Appearing at an event in London on Monday, The BBC’s drama chief Piers Wenger has defended the network’s iconic show “Doctor Who” following a drop in ratings for the current twelfth season.
Wenger was asked if he would consider resting the series given a malaise having arisen regarding the show. Wenger strongly rebuked that, saying the current version with lead actress Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall is going fine:
“I worked on Doctor Who myself and produced it for many years and I can honestly say I don’t think it’s been in better health editorially. The production values have never been better. It’s also not just funded by the BBC, it’s funded by lots of international partners.
It’s an incredibly important show for young audiences, it’s still watched by families in a world where there are fewer shows that have the power to do that. It will always be an important show for us and we’re a very long way from wanting to rest it.”
The current season concludes next weekend, but disappointing ratings have plagued it all season. Sunday’s penultimate episode hit a low of 3.7 million overnight viewers and the seven-day ratings and catch-up have not added much boost.
Critically the show is in an odd spot. After backlash last year for ignoring the Who lore completely, this year has brought it back in heavily but gone for familiar foes like The Master (a well cast Sacha Dhawan) and the Cybermen, along with other familiar staples that seem worn out by this point.
Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall will return for a thirteenth season with the finale for this year helping set up what Chibnall promises will be “very big, ambitious plans”.
Source: Deadline
