Posted in: BBC, Current News, TV | Tagged: doctor who

Doctor Who "Never Going to Be Star Wars" Is a Good Thing: Mark Gatiss

Mark Gatiss doesn't see Doctor Who becoming Star Wars, explaining why that's a good thing and how the show needs to keep doing its own thing.

When it comes to the BBC and Showrunner Russell T. Davies' Doctor Who, writer Mark Gatiss ("The Unquiet Dead," "The Idiot's Lantern," "The Crimson Horror," "Robot of Sherwood") is one of those people whose opinions on the long-running show always catch our radar. Previously, Gatiss addressed the regeneration twist at the end of "The Reality War" that saw Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor regenerate into Billie Piper's Sixteenth Doctor. Maybe. Maybe not. As for the show itself, Gatiss explained why Doctor Who will never be "Star Wars," or any number of large franchises.

"It's never going to be 'Star Wars.' What it is, is 'Doctor Who' – and I think that's the key," Gatiss shared during an interview with Men's Journal in support of his series, Bookish. "The Disney money obviously did something, but in the end, it's essentially a spooky show. It's a weird show. And that's what I've always adored about it. It's not like anything else. And actually, when it tries to be like something else, it's not 'Doctor Who,'" Gatiss added. "I think, in the end, the thing to absolutely cherish and cling onto is that it's very much its own thing and that's why we've always loved it."

Doctor Who Christmas Special 2026: A Timeline

In October, we learned that Davies would be writing the Christmas Special, with Davies sharing, "Here we go. Away in Danger? Jingle Hells? Silent Blight? Hark the Weeping Angels Sing..? O Come All Ye… um, Nimon?" A month later, during an interview with RadioTimes.com, Davies revealed that his current commitments were preventing him from writing the special. "Not at the moment because I'm busy on [The War Between the Land and the Sea]. I'm also shooting a show in Manchester [Tip Toe], so next year my plate clears, and we'll get to work on that." However, Davies made it clear that he's not going to be writing the special cold, adding, "I know exactly what happens in it, don't worry about that."

In Doctor Who Magazine #624, Davies dropped a tease about the special in his Doctor Who-themed "12 Days of Christmas" column. "Twelve months-a-waiting! Next December, I'll be here to trumpet and toot about the 2026 Christmas Special. It contains these three words. 'Bafflers,' 'Winternox' and 'village.'" Shortly after, Davies shared that the bigwigs over at the BBC liked what Davies had planned for the special. "We haven't even started work on it yet," Davies revealed to BBC Newsbeat regarding next year's Christmas special. "I know what happens, but I better write it down soon in case I get run over by a bus." Understandably, Davies didn't get into details – partly because it hasn't been written yet and partly because he's not going to spoil something that's still a year away. But it seems like the folks over at the BBC know what Davies is up to, and it left them "with jaws agape, loving it."

However, despite all of that, images "leaked" on social media showed Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor and Piper on a set together during filming of… something. Was Davies lying the entire time, and was the Christmas Special already being filmed? Could this be for something other than the special? Well, it didn't take long before social media started picking apart the "big leak," and now, we have McGann on the record, calling out and scoffing at the image. Checking in with The Gerry Anderson Podcast hosts Jamie Anderson, Richard James, and Chris Dale, McGann touched on the topic, making it clear that it wasn't real (McGann: "If only!") while joking with the hosts that they were part of the problem when speculated that it could be true but McGann can't discuss it because he's under some kind of non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Make sure to check out the complete episode (waiting for you above), and here's the clip that James shared:

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