeching, wide-mouthed, ginger-haired non-binary villain, Maestro – played by American drag queen Jinkx Monsoon.
Back in 2018, when Jodie Whittaker was the titular Time Lord, fans were introduced to a heavily pregnant man as one of the side characters.
It seems that many of these plots have been reflected in the show’s viewership, which is now a slither of what it was during David’s run, when up to 10 million viewers tuned in.
Ratings began to dip during Whittaker’s run, with just 4.5 million tuning into her final episode, which was heavily publicised to coincide with the BBC’s 100th Anniversary, while only 3.4 million saw Ncuti’s regeneration play out last month.
Since his exit, Ncuti himself has hinted that he may not have enjoyed playing the coveted part as much as previous actors, and even mocked his character’s ‘constant crying’ during his SNL monologue.
He said: ‘I’ve had so many fantastic roles in my career. Millions of you watched me as Eric in Sex Education, and then about 12 of you watched me in Doctor Who. Maybe that’s why I kept crying!’
Ncuti’s departure from the role also brought its own cloud of confusion, as his exit wasn’t revealed prior to the episode being broadcast, and culminated with a regeneration into Billie Piper.
Given her previous involvement with the show, as The Doctor’s companion Rose Tyler, it led to questions around whether Russell ever had any ‘plan’ to use the actress in the role.
Producers, and Russell himself, were vague about Billie’s involvement when it was first announced, fuelling questions whether viewers would ever get any answers.
With news of the Christmas Special’s cancellation, sources have said that a lengthy hiatus could be beneficial for the show in the long run.
A source told The Times: ‘The show doesn’t necessarily need money, but it needs a rethink and perhaps an abandonment of the preachiness we have seen recently.’
A move to put the series out to tender has led some to predict it could be ‘four or five years,’ before the BBC even begin plans to make another series, and it could be a revamp as different as the last one was when it aired in 2005.
A former writer added: ‘It will inevitably return at some point, but first it needs a very long rest. At the moment Doctor Who is a toxic brand.’
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