Russell T. Davies Returns to Doctor Who as New Showrunner

[Rich Watson]

I can't imagine his agent will have tied him in for too many years but I imagine it's more than one year because that'd be foolish on both sides.

Russell was already writing scripts for the next series before shooting on this one even started. Which is definitely not the norm for DW which tends to be more of a 'just managed to get it done in time' affair.

So I have a feeling that they'll take just a short break after they finish shooting this series before starting the next.

 

[The Wormhole]

Assuming he does the standard three years, I doubt Gatwa's sticking around once those three years are up.

 

[Samurai8472]

I can't imagine his agent will have tied him in for too many years but I imagine it's more than one year because that'd be foolish on both sides.

Agent- You do this small British show for two years to build up your resume then we'll get you auditions with Denzel.

 

[Sketcher]

Don't we say this about every Doctor every time?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Don't we say this about every Doctor every time?

Yup but we still have to go through the motions.

Otherwise the fabric of spacetime would collapse on itself. And go ding.

 

[The Wormhole]

Don't we say this about every Doctor every time?

Yeah, but this time, Ncuti Gatwa is already making a splash among Hollywood A-Listers and his first season of Doctor Who hasn't even aired yet, or even finished filming. I mean, Ryan Gosling wears a t-shirt with this guy's face on it! He is out the TARDIS door the minute his contract expires.

 

[Photoman15]

Maybe he's an Eccleston Doctor, one and done.

 

[Relayer1]

Maybe he's an Eccleston Doctor, one and done.

I doubt it - I'd think he'd be signed for three seasons.

I could see them letting him go with two seasons and a couple of specials if there's enough pressure from Hollywood though.

 

[The Wormhole]

Besides, the only reason Eccleston's contract was only one season with an option for additional was because no one knew if the show would be a success or not. Thinking there was a possibility the show could only last one season, they weren't going to make Eccleston commit to any other seasons which might not happen, but left the option for an additional open as a means of not shutting out any possibilities. All his successors have had multiple year contracts. Tennant was under contract until 2010, Smith, Capaldi and Whittaker each had three year contracts. I'd be very surprised if Gatwa didn't have a three year contract. He would not have known when he was signed on that his popularity would take off as quickly as it has and three years guaranteed as the lead of one of Britain's most internationally renowned TV properties would have been too good an offer to turn down at the point his career was in last year.

Besides, it would be bad optics if the first black Doctor to be the show's lead were also the first one since 2005 to only be signed on for one year.

 

[jaime]

Besides, the only reason Eccleston's contract was only one season with an option for additional was because no one knew if the show would be a success or not. Thinking there was a possibility the show could only last one season, they weren't going to make Eccleston commit to any other seasons which might not happen, but left the option for an additional open as a means of not shutting out any possibilities. All his successors have had multiple year contracts. Tennant was under contract until 2010, Smith, Capaldi and Whittaker each had three year contracts. I'd be very surprised if Gatwa didn't have a three year contract. He would not have known when he was signed on that his popularity would take off as quickly as it has and three years guaranteed as the lead of one of Britain's most internationally renowned TV properties would have been too good an offer to turn down at the point his career was in last year.

Besides, it would be bad optics if the first black Doctor to be the show's lead were also the first one since 2005 to only be signed on for one year.

Could be worse. Could have been Ruth/Chef!Doctor. Chibnall’s very own ‘magical Negro’ trope. She deserved better. Should have been a 6B Doctor and given as much as BradleyOne to do. At the very *least*.

 

[Rich Watson]

Could be worse. Could have been Ruth/Chef!Doctor. Chibnall’s very own ‘magical Negro’ trope. She deserved better. Should have been a 6B Doctor and given as much as BradleyOne to do. At the very *least*.

Leaving aside the fact she wasn't cast because she was black, she doesn't "deserve" anything. She was hired to a job, did the job and now gets a nice extra income stream from conventions and Big Finish.

 

[jaime]

Leaving aside the fact she wasn't cast because she was black, she doesn't "deserve" anything. She was hired to a job, did the job and now gets a nice extra income stream from conventions and Big Finish.

I don’t think I said she was cast for that reason. But it’s how the character was then used, after her casting. And whilst the actor may get that, the *character* deserved better — much like how Sixie deserved a better send off (and SawbonesHex too) and better than Saward was doing at the time.

 

[Jedman67]

I just checked his Wikipedia. Aside from Sex Education, he's been a relative unknown. With the need to reestablish Doctor Who post-pandemic, I'm pretty sure RTD knows who he wants as the 16th Doctor.
While Series 14 will only have 8 episodes (including Christmas?) RTD has plans to fill out the seasons a little more. S15 is likely to be 10 episodes

 

[Starkers]

I think that's a bit like saying nobody knew who Cumberbatch was before Sherlock...

 

[Steve Roby]

Benedict Cumberbatch? Why, he's the guy who guest starred in a Blake's 7 audio, played Egyptologist Howard Carter in a Big Finish Doctor Who audio, and played Thing 2 in another BF Doctor Who audio.

 

[jaime]

Spooks of course.

 

[Rich Watson]

Indira Varma to play the previously mentioned "Duchess" in the currently shooting episode.

https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/indira-varma-joins-doctor-who-as-the-duchess

I look forward to a year of... she's playing the Master or the Rani or a time travelling Suzie Costello.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Indira Varma to play the previously mentioned "Duchess" in the currently shooting episode.

https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/indira-varma-joins-doctor-who-as-the-duchess

I look forward to a year of... she's playing the Master or the Rani or a time travelling Suzie Costello.

Came here to post about her addition. She’s always great in anything, looking forward to seeing her in DW.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Feels full circle for me since I first saw her as Suzie on Torchwood and I've been a big fan of hers ever since. I'm thrilled she's going to be on Doctor Who proper finally.

 

[C.E. Evans]

There's a part of me that's hoping she's another renegade Time Lord, but one that is an adventurer like the Doctor rather than a villain like the Master or a ruthless scientist like the Rani.

I always had a hard time accepting the Doctor as "the last of the Time Lords," not only because the existence of the Master made that false to begin with, but because during the classic era it was established that other Time Lords had gone rogue and left Gallifrey too (K'Ampo Rimpoche, Drax, Azmael, and of course the aforementioned Rani). So even if Gallifrey fell, there had to be a number of Time Lords expatriates scattered throughout the cosmos that sat out the Time War, IMO. Maybe the Duchess is one of them?