Doctor Who producer denies the sci-fi show is "dead": "That's really rude, actually... and really untrue"

Doctor Who seems to be going through some changes at the moment following Ncuti Gatwa's exit, but executive producer Jane Tranter said it's "rude" to claim the show is "dead". Tranter clapped back at recent comments made by former Doctor Who writer Robert Shearman, who said the series is "probably as dead as we've ever known it".

Earlier this week, Shearman criticized the show's "retrogressive" feeling, and claimed that the Doctor Who season 2 ending had "put a full stop on things".

During an interview with BBC Radio Wales (via Deadline), Tranter addressed these quotes, saying: "'As dead as we've ever known.' That's really rude, actually. And really untrue."

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"The plans for Doctor Who are really simply this: the BBC and BBC Studios had a partnership with Disney+ for 26 episodes," she continued, "We are currently 21 episodes down into that 26-episode run. We have got another five episodes of [spin-off series] The War Between The Land And The Sea to come. At some point after that, decisions will be made together with all of us about what the future of Doctor Who entails."

The producer argued that "it's a 60-year-old franchise" that has been going on "for 20 years nonstop" since being brought back in 2005, so changes are to be expected. "Nothing continues the same always, or it shouldn't continue the same always. So it will change in some form or another. But the one thing we can all be really clear of is that the Doctor will be back and everyone, including me, including all of us, just has to wait patiently to see when – and who," she concluded.

Since the latest episode aired in late May, showing Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor regenerating into Doctor Who alum Billie Piper, fans have been worrying about the future of the iconic British show.

"We don't know what's happening yet," showrunner Russell T Davies said in June, assuring fans that this wasn't "the end" for the show. The BBC has since said that Doctor Who will continue "with or without" Disney, who released the last two seasons outside the UK through Disney Plus.

While we wait for more updates, check out our guide to the best new TV shows still to come in 2025.

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.