BBC exec: Doctor Who season 13 can’t be made under social distancing

The coronavirus is still raging around the world, forcing people to quarantine indoors and costing many their jobs. Still, some industries are starting to claw their way back, including Hollywood. For instance, plans are already underway for Jurassic World: Dominion to restart production in England.

But in Wales, things are a different story. During an online Q&A, Director of BBC Wales Rhodri Talfan Davies said he didn’t see a way for a show like Doctor Who, for instance, to film under current social distancing requirements. “A production like that, which at any point employs hundreds of people, freelance and stuff, I don’t believe can be made to the current standard in a socially distanced environment. So it depends when you think social distancing is going to end.”

And if Doctor Who can’t film at all under these conditions, then Doctor Who season 13 probably won’t be coming around for a long while, since I don’t see countries relaxing social distancing guidelines until there’s a vaccine, and there’s still no firm time-table on that.

Still, some countries are allowing studios to resume filming; we already mentioned Jurassic World getting back on its feet. Down in New Zealand, James Cameron is back to work making Avatar 2.

And just because Doctor Who couldn’t film in Wales doesn’t mean it couldn’t film in England or elsewhere, so I don’t think Whovians need to start freaking out just yet.

Still, this is going to be a challenge for Hollywood for a while. Even if a country allows filming, there’s still the matter of making sure the set is safe. Jurassic World: Dominion is going all out. They’ll have a private medical facility, coronavirus training for cast and crew, on-site doctors and nurses, isolation booths, over 100 hand sanitizer stations, night anti-viral “fogs,” and more than 1,800 safety signs. Universal can afford all that stuff, but these measures might price out some smaller productions.

At the moment, all we can do is hope everyone stays safe, especially if you’re headed back into the office.

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h/t Digital Spy