Doctor Who fans lost it this weekend when it was revealed that following the exit of Doctor Jodie Whittaker and executive producer Chris Chibnall, Russell T. Davies will be returning as showrunner.
Davies previously produced Who from 2005-10, being responsible for relaunching it into the bastion of pop culture it is today, so obviously folks are eager to find out where Davies will take the Whoniverse during his second era in charge.
While, he’s remaining tight-lipped for now, the It’s a Sin creator may have already revealed some of his plans during an interview earlier this year. In January, Davis spoke with Radio Times and reflected on how the shared universe of shows, comprised of Who and its spinoffs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, compared to the likes of what Marvel, DC, and Star Trek are doing today.
“I was in the middle of running an empire,” Davies explained. “And my god, I did that 10 years too soon, didn’t I?”
Davies went on to stress that he thinks the BBC needs to capitalize on Who‘s worldwide popularity and generate a ton of interconnected content, like Disney is with its own IP. He even mentioned some fan-pleasing spinoffs he’d like to see happen, such as a team-up miniseries for David Tennant and Matt Smith!
“There should be a Doctor Who channel now,” Davies continued. “You look at those Disney announcements, of all those new Star Wars and Marvel shows, you think, we should be sitting here announcing The Nyssa Adventures or The Return of Donna Noble, and you should have the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors together in a 10-part series. Genuinely.”
The writer and producer concluded by saying that he wasn’t joking, as the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and other such projects prove that sci-fi franchises are getting more expansive than ever.
“You laugh, but did Star Trek fans ever think they’d be getting a Captain Pike series? Ever? That’s insane,” Davies argued. “The whole science fiction world is so creative and so money making right now, I think your wildest dreams can come true.”
It’s interesting that Davies was so open in discussing where he wants to see the show go next back in January, which proves the opportunity to return to the series only came up recently. It’s seems that Davies is as surprised as the rest of us then that this development has come about.
But now that he is set to return to the Whoniverse, does that mean we can expect him to set about making all these spinoffs a reality? Well, obviously there are a lot of factors to consider before that can happen, but it’s clear that Davies is very keen on re-establishing a shared universe around the central show in general.
Davies is set to takeover for the show’s 60th anniversary in 2023. In the meantime, Doctor Who season 13 is coming soon.
