Major Doctor Who Writer Shares Series Outlook Fans Aren’t Going to Like

Doctor Who is one of the longest-running science fiction shows. The original series, which was co-created by Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber, and Donal Wilson, began its run on the small screen all the way back in 1963. The science-fiction drama ran for approximately 26 seasons, with the series ending its impressive run in 1989. The series was revived in 2005 by showrunner Russell T. Davies and helped to bring a new audience to the highly beloved tale of a traveling Doctor and their TARDIS. Between Davies and Steven Moffat, who later took over from Davies in 2010, Doctor Who quickly became a phenomenon in pop culture. Unfortunately, though, as the show’s popularity dwindles, one of the show’s writers, Mark Gatiss, told Prospect that he thinks it’s time to put the TARDIS away for a bit.

Once a dominant presence in pop culture, Doctor Who has stumbled a bit since Moffat left the series in 2017. Some of this may be due to some audience members having an issue with the series bringing in a female Doctor, with Jodie Whittaker taking over the titular role that same year. Whittaker’s Doctor was quickly followed by Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor, which also, sadly, received plenty of criticism online. Now, as the show has been met with rumors of cancellation and a ton of uncertainty following Gatwa’s exit, Gatiss believes the show may need to rest.

He told Prospect, “It’s been back for 20 years, which is an awfully long time. Almost as long as its original run. That’s pretty spectacular. So maybe it’s time for another rest. I really don’t know. I only know that I still love the show with all my heart.”

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Doctor Who has been at the center of cancellation rumors for months, with some reports even suggesting the deal between Disney and BBC has been pulled due to low ratings. While the series has, in fact, seen its viewership nosedive in recent years, it remains unclear what is going on with the show. The BBC recently announced an animated series, and the show has recently spawned yet another spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, which is expected to premiere later this year. This would suggest the series is still popular enough for the BBC to keep it around, but should it?

After two decades, Doctor Who has introduced plenty of Doctors and companions, most of whom have gone on to become major stars in Hollywood. Still, despite this, the series has notably been known to be inconsistent in quality. The show’s long absence before helped to spark renown interest among fans, and an eagerness to follow the Doctor and the TARDIS all over again. So, Gatiss could be right in suggesting the series take a bit of a rest.

For those within the UK and Ireland, Doctor Who is available to stream on the BBC iPlayer. For fans outside of UK and Ireland, Doctor Who is available to stream now on Disney+, where the spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, will also be available to stream once it finally premieres.