No, Doctor Who Is Not Canceled (Again)
It’s been around for 62 years and will come back for at least one more season.
When a new sci-fi show finds a following, fans will do anything to secure more seasons and allow the story to continue. But still, there’s always the looming fear of cancellation — especially if a show has a particularly niche following. For one sci-fi series, rumors of its cancellation are so common that they’re basically a longstanding tradition. Sixty-two years after its premiere, it’s still up and kicking for at least one season longer, despite what reports might have you believe.
Ncuti Gatwa has played the Doctor since the final 60th anniversary special in 2023.
Doctor Who fans grew concerned earlier this week when British tabloid The Sun quoted an “insider” saying the series was on the chopping block after Ncuti Gatwa — currently playing the 15th regeneration of the eponymous hero — is looking to move on and focus on other projects. “The show has been poorly managed in recent years and there’s a lot of people who’ve been working on this show for years and now being cast aside due to poor leadership,” the source claimed.
However, rumors of Doctor Who’s cancellation have been greatly exaggerated. According to Radio Times, a spokesperson for the BBC clarified, “This story is incorrect, Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs."
Season 2 — the 15th season since the 2005 reboot, but the second to air on Disney+ in the US, has already been shot and will introduce Varada Sethu as new companion Belinda Chandra. If Gatwa is really set to leave the series, it won’t be until after Season 2 at the very earliest. It wouldn’t even be the shortest tenure for an actor playing the Doctor — Christopher Eccleston only played the Time Lord for one season in 2005.
Russell T Davies is the returning showrunner for Doctor Who and is ushering it into a new era.
Much like the Doctor themselves, even when it's canceled, Doctor Who keeps coming back. The series technically ended in 1989, but a one-off television movie in 1996 kept hope alive, and then it was rebooted by Russell T Davies in 2005. Davies’ return in 2021 ushered in a new era for the series including new and diverse storytelling choices, something quoted in The Sun’s report as a point of contention. “People warned some episodes were getting too caught up on an agenda rather than telling a story and those people got shouted down, ignored,” the report said.
But Russell T Davies is the man who brought Doctor Who back from cancellation back in 2005. If anyone can help it steer clear of it now, it’s him. We may not have an official Season 3 renewal notice yet, but there’s still Season 2 to look forward to, full of Ncuti Gatwa’s unique take on the Doctor.
