Doctor Who is 'Probably as Dead as We've Ever Known It,' Writer Says

Former Doctor Who writer Robert Shearman has stated that the beleagured British sci-fi bid is present "probably arsenic dormant arsenic we've ever seen it."

It's an eye-opening statement, not slightest due to the fact that the amusement antecedently suffered a 16-year hiatus betwixt 1989 and 2005 (interupted by a lone TV movie).

Now, however, Shearman has suggested that the series' existent predicament — with accumulation indefinitely paused — is adjacent worse than during the show's erstwhile hiatus, arsenic the hold for quality connected Doctor Who's aboriginal is compounded by the information it has been near without an established pb character.

"It's weird due to the fact that the amusement is astir apt arsenic dormant arsenic we’ve ever known it," Shearman said, penning successful the authoritative Doctor Who Magazine (thanks, Cultbox).

"After 1989 we had, for years, a existent Doctor," helium stated, discussing the play successful which Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor continued to inhabit the TARDIS successful an array of spin-off books and comics. The aforesaid concern past occured pursuing the Doctor Who TV Movie's airing, successful which McCoy regenerated into the Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann.

"Now, everything that is ever going to beryllium produced successful Doctor Who presumption is going to consciousness retrogressive," helium continued. "At slightest with the New Adventures and past the BBC Books you thought, ‘It’s the existent Doctor – McCoy oregon McGann.'"

Doctor Who's existent concern feels different, Shearman explained, due to the fact that of the unsocial condition its storyline has been near in. Showrunner Russell T Davies' determination to adhd a regeneration series for Ncuti Gatwa during reshoots and past a abrupt quality of Billie Piper successful an unconfirmed relation means the show's ongoing communicative is besides paused, until immoderate is going connected with Piper's quality is officially explained.

"No one’s going to commencement penning Doctor Who books with a Billie Piper Doctor, due to the fact that nary 1 knows what that means," Shearman stated. "In a comic way, the closing moments of [series finale] The Reality War look to enactment a afloat halt connected things. We didn’t person that before."

Back successful August, Davies said helium did not cognize what would hap with the aboriginal of Doctor Who, and was not a portion of ongoing conversations betwixt the BBC and backing spouse Disney. Meanwhile, amid disapproval of the series' penning and communicative arcs, Doctor Who histrion and writer Mark Gatiss has suggested the amusement was successful request of a rest.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social