Disney has hailed Doctor Who as a “really good fit” for Disney+ amid industry chatter over whether its ambitious co-production deal with the BBC has been a success.
Liam Keelan, Disney’s SVP of original productions in EMEA, said the company was “happy to have” the Ncuti Gatwa sci-fi series on Disney+ outside of the UK.
The Disney chief did not, however, commit to renewing the BBC co-production deal beyond next year’s season, which is overseen by showrunner Russell T Davies.
Keelan said: “[Doctor Who] is a fabulous series. Obviously, in the UK it’s fully BBC, rightly so. We take rest of world rights. But really, really happy to have it. I think just, the quirkiness of it, the fact that it’s in that sci-fi world and when you think about what Disney offers in other regards, I think it feels like a really good fit to me. I mean it’s great to have it.”
He was speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival weeks after Gatwa’s first season, produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios. An analysis by Deadline revealed industry speculation about Disney’s commitment to the Time Lord, with one source suggesting that the co-production deal’s future hangs in the balance.
Disney has committed to The War Between the Land and the Sea, a five-part spinoff series starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw alongside existing Doctor Who stars Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient.
The War Between The Land And The Sea focuses on military organization UNIT. Per the logline, when a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered.