Russell T Davies: Doctor Who On A “Bigger Scale” For New Era

Russell T Davies has stated that the new generation of Doctor Who will allow them to “tell stories on a bigger scale” compared to his previous tenure as showrunner. In an interview with GQ, Davies said a more significant budget was one of the reasons he decided to return to the series.

“It’s the same old problems, I still have to cut scenes because they’re too expensive, and I still have to reduce the number of monsters, and things like that,” he admitted, adding that his “imagination feels more free, a lot more free, actually. It’s just a joy to write anyway. I’m really proud of it. Oh my god, there are some strong episodes coming up.”

As we already know, David Tennant and Catherine Tate will return for a trilogy of specials in November 2023 before Ncuti Gatwa succeeds Tennant as the Fifteenth Doctor. Ushering in the new era with a bigger budget, Davies says, makes the overall production “better than it was.”

“I mean any piece of television costs millions. We’re not allowed to talk about budget, and we’re not on that Star Wars or Star Trek level, but it’s more than I’ve ever had to work with,” he added. Davies said the creative team were “very clever at spending money, I think Doctor Who has learnt more tricks over the years than other shows have, perhaps.”

Doctor Who is available to stream via the BBC iPlayer, with classic episodes available on Britbox. What are you most excited to see from the future of the series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Author
Matt Bailey

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