British broadcaster The BBC has officially launched a competitive tender for the sixteenth season of its long-running sci-fi series “Doctor Who” reports Deadline, with a target of getting the series on air by 2028 or 2029.
Producers will pitch in a bake-off-style process to refresh the series in a major creative overhaul of the franchise following showrunner Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf exiting and Disney’s co-production deal expiring.
The goal is that the series must remain “relevant, surprising, brave and inspiring for both long-standing fans and new audiences.” They say they are flexible both in the number of episodes and the show’s structure – be it episodic or serialised.
They are “not necessarily” looking to work to a strict showrunner model, and thus episodic writers would likely come in.
Visually, the series “should feel cinematic, distinctive, and ambitious” and capable of competing for audience attention in the global market while also being suitable for a broad family audience.
Producers must develop ‘at least one’ companion character for the series, and stories should “transport audiences to extraordinary times and places, ranging from historical settings to distant futures, alien worlds, and contemporary Earth.”
The BBC also invited producers to propose “third party investment” and “encourage innovative approaches to production, world-building, visual effects, and storytelling that maximise the scale and emotional impact of the Doctor Who universe.”
Initial proposals are to be submitted by October 2nd. Interviews with bidders will take place in January, with the BBC awarding a contract in March.
