Russell T. Davies Explains What's Changed About Making Doctor Who in His Return

The Doctor Who showrunner says writing remains the same, but the effects are bigger than ever.

By Nicole Drum

Doctor Who returns this Friday, ushering in a whole new era and not just because there's a new Doctor with Ncuti Gatwa stepping into the role of the Fifteenth Doctor. For the first time, the iconic sci-fi series is set to premiere on Disney+ and the BBC, with Disney's investment in the series meaning an increased budget. The new era also sees the return of showrunner Russell T. Davies, who was part of the series from 2005 to 2010 and returned in 2023 for the show's 60th anniversary. Now, ahead of the new season of the beloved series, Davies is opening up to ComicBook about what has changed about making Doctor Who — and what fundamentally never changes.

"I think in, in many ways, writing doesn't change. Writing fundamentally doesn't change. And when I'm at my desk, I don't think, oh, it's a new era now I'm writing things differently. That's… what I mean is, it's hard every single time, every single script is new. I don't mean I've got used to it and I've learned how to do it. I mean, the opposite. I mean, every script is a blank page," Davies said.  "Every script is hard work. Every script you sit there, believe me, every writer will tell you this… every time you sit there going, oh, I was like, I can't do this. I give up, I should now go become a gardener. I could never write anything in my life. So, it's always hard work."

He continued, "The main thing that's changed and especially with the bigger budget, with Disney+ is the effects, but that, that means they simply take longer and, and maybe we had some beautiful effects in the old days as well. But that's a longer process and I love learning that stuff. That's one of the reasons I came back was that I felt very out of touch with how to make modern special effects and telly. And I love that sort of telly. I like being on top of that sort of stuff. So that was a happy learning process for me. But we came back with the same producer, Phil Collinson, the same executive producers, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter. So, it's not new in that sense. I brought back with me, people who I knew would work themselves to death to make Doctor Who the best they could possibly. That's what I wanted on my side was soldiers, foot soldiers."

What Is The New Season Of Doctor Who About?

The new season of Doctor Who will follow the Doctor and Ruby Sunday as they adventure through time and space in the TARDIS. From England's Regency to war-torn futures, the duo champion the forces of good while encountering incredible friends and dangerous foes along the way.

"At last, it's my great delight to unleash a whole new season of the Doctor and Ruby's adventures together," Davies previously said in a statement. "Monsters! Chases! Villains! Mysteries! And a terrifying secret that's been spanning time and space for decades. Don't miss a second!"

Guest stars on the new season of Doctor Who will include Aneurin Barnard, Anita Dobson, Yasmin Finney, Michelle Greenidge, Jonathan Groff, Bonnie Langford, Genesis Lynea, Jemma Redgrave, Lenny Rush, Indira Varma, and Angela Wynter.

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Doctor Who is produced by Bad Wolf, with BBC Studios for Disney Branded Television and BBC. Under the creative vision of Davies, the additional executive producers include Phil Collinson, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter. The new season features episodes directed by Ben Chessell, Jamie Donoughue, Julie Anne Robinson, and Dylan Holmes Williams.

Doctor Who Season 1 premieres Friday, May 10th at 7:00 p.m. ET on Disney+ in the United States and internationally outside the United Kingdom with two new episodes. In the U.K., Doctor Who starts streaming at midnight on May 11th on BBC iPlayer before airing on BBC One later the same day. New episodes drop weekly on Fridays on Disney+ and on Saturdays on the BBC and BBC iPlayer.

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