Doctor Who season 16: The latest on renewal confusion

Doctor Who season 14
Photo: BBC One

Is a Doctor Who season 16 happening or not with Ncuti Gatwa in the lead role? This has been the subject of both speculation and confusion — and yes, it would be wonderful if there was an answer.

Unfortunately, here is where a little bit of the bad news comes into play here — nothing appears to be forthcoming, at least for the time being. Speculation went into overdrive when Gatwa indicated during a taping of The Graham Norton Show that a third season with him as lead would be filmed next year; however, the comment was cut from the actual broadcast.

What is going on here? Well, things are complicated. Speaking per Deadline, a spokesperson for the BBC made it clear that nothing has been officially revealed:

“As we’ve said previously, the decision on season three will be made after season two transmits and as always we don’t comment on speculation.”

So why did Ncuti say what he did? Well, it may be based on what plans currently are for the show’s future, at least in the event the show is greenlit. If showrunner Russell T. Davies is already thinking about ideas, there may at least be a certain measure of hope for the future. We do think that one of the last sticking points is the future for the collaboration between BBC One and Disney+ — because of the latter, seasons 14 / 15 got to operate with a larger budget and by virtue of that, were far more ambitious. This does not, unfortunately, mean that Disney is going to be on board forever. Because they do not release ratings for this or any of their other shows, it can be really difficult in order to determine just how a show like this actually performed.

Related See more discussion now regarding the future of Doctor Who, including a reported role from Archie Panjabi

Do you still think that a Doctor Who season 16 is going to happen over at BBC One?

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