Doctor Who could be off air for years as BBC puts series out to tender

The Doctor Who Christmas special has been cancelled and showrunner Russell T Davies and production company Bad Robot have departed the series. The BBC has put the show out to tender, inviting other production companies to bid, and a Deadline report suggests the series could be off air for several years.

Deadline cited industry insiders who say the earliest return could be 2028, while one predicted it could be away for five years or more. Several respected UK production companies have voiced reservations about bidding. One producer said "you would have to be mad" and another called it "a bit of a nightmare for any producer in this market with the shadow of the Disney fallout." Someone described as "close to Doctor Who" compared the show to long-running franchises: "If you look at the longevity of Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek, these are valuable commodities over generations.

United Kingdom

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