Posted in: BBC, Disney+, TV | Tagged: doctor who

Doctor Who: Disney "Wasn't Looking to Change the Show": Gardner

Bad Wolf's Julie Gardner offered insights into the relationship they have with Disney regarding Showrunner Russell T. Davies's Doctor Who.

When we last checked in on what the Bad Wolf executive had to share with the Radio Free Skaro podcast during the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles, California, Julie Gardner had some really great things to say about the second season of Showrunner Russell T. Davies's Ncuti Gatwa (Fifteenth Doctor), Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday), and Varada Sethu (Belinda Chandra)-starring Doctor Who. For this go-around, we're checking out what Gardner had to share about their co-production partner, Disney. At a time when there is a great divide between what's being said on the record and what's rumbling on social media regarding the show's future, Gardner makes it clear that the relationship with Disney has been "fantastic."

"I live in America now, and so I look after mostly the Disney relationship, and they are fantastic to us," Garder said about Bad Wolf's dealings with Disney, adding that the company wasn't looking to change the show. "You know, what was so good right from the beginning was they understood the show. They wanted what the BBC show was. They weren't coming on board to make it something else – which is always a fear when you have a meaningful, big co-production partner. But they were really interested in what the show was, had been, the legacy of it, what [showrunner] Russell [T Davies] wanted to do, what [writer] Steven [Moffat] would do coming in," Gardner said.

As for those concerns that a third season hasn't been given a green light yet, Gardner reiterated what others have said over the past few months. Between the pandemic, entertainment industry strikes, the LA wildfires, and some really bad decision-making during the heights of the "streaming wars," studios are much more cautious and willing to take their time before giving a go-ahead for a new series or season. "I think it feels really scary because I live in LA, and we've had the pandemic, we had the writers' strike, we had the actors' strike, and then we had the fires. And, at the same time as all of that was happening, the streamers were beginning to say that phrase, 'The model doesn't work.' And I think if you'd worked in TV for a long time, you kind of knew that," Gardner explained. "You could see the prices were going up and episodic orders were coming down and you can see that it's unsustainable, which is now where we find ourselves. So, you can see that there's less being commissioned. Things that are being picked up, there's less money."

Doctor Who Season 2 Writers: Dawson, Ellams, McTighe & Angel-Walfall

"'Doctor Who' takes its talent from a glittering galaxy of names, and these extraordinary writers span the skies. We've got old hands, new stars, voices from theatre, radio, and literature – the whole works! It's the most wild and exciting season of 'Doctor Who' yet, and I can't wait to unleash their brilliant work," Davies shared about Juno Dawson, Inua Ellams, Pete McTighe, and Sharma Angel-Walfall – the new writers joining the series for its second season:

Juno Dawson is a #1 Sunday Times best-selling novelist, screenwriter, and journalist whose books include the global bestsellers This Book is Gay and Her Majesty's Royal Coven. Her debut short film was The Birth of Venus, and she created the first official Doctor Who scripted podcast, Doctor Who: Redacted. "I started watching 'Doctor Who' with my grandma when I was ten-years-old in the 1990s. From writing fan fiction for an audience of one to scripting the best TV show of all time is truly a dream come true. I can't wait for fans and newcomers to see the new season," Dawson shared.

Inua Ellams is a writer and curator whose published books of poetry include Candy Coated Unicorns & Converse All Stars and The Actual. His first play, The 14th Tale, was awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival. Other plays include Barber Shop Chronicles, which played at the National Theatre, Three Sisters, and The Half-God of Rainfall. "For as long as I can remember television, I've been a 'Doctor Who' fan. I started watching when I was 10 in Nigeria. The show invited me to dream, to live beyond my reality. Getting to write for the show felt like touching God; it was blasphemously humbling and exciting, and I can't wait to share my story with the world," Ellams shared.

Pete McTighe is a writer and executive producer on the forthcoming spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea. He has created, written, or executive-produced dramas, including The Pact (BBC), The Rising (Sky), A Discovery Of Witches (HBO), and Wentworth (Fox). "The TARDIS is my home away from home, so it's been a joy to step back inside, with Russell at the console and the incredible team at Bad Wolf hanging on for dear life. I love this show with all my heart, and am really proud of what we've been able to achieve with my next episode," McTighe shared.

Sharma Angel-Walfall originally hails from Manchester and won the inaugural Channel 4 New Writing Award that set her off on her screenwriting journey. She has been in a number of writers' rooms, including Rapman's Supacell (Netflix), Sally Wainwright's The Ballad of Renegade Nell (Disney+), A Town Called Malice (Sky), and Noughts & Crosses (BBC). She was a writing consultant on Paul Abbott's Wolfe (Sky) and wrote an episode of Sharon Hogan's Dreamland for Sky (starring Lilly Allen and Freema Agyeman). "I am buzzing to be a part of such an iconic show! I am a massive Russell T Davies fan, so it is a dream come true to be able to work alongside him, especially on a show that I love. It's a real privilege to be a part of the 'Doctor Who' family. I have loved every minute!" Angel-Walfall shared.

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