Posted in: BBC, Disney+, Doctor Who, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: bbc, david tennant, disney, disney plus, doctor who, Ncuti Gatwa, russell t davies

Doctor Who Feeling That Disney Magic Early On Is A Good Thing

Nearly eight months after it was announced, it appears the deal between Disney & the BBC's Doctor Who is paying off in a very important way.

As Doctor Who fans remember, it was back in October 2022 when we first learned that "The Mouse" was getting into the time lord business in a very big way. Beginning with this fall's 60th-Anniversary special event and continuing into the Christmas special and the next series of adventures, showrunner Russell T. Davies, Fourteenth Doctor David Tennant, Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa, and the rest of the team behind the long-running show will be calling Disney+ their new home outside of the UK & Ireland. In addition, Disney and the BBC reportedly have a co-production deal that would see "The Mouse" offering a huge boost to the long-running sci-fi series' budget. And that's an issue that Davies addressed shortly after the news was announced, as well as stressing that editorial control will still remain where it belongs. Now, we made out thoughts known on how the move was a major win for both Davies and the show, especially as Davies continues to make the case for creating a "WHO-niverse." But the deal with "The Mouse" appears to be paying off in another big way – one that many might not realize.

We got a taste of it when all of the big news dropped last year when Gatwa was making the media rounds to promote the game-changing announcement. To help get the word out, Gatwa was able to take advantage of that new "corporate synergy" to visit Kelly Ripa & Ryan Seacrest's morning talk show, Live with Kelly and Ryan. In the clip, Gatwa not only shared how it felt to be taking on the role but also how much more exposure the show would get with its new Disney+ deal. And as Gatwa is saying that, we're seeing those very words in action – with Gatwa already being introduced to U.S. daytime talk show viewers over a year before they will take over the iconic role. And that's why the Disney deal was so key.

Because with all due respect to the BBC, "The Mouse" has a multimedia network by which they can promote the long-running show in any number of ways. And with Doctor Who moving to the streamer, you can imagine that Disney+ will be doing a lot of showcasing leading into November's specials. But you don't have to wait until the fall to see the impact that the deal is having – in fact, look no further than the casting that Davies has been doing for the 60th-anniversary episodes and the next series. While admittedly only anecdotal, we're seeing casting news being covered regularly by many more mainstream entertainment news sites than usual – including The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Variety, and Entertainment Weekly.

So maybe making a deal with "The Mouse" wasn't quite the "deal with the devil" that some feared when the news first dropped. It's too early to see how it will all play out but so far, so good. But if the Doctor & Ruby suddenly find themselves in a "wacky musical EPCOT adventure with Mickey and the gang," then we might have to revisit this topic.

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