Physician Who’s “going nowhere”, the BBC’s Chief Content material Officer has claimed.
Followers of the company’s sci-fi collection – affectionately nicknamed Whovians – feared the present confronted an unsure future resulting from falling rankings and the departure of the Fifteenth Physician Ncuti Gatwa, 32, within the finale of the programme’s fifteenth collection in Might.
Since then, the BBC and Disney+ – which co-funded the final two collection of Physician Who – have remained tight-lipped in regards to the present’s future, however now the broadcaster’s Chief Content material Officer Kate Phillips has given an assurance that the BBC is dedicated to the time journey present.
Requested if the BBC could be keen to maintain the present going if the streaming service pulled out, Kate Phillips stated on the Edinburgh TV Pageant: “Completely.
“Any Whovians on the market, relaxation assured, Physician Who’s going nowhere.
“Disney has been a fantastic partnership, however going ahead, with or with out Disney, Physician Who will nonetheless be on the BBC.”
Pressed on when the BBC will make an announcement about Physician Who – which started in 1963, was cancelled in 1989 after which revived in 2005 – Philips answered: “Quickly, don’t fret.”
Later within the session on the Edinburgh TV Pageant, Lindsay Salt, appeared on the stage and backed up Philips’ feedback in regards to the present’s future, and insisted the BBC was “dedicated” to the programme.
She stated: “There is not any replace in the intervening time, however truthfully, we are going to share as quickly as we do have an replace.
“The BBC is dedicated to the model. For drama, it is the largest model for the under-35-year-olds.
“So it is essential to us and we’re dedicated.”
Ncuti – who took over the controls of the TARDIS in 2022 – left Physician Who in June after two seasons, citing he was “getting outdated and my physique was drained”.
The present has obtained criticism on social media for its obvious “woke” and “boring” storylines and focusing an excessive amount of on range, with the inclusion of trans and non-binary characters.
Physician Who showrunner Russell T Davies – who was chargeable for bringing the present again to screens in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston because the Physician – beforehand stated he didn’t know in regards to the present’s future, and complained in regards to the present’s “on-line warriors” who criticise the present for its obvious wokeness.
Russell, 62, informed BBC Radio 2: “What you may name range, I simply name an open door. Somebody at all times brings up issues of range.
“And there are on-line warriors accusing us of range and wokeness and involving messages and points.”
