The world’s biggest Doctor Who convention at a Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles over the weekend attracted the usual cluster of star names.
Former Time Lords Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy made the 11,000-mile round trip despite both being aged 81.
They were joined by Doctor Who royalty in the form of Catherine Tate, who played assistant Donna Noble, and Jenna Coleman, who starred as Clara Oswald, opposite former Time Lords Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi.
And panels at the event were packed with BBC producers and executives from series production company Bad Wolf.
But of Disney executives there was no sign. The House of Mouse bought the international distribution rights to the show in 2022 and its absence is perhaps the strongest hint yet that it is set to pull the plug on the deal.
‘It was very noticeable that Disney was not a part of such an important date in the Doctor Who calendar, especially considering it was held in their own backyard,’ observed one insider. ‘Many feel Disney are ready to walk away.’
Ncuti Gatwa joined the cast in 2023 after the show’s first female Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, quit
Peter Capaldi played the 12th Doctor from 2013 until 2017
‘Whovians’ were left outraged at the introduction of a new villain played by a drag queen
It’s all a far cry from the fanfare three years ago when the entertainment giant announced a £100million deal to stream the show. Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, boasted: ‘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.’
Instead, recent episodes have been derided for being excessively woke, with overtly political storylines shoehorned in so unsubtly that they reduced already dismal ratings to an all-time low.
Fuming ‘Whovians’ were left outraged at the introduction of transgender and non-binary characters who would lash out at people ‘assuming their gender’, as well as a deranged new villain played by a drag queen.
This viewer unrest comes amid rumours that the latest Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, is on the verge of quitting after just two seasons and the show could soon be cancelled. The Scottish actor, 32, joined the cast in 2023 for the 14th season after Jodie Whittaker – the first female Doctor – bowed out.
His first series attracted between two to three million viewers in overnight ratings and, while the BBC argued that consolidated figures, which included iPlayer viewers, are more like five million, this audience represents a tiny fraction of the sort of numbers it used to attract.
The slump comes after Russell T Davies – who revived the show in 2005 after a 16-year absence –returned as showrunner and introduced a string of controversial plots. They included David Tennant’s Doctor realising he was gay after developing a crush on the ‘hot’ Sir Isaac Newton.
The 2023 anniversary specials saw David Tennant’s iteration of the Doctor hint at being gay
Donna Noble’s transgender daughter, Rose, played by trans actress Yasmin Finney
Rose lambasted the Doctor’s assumption that the alien was a ‘he’
Tennant, who stepped back into the Tardis to star as the 14th doctor for three 60th anniversary specials, hints about his sexuality in a comment to Donna. In the exchange about Newton – played by English-Indian actor Nathaniel Curtis – she says: ‘Is it just me or was Isaac Newton hot?’ The Doctor replies: ‘He was, wasn’t he? He was so hot. Oh! Is that who I am now?’ Donna adds: ‘Well, it was never too far from the surface, mate. I always thought you…’
Fans were also introduced to Donna’s transgender daughter Rose, played by trans actress Yasmin Finney. She scolds the Doctor after he describes a fluffy rat-like creature called Beep The Meep as ‘him’. Rose says: ‘You’re assuming he as a pronoun?’
In an exchange dubbed ‘cringeworthy’ by some viewers, the Doctor apologises and asks Meep if it is a ‘he or she or they’. In 2018, some fans were taken aback after a pregnant man was seen in a futuristic hospital. One viewer raged: ‘Oh really? Male pregnancy? Doctor Who really has lost the plot this time.’
Last year, the series introduced a new enemy, Maestro, played by drag queen Jinkx Monsoon, who won RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2013.
But the changes, which many blame on the Disney deal, have left those who have worked on the show unimpressed. A former writer said: ‘It is clear to see the influence their American paymasters have had on the show.
Now, as the tide is turning in the States, it looks like Disney are ready to cut and run on Doctor Who as they attempt to reposition themselves away from all things woke.’ Indeed, since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the entertainment giant has softened its internal diversity, equity and inclusion policies and removed trigger warnings from its movies.
Fans were outraged at a male pregnancy storyline on the show
The show’s Sir Isaac Newton, who David Tennant’s Dr Who called ‘hot’
It is rumoured that Ncuti Gatwa is on the verge of quitting after just two seasons
Last year, when asked about Disney’s increasingly woke output, CEO Bob Iger told shareholders ‘we know our job is not to advance any kind of agenda’.
But fans say there has been a noticeable ‘Disneyfication’ of the show. In December, Davies reflected on the deal with Disney, saying: ‘It’s a lovely experiment. We’ve had a great time’ – sparking speculation that the partnership had already come to end.
The deal was for 26 episodes, including two full series and a five-episode spin-off – The War Between The Land And Sea. These have all been filmed, with Gatwa’s second series set to broadcast in May and the spin-off later this year.
But Disney are remaining ‘irritatingly tightlipped’ about the future of the deal, BBC insiders say, and it is creating a ‘big headache’ as talent grows restive.
Disney won’t make a decision until the second season has aired and it can assess the viewing figures. And without guaranteed income from Disney, the BBC won’t confirm the show’s future.
There are reports that Gatwa has already filmed his regeneration exit scene, having decided to walk away – the shortest stint of any Doctor Who star since Christopher Eccleston threw in the towel after one series in 2005.
It is thought that Gatwa, whose assistant is played by Millie Gibson, grew frustrated by the prospect of committing to a show which didn’t have a filming schedule confirmed and he is keen to pursue other opportunities.
While a BBC spokeswoman told the Mail, ‘Doctor Who has not been shelved’, an insider said: ‘Everything is now pointing in the direction of a prolonged break once the next series has aired. It will be back to the drawing board for the Doctor Who team.’
