Posted in: BBC, TV | Tagged: doctor who

Doctor Who Fallout: Stephen Moffat, Katy Manning React to Big News

Ex-showrunner and writer Stephen Moffat and actress Katy Manning reacted to the news that Doctor Who has been put out to competitive tender.

No Doctor Who Christmas Special. Showrunner Russell T. Davies and producers Bad Wolf are gone. The long-running series is now officially out to competitive tender (translation: shelved for now). To say that there's a whole lot to unpack and a number of questions to be answered would be an understatement. But for now, we're taking a look at some of the reactions to the news. Speaking with Radio Times, ex-showrunner and writer Stephen Moffat shared, "No clue what's going on, all news to me. No idea what's coming either. But brave heart everyone. It's a cliffhanger – the Doctor ALWAYS survives those."

Katy Manning (who last appeared as Jo Grant/Jo Jones in 2023's Tales of the TARDIS episode "The Three Doctors") added, "Now it's been confirmed by #bbc Christmas special cancelled & that Doctor Who will take a little rest as it did from 1989 – 2005 when it returned brilliantly in the wonderful dedicated hands of #russelltdavies63 the 2 hearts ❤️❤️have not stopped beating & I know it will return & regenerate brilliantly till then we have so much from 1963-2025 to enjoy plus audios from @bigfinishprod , & a huge who family from around the world that will stay together & celebrate all the years of this incredible show thus far ❤️"

"As part of securing the next phase of the show for future generations, and in line with the BBC's Charter and Agreement requirements, the BBC will put Doctor Who out to competitive tender this year. Doctor Who remains an important part of the BBC and this tender underpins the BBC's continued commitment to Doctor Who ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come," the statement from the BBC read on Wednesday. "After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode. This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory.

"And so GOODBYE from me to Doctor Who but HELLO to a big new future for the show, as the BBC announces it's putting the show out to tender. As a result, there won't be a Christmas Special – we only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there's no need for it. You'll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who… but you'll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a one-off. So it's worth it! For the record: there was no script, I never wrote it, and no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor. You may disagree; fine, sit in that chair and wait to be proved right. You'll wait a lonnng time 🪑 Now I'm as excited as anyone to see what comes next! Will they keep the theme tune? Will they lose the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?! It's all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who, exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future, vworp vworp 🌪️," read Davies's Instagram post.

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