Russell T Davies's return to Doctor Who is widely viewed as a failure. Ratings steadily declined throughout both seasons, and while the BBC's partnership with Disney+ gave the series a big-budget feel, Davies's "woke" storylines split opinions, and the show didn't find its intended international audience on streaming.
The Doctor Who franchise has frequently been praised for its diversity. However, many felt that the showrunner was being too heavy-handed with storylines about incels, same-sex relationships, and non-binary aliens.
Disney+ has since parted ways with the BBC, and the British broadcaster, which has also moved on from Davies, is seeking a new production partner to reboot the Whoniverse. Where the current upheaval leaves Doctor Who's latest cliffhanger—confirmed as the result of last-minute reshoots—with the Doctor regenerating into Billie Piper's Rose Tyler is hard to say.
There are heaps of theories about why the Doctor now wears Rose's face, especially as Piper wasn't introduced as the new Doctor in the finale's credits.
During a panel at the For the Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi event in London over the weekend (via SFFGazette.com), Piper confirmed that she is not "the next Doctor." Instead, she described herself as "Rose Tyler in hiatus," adding, "Sorry, that’s a really cryptic answer, but because I’m not currently filming Doctor Who as the Doctor, I can’t lie and say otherwise."
"I think you’ve all got to be very patient. Because it’ll be worth it when it counts," Piper continued. "And I think that we need to celebrate the fact that the [revived] show has been around for a very long time; it’s massively successful, and it’s impacting so many people’s lives positively. It’s had a bit of a rough time lately, and I think everyone needs to chill out and wait for what comes from having space and time."
It's unclear whether the next creative team will touch on the Rose Tyler cliffhanger, especially since it's a plot point wrapped in complicated continuity dating back to the mid-2000s (so, not overly new-viewer-friendly).
Making things a little easier is that there's a second Doctor currently on Earth—the result of a bigeneration—played by David Tennant. Recent rumours suggest he could be the focus of a new approach to the Time Lord, but time will tell.
In related news, Mark Gatiss, who starred in the series and wrote nine episodes of Doctor Who between 2005 and 2017, has shared his take on the show being out for competitive tender. His view of the franchise's future is a little less positive.
Talking to Radio Times, Gatiss said, "I feel very doomy, but it's true. It's fine. I think the fact it's come back so successfully means it will come back again. It's not a one-off 26-year run, but I think maybe it's just time for a proper break, because you want people to miss it and have fresh ideas, and probably someone to run it who grew up with David Tennant as the Doctor, rather than Tom Baker."
Stay tuned for updates on Doctor Who's future as we have them.