Doctor Who showrunner teases new spinoff show about UNIT

The Doctor Who universe, aka the “Whoniverse,” continues to expand as BBC sources confirm a spinoff in the works. It will feature Jemma Redgrave, who played Kate Stewart, Head of Scientific Research at UNIT in the original series. UNIT is a military research organization which has been a central part of Doctor Who for many years.

According to Deadline, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies said the spinoff is “one of the gretest things I’ve ever made in my life.” And we remind you that this is the guy who served as showrunner on Doctor Who when it was revived in 2005, through to the end of David Tennant’s run as the Tenth Doctor. This man brought the franchise back to life and may be poised to do it again!

We know that Redgrave could show up in the Doctor Who Christmas special later this year alongside Ncuti Gatwa, our new Doctor. And don’t forget, David Tennant and Catherine Tate will also be in three 60th-anniversary specials. (I cannot wait!)

All this exciting news comes on the heels of Disney buying the rights to Doctor Who. With their resources, they could easily expand the “Whoniverse,” starting with the UNIT spinoff series. Davies has said time and time again that he is all about making additional shows and turning Doctor Who into a major franchise. When you’ve got the backing of Disney, the world is your oyster and anything is possible.

Steven Moffat may return to Doctor Who as a writer

One of the things Russell is using these new resources to do is recruit talent like Steven Moffat, who wrote Doctor Who episodes for Davies the first time he was showrunner and then served as showrunner himself during the tenures of Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi. This comes from the Mirror, which quotes an inside source:

"Russell’s on a mission to make Doctor Who great again, event television not to be missed, which is what it was for many years during his and Steven’s tenures in charge of the show.One of the ways he can do that is to ensure he has the best possible people writing for the programme. He has nothing but respect for what Steven achieved with the show and was a fan of his vision as showrunner. He approached him about returning in just a writing capacity because he knows Doctor Who inside out and has a brilliant imagination for adventures in space and time. He took some convincing but the chance to contribute to a show he has loved since childhood and see it blossom in a new era with a new Doctor was just too much to resist."

Meanwhile, the recent Doctor Who showrunner, Chris Chibnall, doesn’t see himself returning anytime soon. “Oh my God, I’ve only just finished!” he told RadioTimes.com. “I’ve been across 31 episodes for the last five years of my life. I’ve just gone out, finished it last October. There’s no prospect of that whatsoever.”

"It’s Russell’s now, I’m so happy to be a viewer. I cannot wait to see David [Tennant], I cannot wait to see Ncuti [Gatwa], the most amazing casting."

Chibnall served as showrunner during Jodie Whittaker’s time as the Doctor, and while he says he’d have liked to do a few things differently, mostly he wouldn’t alter a thing.  “A few little things, but we did so much… Look at what we did and how much fun it was! No, I’m not sitting here thinking [about what I’d change], none of us are,” he said.

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