Showrunner Russell T. Davies wants a Doctor Who Cinematic Universe

Russell T. Davies brought Doctor Who back in 2005, and he thinks the future is bright. “There should be a Doctor Who channel.”

Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies, who got the show going again when it rebooted in 2005, doesn’t understand why Doctor Who hasn’t expanded into an entire universe of ongoing series. In a recent interview with Waitrose Weekend’s Paul Kirkley, Davies talked about how “there should be a Doctor Who channel” at this point.

Davies notes that he might have peaked too soon when he was in charge of the show. “I was in the middle of running an empire. And my god I did that 10 years too soon, didn’t I?” During his tenure as Doctor Who boss, there were quite a few side projects happening at the same time as the flagship show, including Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

The latest spinoff, 2016’s Class, didn’t get the same warm reception as shows like Torchwood, possibly signaling that Doctor Who needs some work before expanding again.

Despite the cool-down, Davies still thinks that the show could expand beyond the original, particularly in ways that let the companions take center stage:

"There should be a Doctor Who channel now. You look at those Disney announcements, of all those new Star Wars and Marvel shows, you think ‘we should be sitting here announcing The Nyssa Adventures or The Return of Donna Noble, and you should have the 10th and 11th Doctors together in a 10-part series’. Genuinely. And I think that will happen one day. If we can just shift Doctor Who up a gear…"

These days, shows and movies are spinning off into cinematic universes at an alarming rate, with series like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones joining Star Wars , Star Trek and Marvel, which all have a head start.

With so much Doctor Who content to choose from, you would think an expanded universe would be the natural progression. But clearly something is preventing that jump from happening.

Does the world need a Doctor Who Cinematic Universe?

Davies isn’t wrong about the allure of an expanded universe. Doctor Who has well over five decades of source material to work with. The plethora of characters that have been created over the years would provide an endless supply of stories for spinoffs, limited series and even movies, depending on the direction taken.

A story following Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and her human version of the Tenth Doctor would be a massive hit, no doubt. Bringing back Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor, with Eccleston in the mindset to really dive deep into the character as he was never able to before, would be fun to see. Bonus points for a spinoff with Eccleston and John Barrowman (Captain Jack) going on adventures together.

Perhaps the reason a Doctor Who Cinematic Universe never took off is that fans were never presented with the stories they wanted to see. When Rose Tyler returned for the anniversary special there was the possibility of a reunion with the Tenth Doctor, but fans were disappointed to learn that Rose had no memories of her time with Ten.

Naturally, it’s hard to pin down actors with their complicated schedules. David Tennant is incredibly busy these days, Peter Capaldi is tied up with James Gunn’s Suicide Squad and Matt Smith is off working on the Game of Thrones prequel. Getting them together for a limited series would be tough…but the fan response would be worth it.

There’s data to support this idea, too, as the Doctor Who audio books featuring ensemble casts from previous seasons have been a massive success.

The other big factor surrounding a possible Doctor Who Cinematic Universe is the leadership. Marvel’s Kevin Feige has demonstrated that leadership and vision are very important for the success of a franchise, as seen with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s dominance. Stephen Moffat’s tenure at Doctor Who was more erratic than Davies’. These days, Chris Chibnall is in charge. A successful Cinematic Universe has to start with the people at the top.

There’s no reason that the Doctor Who franchise couldn’t have a go at an expanded universe. With the right plans and an eye on the future, it could be a big hit. The key is in the implementation, and bringing back Davies couldn’t hurt.

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h/t Digital Spy