Former Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has given his take on the show being put out to competitive tender, giving us a stark reminder: “It’s about money”.
The writer, who helmed the series through Jodie Whittaker’s tenure as the Doctor, from 2018 to 2022, spoke candidly about the process during a recent appearance on a podcast, saying that it’s “very easy to miss the point that this is primarily about money.”
He told the WHO Corner to Corner podcast: “It’s very hard for the BBC to fund their programmes right now because of what’s been done to them in terms of funding agreements over the past 15 years and the slow whittling away of that, and the increase in big Hollywood monoliths and conglomerates really taking over the market. And, really, what you’ve got is the BBC can’t afford to fully fund any drama now and it certainly can’t afford to fund Doctor Who.
“Any discussion around it is about money more than anything else, and I think that that’s been missed a little in the discourse that I saw around the show.
“There’s all kinds of other things and obviously it’s hugely disappointing and hasn’t been handled brilliantly. But really, the big story is, look, this is a BBC that cannot afford to make shows that it wants to make. The BBC wants to make Doctor Who. Don’t be in any doubt about that.”
Earlier this year, it was announced that Doctor Who would be put out to tender, with production company Bad Wolf no longer producing the show and showrunner Russell T Davies stepping back.
As part of that announcement, it was confirmed that the 2026 Christmas special would be cancelled – however, the BBC has confirmed the show will eventually return “in all its glory”.
Since then, various figures involved with Doctor Who have had their say, with former showrunner Steven Moffat arguing that a hard reboot would be a “bad idea”.
Fans are now waiting for news on the series’ future, although it’s tipped to be off screen until at least 2028.
