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The BBC almost canceled Doctor Who following David Tennant’s exit

By Ariba Bhuvad

The final story in Doctor Who Lockdown will be the crucial three-part finale to Series 3, starring David Tennant as the Doctor and John Simm as the Master.Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: BBC Press.
The final story in Doctor Who Lockdown will be the crucial three-part finale to Series 3, starring David Tennant as the Doctor and John Simm as the Master.Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: BBC Press. /
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Imagine a world where Doctor Who was canceled about 12 years ago. That almost happened in 2010 when then-Doctor David Tennant was exiting the show. He played the Timelord from 2005 to 2010 and went down as one of the most beloved actors to ever play the role.

To this day people haven’t gotten over his exit (I know I haven’t) and advocate for his return in some capacity. His Doctor Who run gave us some of the most iconic storylines (“Don’t Blink!”) and precious moments that stay with us even all these years later.

It appears the BBC shared the same sentiments because, upon Tennant’s exit, they almost considered canceling Doctor Who altogether. Yes, that’s right, they almost axed the entire thing because they didn’t think anyone could replace the guy.

Luckily, they didn’t ditch the show, Tennat’s successor Matt Smith did an equally amazing job and also snagged a spot as one of the best Doctors we’ve ever had. But when both Tennant and then-showrunner Russell T Davies were on their way out, everything as at risk.

Doctor Who almost got the ax from BBC

While speaking at the Hay Festival, former showrunner Steven Moffat revealed, “I think there were plans maybe to consider ending it. David owned that role in a spectacular way, gave it an all-new cheeky, sexy performance, and became a national treasure. So the idea that Doctor Who could go on at all in the absence of David was a huge question.”

Yes, it was hard to let him go, but as I mentioned already, Smith did a splendid job in the lead role as well. In fact, Smith went on to be the first Doctor to get nominated for a Best Actor award at the BAFTAs back in 2011. So while Tennant’s exit almost unraveled the entire series, I’m glad the BBC kept going.

I mean, we got our first female Doctor because of it!

Next. Outlander author confirms that older Jamie and Claire still have sex. dark

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