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

Doctor Who Future Might Just Depend on What Happens on July 31st

What the future holds for Doctor Who might just depend on what happens with HBO Max's streaming deal for the show on or before July 31st.

Sure, we have the upcoming spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, hitting later this year and an animated series aimed at pre-schoolers in development (more on that below). And, of course, you can never go wrong with the audio adventures that Big Finish Productions has to offer. But in the end, it's all about getting more of the live-action Doctor Who series back onto our screens. Unfortunately, there are a ton of questions that still need to be answered. Will the show return with Disney as a co-producer? Has the BBC found a new co-producer (with rumors of Netflix and Prime Video having interest), or are they willing to go solo? When would the series return? Are there plans for something to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the show's return? Will there be a Christmas Special this year? Will Russell T. Davies be back as showrunner? Is Billie Piper the next Doctor?

While we're as much in the dark as everyone else when it comes to the answers to those questions, it looks like July 31st has now become a significant date. That's when the 2005-2022 seasons (Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whittaker) depart HBO Max (along with other titles, such as Torchwood) – and that's important on two key levels. For U.S. viewers, if the July 31st deadline stands, then there's a good chance that there might be some difficulties checking out those seasons until a new deal with a streamer/streamers is reached. That brings up the "bigger picture" factor, because when it comes to shows, studios and streamers are all about having "libraries." Disney's deal kicked in with the anniversary specials and moved forward from there – could the prospect of securing the complete "NuWho" library be enough to get "The Mouse" to sign back up again? Of course, that also makes a streaming deal even more attractive for the likes of Netflix and Amazon's Prime Video. The former has proven that it knows how to market already successful shows to new levels of success (for example, Suits), while the latter has proven it knows how to handle (and grow) a popular franchise.

"Doctor Who" Has "Pathways" to "Potential Futures": RTD

In his regular column in Doctor Who Magazine #618, Davies covered a wide range of issues, not just about the season finale but also about Gatwa's two seasons. One of the two areas of the column that fans have been highlighting and spreading across social media focused on Davies's thoughts on the future and what he means by "pathways leading to potential futures." Davies writes, "No, not the end, don't be mad. 'Doctor Who' will never end! There are pathways leading to potential futures – we've still got the mystery of that bright and blazing ending, 'Oh, hello,' yes indeed, hello Billie! And there's Susan, of course. I wonder if we'll ever find out who the Boss is. Or who the Boss are. (I'm still wondering who Gus is, from 'Mummy on the Orient Express.' Maybe they're the same!)"

But what seemed to really hit folks hard was Davies's sign-off, which was not just for this month but for his run writing for Doctor Who Magazine – at least, for now. "But we don't know what's happening yet and while everyone works that out, I'll take a pause on this page. Thanks for reading! And thanks to DWM, a delight to work with you on this wonderful magazine. Hopefully, we'll have news soon, and certainly, 'The War Between the Land and the Sea' is about to break out, so there are great things ahead."

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