“There Are Huge Gaps in the Narrative”: Former ‘Doctor Who’ Star, 74, Reveals Scathing Thoughts on the Latest Season

Doctor Who‘s 60-year success is largely due to its ability to evolve, with the timeless sci-fi adventure series revolutionizing television by creating an in-world solution to the problem of needing to produce a revolving door of lead actors. However, during the show’s most recent iteration, helmed by Russell T. Davies, many have been left unsatisfied by both the direction it has evolved and by its inability to stick to such progressive evolution, instead spending far too long harking back to its own past without laying the groundwork for a solid future.

Because of these missteps, which ended in the departure of lead actor Ncuti Gatwa amid ongoing concerns following dropping viewing figures, Doctor Who‘s future is now entirely uncertain, with no confirmation about what comes next for the timey-wimey show despite its latest season ending many weeks ago. This has caught the ire of many within the fandom, including those as close as possible to the show’s history itself. Peter Davison, famed for both starring as the fifth incarnation of the Time Lord and becoming the real-life father-in-law of the man behind the tenth and fourteenth incarnations, David Tennant, has weighed in on the subject, offering a scathing review of the recent era. Cited via Radio Times, Davison said:

“As the special effects got even better, there’s a danger that it becomes just about special effects. They’re terribly worried now about people’s attention spans. If something isn’t happening every two minutes, they think people are going to turn off, which I don’t believe is true. For some reason, in science fiction, they feel like they need to go at 100 miles per hour and that makes it, to me, like trailer television. There are huge gaps in the narrative because they’re just leaping onto the next bit and your brain is meant to fill in the [gaps]. Maybe if you’re young and healthy, you can do that, I don’t know. I just find it almost like you’re watching a trailer for a Doctor Who show you’d like to watch later.”

What Might Happen to ‘Doctor Who’?

Famously, the most recent era of the series has seen the BBC partner the sci-fi show for the first time in its illustrious history, choosing Disney as their ally in a move that once looked inspired and now seems mistaken. Following the most recent finale, it seems that, thanks to the confirmation of a standalone Doctor Who spin-off series aimed at kids that will not feature Disney’s input, the House of Mouse and the BBC are going their separate ways. With some suggesting Doctor Who might be cancelled, the more realistic outcome is for the show to go on indefinite hiatus until a new partner, perhaps Prime Video or HBO, can be acquired.