Disney’s Doctor Who deal with BBC ‘hangs in the balance’, claims new report

Disney struck a deal for the popular sci-fi series back in 2022

A new report has cast doubt on the future of Disney’s lucrative deal Doctor Who with the BBC.

In 2022, Disney bought the international distribution rights to Doctor Who, in a deal which considerably boosted the production budget for the recent 14th season.

At the time the deal was announced, the BBC’s chief content officer Charlotte Moore said: “Joining forces with Disney will elevate the show to even greater heights and reach new audiences so it’s an extremely exciting time for fans in the UK and across the world.”

However, a new report by US trade outlet Deadline has claimed that the future of the deal is uncertain.

The outlet notes that Doctor Who did not feature at Disney’s “upfronts” presentation at the North Javits Center in May, where the company showcases its biggest forthcoming shows.

In the piece, a “source close to the production” is quoted as saying they “feel its future hangs in the balance already”.

The deal, which some analysts have valued at $100m (£80m), coincided with the return of showrunner Russell T Davies, who brought in the current lead, Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa.

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in ‘Doctor Who' (Natalie Seery/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)

The report also describes the audience ratings surrounding the latest series as being “complex”.

On average, the latest season of Doctor Who drew in almost 1.5 million fewer viewers per episode (over seven days) than the final series starring the previous Doctor, Jodie Whittaker.

Another industry source is quote as saying: “The ratings are a problem. They can talk all they like about young viewers but they’re still down from the specials and down from the Jodie [Whittaker] series. I imagine serious conversations are happening. Disney will want to see results.”

The Independent has contacted the BBC and Disney for comment.

In a review of the latest Doctor Who episode, The Independent’s Ed Power wrote: “In a recent interview with The New York Times, returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies said that he wanted the latest incarnation of the BBC blockbuster to reflect the positive trend among young people to ‘express their emotions in a healthy way’. This was in reference to Ncuti Gatwa’s teary, big-hearted Doctor – a Time Lord who isn’t embarrassed to shed a tear or jig with joy.

“But as Gatwa’s first season draws to a close with its eighth episode, the one emotion Whoivans young, old and in-between, are likely to share is the sting of anticlimax. After stringing us along since last year’s Christmas special with the so-called ‘mystery” of Ruby Sunday’s origins, the series delivers the mother of all letdowns: Ruby’s mum is just an ordinary person.”