Robert Shearman, a former writer for Doctor Who, has weighed in on the troubled state of the long-running sci-fi series, and he didn’t hold back.
“Probably As Dead As We’ve Ever Known It”
Via the official Doctor Who Magazine, Shearman said bluntly, “The show is probably as dead as we’ve ever known it.” He likened the current state of the series to the period following its cancellation in 1989, when spin-off books and comics kept the Seventh and Eighth Doctors (Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann) alive in expanded media.
Shearman argued that even during the ‘90s hiatus, fans still had a “current Doctor.” But today, he says the franchise has no clear direction or central figure, making any new content feel inherently backward-looking.
“Now, everything that is ever going to be produced in Doctor Who terms is going to feel retrogressive,” Shearman said. “At least with the New Adventures and then the BBC Books you thought, ‘It’s the current Doctor – McCoy or McGann.’”
Series Finale Left Narrative in Limbo
Shearman believes the series finale, The Reality War, effectively paused the show in an unresolved state. Showrunner Russell T Davies’ decision to insert a surprise regeneration and cameo appearance by Billie Piper (as Rose Tyler) has only added confusion to the series’ continuity.
“No one’s going to start writing Doctor Who books with a Billie Piper Doctor, because no one knows what that means,” Shearman noted.
He called the final moments of The Reality War a “full stop,” contrasting it with previous hiatuses that still left the door open for future stories.
“In a funny way, the closing moments of The Reality War seem to put a full stop on things. We didn’t have that before,” he said.
A Franchise Without a Future?
Shearman’s comments come amid swirling rumors that Disney+ has pulled financial support for future seasons of Doctor Who.
With Davies potentially on the way out, and the next Doctor unclear, the show’s fate is more uncertain than ever. Even if the BBC keeps the brand alive in some capacity, Shearman suggests it may never again feel like a living, breathing show.
