Doctor Who/Disney Deal Could Lead to Big-Budget Series 14 Adventures

So just before the end of October, we learned that Disney+ would be the exclusive home for Russell T. Davies‘s Doctor Who outside of the UK & Ireland beginning in late 2023. That includes the 60th-Anniversary specials starring Doctors David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa (it’s a long story) that are set for November of next year. But thanks to reporting from The Telegraph, it appears that Disney and the BBC have a co-production deal that will be a huge boost to the long-running sci-fi series’ budget, with the hope that more money means “more cinematic production values and more stars.” As for editorial content and control, the report also claimed that Disney will have some say in creative decisions but that Davies will still “retain the overall creative vision for the program.” Bigger picture, the BBC retains an overall editorial “final say” on matters, meaning that “the tone and content of the show may not deviate dramatically from the canon of ‘Doctor Who.'” Now, thanks to a report from the UK TV industry site Broadcast, we’re getting a better sense of just how much the long-running sci-fi series could benefit from its deal with “The Mouse.”

While it’s not on the level of shows such as Netflix’s Stranger Things 4 (reportedly $30M/episode) and Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (reportedly $50-80M per episode), the 14th Season of the Gatwa-starring Doctor Who could see its current per episode budget rise from approximately $1.1-3.4M per episode to approximately $11.5M per episode when filming begins on the new adventures. In addition, the additional influx of monies also makes Davies’s dream of an expanded universe that includes spinoff projects much more of a reality. One question that remains unanswered was one we previously mentioned but needs further consideration now that we know how much money is in play. Will “The Mouse” expect to have a much more prominent role in creative decision-making with that much green in play?

“If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way! The path to Ncuti’s Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger, and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, and why? We’re giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!” Davies shared in a statement when the first teaser was released, confirming the Doctor’s new “lineage.” Now, here’s a look at the new logo for the long-running show’s new era that was released last month: