When Doctor Who aired its first-ever episode in 1963, nobody could've ever imagined that it'd still be thriving on our screens. Now, we're hundreds of episodes and 15 Doctors down the line, and the show remains at the forefront of pop culture. More than ever, in fact, with the British series now being partly financed by Disney, meaning a bigger budget and a larger audience thanks to new episodes dropping on Disney+.
While all that might seem well and good, the show's future at Disney has been thrown into question. When the rebooted 'season one' aired in 2024, starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, viewing figures were semi-decent. The show exceeded in its target demographic, and hit the top 5 series chart on Disney+ globally with each new episode. But even so, Disney's demands are sky-high, and the House of Mouse expects enormous returns.
Moreover, the episodes themselves were a mixed bag. Fans are expecting more from Gatwa's sophomore seaosn. Doctor Who will soon premiere its second season on the streamer on April 12, with an exciting spinoff — The War Between the Land and the Sea — also coming soon.
Whether or not Doctor Who continues its partnership with Disney, showrunner Russell T Davies believes the franchise has proven its immense staying power. "It all felt terribly important. I’d loved Doctor Who all my life, and I think its return has now proved that it’s invulnerable," Davies told Radio Times, explaining that the show's future wasn't definite when he rebooted the Whoniverse in 2005. "But it didn’t feel like that then. It felt very much last chance at the saloon."
Looking back at the 2005 reboot that served as the platform for Doctor Who to rekindle its position as a sci-fi sensation, Russell T Davies believes Billie Piper's Rose was the "secret weapon" to its immediate success. "Everyone knew Christopher Eccleston was a great actor, but knowing how good Billie was, was a terrific feeling. Because people came to criticize, people came to mock, and people came to scorn."
All these years later, Piper is regarded as one of Doctor Who's greatest ever companions. The new season sees the arrival of an all-new companion, played by Varada Sethu. You can catch her debut when the new season aires on April 12th on BBC One and Disney+ for international viewers.
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