Post by zarius on Jul 17, 2024 14:18:08 GMT
deadline.com/2024/07/doctor-who-analysis-disney-deal-ncuti-gatwa-russell-t-davies-bbc-1236008287/
Heavens man, not the Appreciation Society!
This is Open Air all over again. Who's our next Chibnall?
And on whether or not they can keep Gatwa
Following the conclusion of the the first Disney-BBC Doctor Who season several weeks ago, Deadline has taken the opportunity to analyze its performance both locally and across the pond, its critical reception and just what the future has in store for the deal. Noises that it may not last beyond its initial two seasons are already reverberating around international TV circles, and one source close to the production tells us that they feel its future hangs in the balance already.
It’s a Sin supremo Davies was the man trusted with showrunner duties in its latest iteration, paired with a Disney-driven budget boost that well-connected sources have estimated more than doubled the show’s per-ep investment to around the £10M ($13M) mark, with the deal valued by some at around £100M. Davies’ first move: bringing his long-term collaborator Jane Tranter and her Bad Wolf production outfit on board, a ‘won’t-do-it-without-them’ demand that has led to an unprecedented scenario whereby BBC Studios owns the Doctor Who brand and oversees international sales but Bad Wolf holds the production contract. BBC Studios boss Tom Fussell has previously described this deal as an “excellent” one but there is no getting round the fact that eyebrows were raised when the powerful commercial arm chose to hand over the keys. If the BBC-Disney deal doesn’t get re-upped, jaws could hit the floor.
Davies’ influence could be seen almost from the get go and his ambitions were lofty, with immediate talk of spin-offs and the creation of a ‘Whoniverse.’ His choice of doctor, Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa, was the first Black and first openly gay actor to enter the Tardis. Gatwa’s companion, Millie Gibson, was a relative unknown, and she will be joined next season by a second female companion, Andor‘s Varada Sethu. At times last year it felt as if the media was receiving almost weekly Doctor Who casting announcements, including David Tennant and Catherine Tate, who returned for Christmas anniversary specials, and guest roles for the likes of trans actress Yasmin Finney, who broke out in Heartstopper, Drag Race star Jinx Monsoon and Glee icon Jonathan Groff. The PR machine was in full flow and anticipation built among fans and industry watchers.
With the dust now settling, our across-the-board analysis of Doctor Who’s ratings and critical reception paints a nuanced picture, one that is reflective of the difficulty of judging modern-day TV series’ performance when so many metrics are in play.
“I thought it was a mixed bag,” says Tony Jordan, Society Co-ordinator of the 30,000-strong Doctor Who Appreciation Society, who says this feeling broadly reflects that of the mega fans he speaks with regularly. “When Russell’s return was announced I thought, ‘That’s fantastic’ but maybe I remembered the good stuff and chose to forget the not so good stuff. His track record of ending seasons with two parters has been widely varying in success, for example.”
With the dust now settling, our across-the-board analysis of Doctor Who’s ratings and critical reception paints a nuanced picture, one that is reflective of the difficulty of judging modern-day TV series’ performance when so many metrics are in play.
“I thought it was a mixed bag,” says Tony Jordan, Society Co-ordinator of the 30,000-strong Doctor Who Appreciation Society, who says this feeling broadly reflects that of the mega fans he speaks with regularly. “When Russell’s return was announced I thought, ‘That’s fantastic’ but maybe I remembered the good stuff and chose to forget the not so good stuff. His track record of ending seasons with two parters has been widely varying in success, for example.”
Heavens man, not the Appreciation Society!
This is Open Air all over again. Who's our next Chibnall?
And on whether or not they can keep Gatwa
Armed with reams of its own internal data, the BBC has repeatedly stressed that overnights and even seven-day figures fail to paint a conclusive portrait. Doctor Who is the BBC’s top drama for under-35s this year, the corporation says, while ‘Space Babies’ at time of writing had amassed six million viewers. The BBC’s ‘Whoniverse’ iPlayer brand has been streamed in its entirety nearly 65 million times this year, a spokeswoman says.
One industry source was not convinced, mind. “The ratings are a problem,” they tell us. “They can talk all they like about young viewers but they’re still down from the specials and down from the Jodie [Whittaker] series. I imagine serious conversations are happening. Disney will want to see results.”
Speaking of the Mouse House, ratings analyst Parrot Analytics tell us that Doctor Who was the most in-demand UK-originating show with U.S. audiences during its early release, although it didn’t have enormous competition in this realm (Bridgerton counts as U.S.-originated while Baby Reindeer had been out for a month by the time Doctor Who launched). It reached a high of seventh on Disney+’s list of most in-demand series, Parrot adds, trailing the likes of The Simpsons and the Star Wars offshoots.
Considering its marketing might and budget, a senior U.S. ratings source positions these figures as “underwhelming,” although they acknowledge Doctor Who has long struggled attracting mainstream audiences in the U.S. “Okay but not stellar,” was the simple verdict from a Disney insider about the internal view on its performance.
All eyes now on the upcoming season, which is in the can and due to launch next year, along with a long-rumored set of spin-offs that comprise the new ‘Whoniverse’ including The War Between the Land and the Sea. Fans were delighted when this spin-off was alluded to in the ’73 Yards’ episode of the latest season and Deadline is told that shooting will commence in September.
One of our sources close to the production believes Disney will “need to make a decision” on its future relationship with the show soon after The War Between the Land and the Sea wraps, and this could have a bearing on how long the in-demand Gatwa — who will lead a West End production of The Importance of Being Earnest at the end of this year — remains Doctor. Although the next season has wrapped, this source predicts the final episode has been left open-ended, with the possibility remaining that Gatwa could regenerate into his successor if he chooses to exit. Gatwa’s agents hadn’t responded to Deadline’s request for comment by press time.
One industry source was not convinced, mind. “The ratings are a problem,” they tell us. “They can talk all they like about young viewers but they’re still down from the specials and down from the Jodie [Whittaker] series. I imagine serious conversations are happening. Disney will want to see results.”
Speaking of the Mouse House, ratings analyst Parrot Analytics tell us that Doctor Who was the most in-demand UK-originating show with U.S. audiences during its early release, although it didn’t have enormous competition in this realm (Bridgerton counts as U.S.-originated while Baby Reindeer had been out for a month by the time Doctor Who launched). It reached a high of seventh on Disney+’s list of most in-demand series, Parrot adds, trailing the likes of The Simpsons and the Star Wars offshoots.
Considering its marketing might and budget, a senior U.S. ratings source positions these figures as “underwhelming,” although they acknowledge Doctor Who has long struggled attracting mainstream audiences in the U.S. “Okay but not stellar,” was the simple verdict from a Disney insider about the internal view on its performance.
All eyes now on the upcoming season, which is in the can and due to launch next year, along with a long-rumored set of spin-offs that comprise the new ‘Whoniverse’ including The War Between the Land and the Sea. Fans were delighted when this spin-off was alluded to in the ’73 Yards’ episode of the latest season and Deadline is told that shooting will commence in September.
One of our sources close to the production believes Disney will “need to make a decision” on its future relationship with the show soon after The War Between the Land and the Sea wraps, and this could have a bearing on how long the in-demand Gatwa — who will lead a West End production of The Importance of Being Earnest at the end of this year — remains Doctor. Although the next season has wrapped, this source predicts the final episode has been left open-ended, with the possibility remaining that Gatwa could regenerate into his successor if he chooses to exit. Gatwa’s agents hadn’t responded to Deadline’s request for comment by press time.
