The BBC Was Right Not To Cancel Doctor Who (Despite Its Problems)
The BBC was right not to cancel Doctor Who despite the many problems of its current era. Jodie Whittaker's imminent departure from Doctor Who was something of an open secret for months before it was officially announced. The surprising news, though, was the revelation that current showrunner Chris Chibnall would depart alongside the star. It seems Chibnall and Whittaker were something of a package deal, both signed up for the same period. However, Doctor Who may have come a lot closer to being canceled after the end of the Whitaker and Chibnall era than anyone realized.
Speaking at the Gallifrey One fan convention, executive producer Matt Strevens revealed that he didn't know whether Doctor Who would be renewed after season 13 and this year's specials. The BBC ultimately chose to bring Russell T. Davies on board as Chibnall's replacement, reaching a co-production deal with Bad Wolf Studios that has the potential of allowing the series to compete in the age of Disney+. Strevens only found out about this the day before it was officially announced; "My utter relief was, we didn't break it, and Jodie gets to regenerate," he concluded.
Related: Jodie Whittaker Deserved Better Than Chibnall's Doctor Who
Strevens was reportedly quite self-deprecating, and it's possible his fears and concerns were a little exaggerated. For all that's the case, though, it's worth noting this isn't the first time the BBC has considered canceling Doctor Who at a major transition point; they almost canceled it at the end of the David Tennant era, but Russell T. Davies persuaded them to pass it on to Steven Moffat, who took over as showrunner for both the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi eras, comprised of six full seasons and specials. That means
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