Doctor Who Suddenly Gets an Ending Date, And Fans Are a Mess

Summary:

• Doctor Who is a British sci-fi TV series that has been going on since 1963.
• It wasn’t airing from 1989 to 2005, but was revived and runs to this very day.
• Now that Doctor Who will be produced by BBC alongside Disney, fans feel the beginning of a new era.

If there is one thing Whovians are used to, it is change. The constant change of actors playing the Doctor, the constant change of the Doctor's companions, and the constant change of writers and showrunners behind the scenes is actually what keeps the show going for so many years.

However, the changes that came with the news of Disney joining the BBC in producing the show were not what people expected.

After the 13th Doctor's run ended, there were no clear plans or news about what would happen next. Fans speculated whether the declining ratings had something to do with the wait and whether Doctor Who would come back to celebrate the 60th anniversary. Fortunately, there was much better news to come.

The celebration brought back the golden names behind the show. The first showrunner of the revival, Russell T. Davies, was announced to be coming back once again to take the show forward with the 14th and 15th incarnations of the Doctor. The composer behind the show's most popular soundtracks, Murray Gold, was also announced as returning.

As part of the celebration, David Tennant was cast back as the 14th Doctor and was to be joined by one of the most beloved companions, Donna Noble, portrayed by Catherine Tate for the 3 special episodes.

The news that Ncuti Gatwa had been cast as the 15th Doctor for at least two series of the show was just the icing on the cake of an extremely exciting deal. As much as viewers were concerned about some of the changes in production style that Disney might bring, their vision was blurred by the overwhelming nostalgia.

Doctor Who’s Disney Era

Users of X (formerly known as Twitter) were the first to notice a change in the title of the popular show on BBC iPlayer, the home of Doctor Who. Where previously the series was listed as Doctor Who (2005) to distinguish it from the classic episodes of Who filmed between 1963 and 1989, it is now Doctor Who (2005-2022).

It's safe to say that it was surprising for many fans to see the end date for the unfinished series. This was exactly the beginning of the speculations about the new era of the show, maybe with a completely different branding. Although this time Doctor Who didn't take such a long break, it wouldn't be a shocking move from Disney's point of view.

The studio, which is known for its very distinctive visuals and graphics style, has already shown a glimpse of what new Doctor Who episodes would look like in the trailers for the 14th Doctor specials, and it looks different from what Doctor Who audiences are used to. The change of era would make a lot of sense for a smoother transition.

While some people are genuinely afraid for the future of Doctor Who under Disney, knowing all the controversy that followed Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, others are comforted by the presence of the Whoniverse experts on the team. A change like this is always exciting, and it is a great opportunity for the show to gain even more fans.

If you are interested in seeing what the new New Doctor Who would look like, be sure to tune in to Disney Plus on November 25th for the first anniversary special.