Doctor Who is moving to Disney+ in 2023, with the streaming giant now responsible for international distribution. According to TVZone, the BBC's partnership with Disney means Doctor Who will become a £100 million ($115 million) series, with individual episodes assigned a budget of £10 million ($11.5 million) each.
This is certainly a massive change for Doctor Who, a TV show famous (or, perhaps, infamous) for its shoestring budget. The sets were often seen wobbling, one Dalek army involved wind-up toys and mirrors, and the Jon Pertwee story "The Green Death" featured a number of giant maggots that were actually inflated condoms. Russell T. Davies was able to call on a heftier budget when he relaunched the show in 2005, but even he struggled on occasion, and some CGI effects from his first era as showrunner haven't aged especially well. Chris Chibnall made it his mission to improve the effects when he took over; there were still occasions when the CGI went wrong, though, most notably in the Spring Special "Legend of the Sea Devils." With a budget of $10 million per episode, these problems should be a thing of the past.
Doctor Who's New Budget Means It Can Compete With Marvel & Star Wars
There's a reason Doctor Who used to have such a low budget; it's simply because the BBC did not especially believe in the show (and, indeed, they ultimately canceled it in 1989). That has clearly changed, however, because the modern BBC wants Doctor Who to compete with the likes of Marvel and Star Wars. Writing in Doctor Who Magazine #568, Chibnall outlined what that would mean for his successor, returning showrunner Russell T. Davies. "The challenge we were set by the BBC was to keep up with Netflix," he observed. "The challenge for the people who succeed us is to keep up with Disney+. The creative rules are being thrillingly rewritten by shows like WandaVision, while production standards and methods are being redefined by The Mandalorian." Doctor Who's budget now matches Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian, meaning it really can compete on a visual level.
Is Doctor Who's Massive New Budget Entirely A Good Thing?
This news has, however, left some fans concerned. As exciting as it may be to imagine Doctor Who episodes as lavish as Andor, there are fears something may be lost as well; that Doctor Who works best when it has something of a homespun feel, a labor of love rather than a big commercial enterprise. There are even reports the co-production deal gives Disney a degree of creative say, which may dictate storytelling choices. It's worth noting, though, that not every Disney+ TV show looks and feels the same, and that showrunners have been free to tell quite bold and even politicized stories. That's even the case with Star Wars, where Andor has reminded viewers Star Wars has always been political, making some remarkable narrative and production choices.
It certainly helps that Russell T. Davies, the man behind Doctor Who's relaunch, is returning to usher in this bold new era. Davies' knowledge and experience means he will have a strong vision of what Doctor Who should be; whatever strings may be attached to this co-production deal, Disney will find Davies is no puppet. For now, rather than be concerned, Doctor Who fans would probably be better to celebrate that their favorite show's future is assured.
