BBC Secure A New Partnership With China, Which Will See 'Doctor Who' Run Until At Least 2022

Following its cancellation in 1989, the hit BBC series Doctor Who was revived by Russell T Davies in 2005, and has become a smash hit for the British Broadcast Corporation. Despite the current ratings taking a slight dip over the last few years, BBC Worldwide have revealed that the future of Doctor Who is in safe hands, and will be on our screens longer than originally anticipated.

It was revealed by the BBC Worldwide press, that there are intentions to keep Doctor Who running into at least season 15, which will take us until 2022. The BBC has secured a new broadcasting partnership with China, and following the success of the action packed science fiction show in China, the BBC have decided to keep the show moving. The statement read:

The MOU was inked yesterday evening at a signing ceremony at BBC Worldwide’s Television Centre in London, with Mr Chen Sijie, GM of SMG Pictures and Jaclyn-Lee Joe, Chief Marketing Officer, BBC Worldwide. Madam Wang Jianjun, Director General President of Shanghai Media Group, Tim Davie, Chief Executive of BBC Worldwide and Kelvin Yau, GM, Greater China, BBC Worldwide witnessed the event.

The agreement will see BBC Worldwide working with SMG Pictures to increase the Doctor Who fan base in China, exploring future opportunities as well as exchanging expertise between the two teams.

The MOU comes on the back of a content deal that BBC Worldwide also signed with SMG Pictures yesterday evening. The deal will see the entire catalogue of Doctor Who including spin-offs, Torchwood and Class available on popular TV channels and on-demand platforms all over China.

Doctor Who Was Meant To End After Season 10

It has been discovered that the original contract for Doctor Who was created from season one until season 10. Hardcore Doctor Who fans know that this covers Russell T Davies era of the show featuring Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant as the Doctor, and it covers Steven Moffat's era of Doctor Who which starred Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi as the Time Lord flying around in his iconic blue box.

However, with the BBC nicely securing a new deal, the BBC have now signed on the show for 5 more seasons, meaning incoming showrunner, Chris Chibnall, will have his time as the show's boss covered, meaning the worry of the show being cancelled is thrown out of the window.

Season 11 is yet to be filmed, as Chibnall is giving current Time Lord Peter Capaldi and the showrunner, Steven Moffat, as much alone time as possible, as he does not wish to interrupt their final season together.

It currently remains unknown how long Chris Chibnall will be the showrunner for, but at least fans know the show will be kept safe from season 11 until season 15. Chief Marketing Officer for BBCW, Jaclyn-Lee Joe, said this in a statement:

“This marks the start of a longer and even more fruitful partnership with SMGP. Doctor Who already has a substantial fan base in China. Now, Chinese fans will be able to access the entire catalogue of Doctor Who and its spin-offs thanks to this agreement. The MOU is an affirmation of both parties’ commitment to build the Doctor Who brand and grow its fan base in China.”

Final Thoughts

With this news being music to Doctor Who fan's ears, they can now sleep peacefully knowing their favourite show is kept guarded for quite some time coming. Doctor Who will introduce a new Doctor, showrunner, and potentially a new Master for season 11, following the departure of Peter Capaldi, Steven Moffat and Michelle Gomez. It remains a secret on who will portray the 13th Doctor, but fans have been assured that it won't be long until they find out who it will be, as filming for season 11 is expected to begin shortly.