The Doctor Who tender process moves forward, with the BBC sharing details of the brief for the 2028 relaunch
After months of anxiety among fans, a path for the future of Doctor Who is emerging as the BBC officially begins the tender process. As Blogtor reported at the time, they originally announced their plans back in June. They’ve now completed putting together the tender document, which officially invites production companies to submit their bids for making the show.
This new development isn’t really much of a surprise. While fans with longer memories may recall the early 1990s when vague platitudes about ‘exploring options’ for the show’s future were cover for a lack of will to bring it back at all, that was never going to be the case today. The tender process is now standard across the whole of the BBC. For example, Casualty and Strictly Come Dancing are also among the flagship programs to go through it. Certainly, the BBC would never have jeopardised their future relationships with other production companies, by leading them to invest money in early plans to bid for a tender that was never coming.
The cancelling of the 2026 Christmas Special may have seemed alarming. In reality, it was effectively to allow the tender process to kick off now. And, therefore, to get Doctor Who back on screens full time as soon as possible.
The new production team will be announced in March, immediately starting work on new specials and episodes for 2028/2029
The timeline the tender document lays out is as expected too, based on how long it took other shows to go through the process. Doctor Who’s new team will be announced in March 2027. They’ll immediately be working to having the show back on screens in the financial year 2028/2029. That’s a faster turnaround than the two previous times the show’s production effectively started from scratch. Work on both 2005’s Series One and 2022’s 60th Anniversary specials began two years in advance. However, the nature of the tender process itself means that the winning bidders will already have laid substantial groundwork ahead of March 2027.
By then, prospective producers will have broad plot outlines of their ideal season. This include possible episodes, and character guides for their new Doctor, companions, and any supporting cast. While not an absolute requirement, the winners will likely also have lead actors and writers already ‘attached’ to their plans. (‘Attached’ being the vague state where typically discussions have confirmed an actor’s interest in a role, and their position as the producers’ first choice, without them being officially under contract.)
Similarly, the winning bid will also have proposals in place for a production base, studio, and so on. It’s highly likely to also include details of how they’re sourcing crew, what FX houses are on standby to provide visuals and more. All in all, the winners will hit the ground running as soon as they receive the green light.
Doctor Who will remain a production supporting the UK industry in the regions, but a move from Wales isn’t entirely ruled out
One of the detailed requirements in the document is that Doctor Who should remain a regional production. The BBC have a clear preference for it remaining in Wales, but are open to the possibility of using it as a hub for investment and industry growth in other regions.
Another detail worth noting is that the initial contract is for one season, and associated specials, with an option for the BBC to renew for one more. Further seasons after that will see the contracts renegotiated. It’s worth bearing in mind that the multi-season renewals given to Doctor Who over the years have always been the exception to the rule. So while fans might have welcomed the security of a longer deal, this is the treatment most shows get.
A number of production companies and potential showrunners have already expressed interest in bidding for Doctor Who. However, the tender requirements seem to rule two of them out immediately. Applicants must have experience of British television, having produced at least one television show in the UK that lasted at least three seasons, with seasons of at least six episodes each. Although prominent figures in international genre movies and television, neither Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment (The Librarians, Leverage) or J Michael Straczynski’s Studio JMS (Sense8) have that track record in the UK.
The two eligible production companies to go public with their ambitions so far are BBC Studios and World Productions
The two remaining companies to go public with an interest are BBC Studios and World Productions.
BBC Studios’ experience of making shows for the BBC goes without saying, and their presence in the process is basically a guarantee that Doctor Who will continue regardless of the other submissions. World is a British company perhaps currently most famous for their collaborations with Jed Medcurio, creator of Line of Duty, one of the BBC’s biggest rating hits of the past decade. With over 35 years of experience, they’ve been responsible for series like 90s vampire thriller Ultraviolet, which launched Idris Elba’s career, political dramedy Party Animals, which launched Matt Smith’s, political thriller Bodyguard, and international murder mystery Vigil.
World also very much tick the box for regional productions. Notably, they’re currently filming a seventh season of Line of Duty in its regular production home of Northern Ireland. At this stage Belfast is as familiar as Cardiff with being transformed into English cities (though if it does become home to Doctor Who, Blogtor expects the odd Translink bus to sneak into the background.) They’ve also produced three seasons of Vigil in Scotland, with the most recent run transforming the University of Stirling campus into an Arctic research base.
For obvious reasons, production companies vying the the job are unlikely to share their plans until the decision is final
However, there’s no reason to think other production companies haven’t simply been working quietly away on their pitches less publicly. Blogtor Who will keep you updated as we hear more, but it’s actually possible the final winning tender next March will be a total surprise.
Indeed, fans should be aware that during this delicate phase, competitors will want to keep details of their plans under wraps. So nobody should be too alarmed by long periods of radio silence on Doctor Who between now and March. On the other hand, of course, some bidders may try and build momentum and public enthusiasm for their big by discreetly leaking things like which actors they’ve been talking to. Even if they don’t, the British tabloids will likely leap on every possible connection, so brace yourself for some wild speculation in the coming months. Recent talk of Saturday Night Live’s George Fouracres is almost certainly just the beginning of a rumour mill that will spin freely from the sublime to the ridiculous.
The new era represents the biggest reinvention of the show since 2005, but some elements will remain firmly the same
What can we say the new era of Doctor Who will be like, based on the tender document? Well it will involve a season of episodes and at least one special, to be broadcast sometime between April 2028 and March 2029. There’s nothing more specific about timing than that, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the new era launches with a 2028 Christmas Special before a full season in early Spring 2029. There’s a strong implication that there must be at least six episodes in the season, but that doesn’t mean contenders won’t pitch for a longer run. The BBC are open to pitches for both runs of individual, standalone episodes or one serialised story across the season.
There will be the Doctor and at least one, possibly more, companions. As in the past few decades, the companion will be the “access point for audiences.” This doesn’t mean that they have to be a human from contemporary Earth, but it seems likely we’ll still have to wait for the next robot dog, alien, or astrophysicist from the future. Another way the next generation of companion will keep to recent precedent is in being definitely a co-lead of the show. They will be “distinctive, authentic characters in their own right, whose lives, relationships, ambitions, and personal journeys enrich the series”
The new version of the show will feature a mix of high concept science fiction, emotion, and behind the sofa scares for a family audience
The new Doctor Who will strike a balance between keeping the familiar concept and tone, and not just being more of the same. There’s disappointment for anyone hoping for a shift to a more ‘adult’ show, and the new era will still target a broad family audience. Individual stories will continue, too, to focus on human emotion amid the alien invasions, and celebrate traditional Doctor Who values like intelligence and compassion.
In places the tender invitation still sounds striking similar to Russell T Davies’ own proposal document back in 2003. The new description reads:
“Stories should balance high concept science fiction with strong emotional narratives, ensuring that spectacle is always grounded in character and human experience. Episodes should transport audiences to extraordinary times and places, ranging from historical settings to distant futures, alien worlds, and contemporary Earth. Successful pitches will deliver ‘back of the sofa’ scares, jeopardy and tension, whilst remaining suitable for a broad family audience. Doctor Who embraces themes that celebrate curiosity, courage, intelligence, and compassion, themes that interrogate the human condition.”
Against that, pitches are also “an exciting opportunity to innovate and surprise,” while offering “a new perspective that ensures Doctor Who remains relevant, surprising, brave and inspiring for both long-standing fans and new audiences.”
In short, the BBC want a mix of horror, character drama, high concept science fiction, and inspiring values comparable to that of the Davies, Moffat, and Chibnall eras. But they invite would be showrunners to deliver that in a new way the BBC themselves would never have thought of.
The process will move quickly, with the deadline for submissions on the 2nd of October, and more detailed proposals to be in by the 23rd
The next milestone in the rebirth of Doctor Who will be at 2pm on Friday the 2nd of October, a mere two weeks from now. That’s the deadline for any interested parties to submit their tender applications. A week later, on Friday the 9th of October, the BBC will notify all those who’ve met its eligibility requirements. Those candidates will then have just another two weeks to prepare their initial proposal of their vision for the show, with a deadline of 2pm the 23rd of October. (You can see why Blogtor Who suggested companies probably already started developing their ideas back in June, if not before).
That’s when the fun really begins as applicants begin working up their season plans in detail across November and December, ahead of parallel production meetings with the BBC in January, and a final decision on the winning bid in March.
Again, even as these milestones pass behind closed doors, expect very little information to reach the public domain. However, Blogtor Who will make sure to keep you up to date with all the news about this bold new future for Doctor Who, as we hear it.
In the meantime, you can read the invitation, and the entire tender document, for yourselves at the official BBC site here.
