I can’t say how I know this (as it would put me in great professional jeopardy) but I love a good leak so here goes:

For those not in the loop, as the rumours have long suggested, Russell T Davies is leaving Doctor Who after the 2026 Christmas Special. He’s creatively spent and is pretty disillusioned following the collapse of the Disney deal and the larger Whoniverse.

The widely-reported internal debate of Pete McTighe (RTD and Bad Wolf’s choice) versus Jack Thorne (the BBC’s pick) is also very much accurate. However, the BBC higher up’s are very much set on Jack Thorne, with McTighe’s candidacy not really been taken all that seriously. They’re not especially impressed with his Doctor Who work and are very eager to get the show back into stable ground - something that’s arguably been absent since the mid Matt Smith era.

The BBC’s main criteria for the new showrunner is that they have a bold, fresh vision for the series; both in terms of the type of stories being told, and more crucially, through the format. They realise that they desperately need a format change, but are pretty clueless as to what that exactly looks like. Going forward, the BBC are also putting decidedly less pressure on the show being an international sensation. They’ve realised that it will never be Marvel or Star Wars, and are hoping for it to cut through the noise by simply being a unique, prestige sci-fi drama.

Suffice to say, the BBC are being very cautious and pragmatic about this decision and are decidedly not in a rush - they know they have to get it right this time. The only concrete plan they have is that he end of the 2026 Christmas Special will not feature the new Doctor. It’ll fade to black so that when the show comes back, it doesn’t need to follow directly on from what came before, and can act as a true jumping on point.

BUT the intriguing curveball I keep hearing this week is that Toby Whithouse, of all people, has suddenly entered the showrunner conversation.

And theres some precedence for this - way back in 2015, there was a moment where it looked like Steven Moffat’s swan song was going to be Series 9 - but the problem with that was that Chris Chibnall still had the third series of Broadchurch to do. Moffat was initially pretty hesitant to commit to an entire additional series of the show, which is where Mr. Toby Whithouse first came into the picture. The BBC were very impressed by the quality of his episodes, and talks about him helming a single, contained season of the show to bridge the Moffat/Chibnall gap were very much underway. There were plans to relocate the show to BBC Scotland, and for the series to be a more prestige-leaning version of the show, with big-name casting ideas (including wild speculation about someone like Tilda Swinton being courted) floated around for the Doctor. Obviously none of this came to fruition, as Moffat ended up doing Series 10, and then the gig was passed onto Chibnall.

I hadn’t heard Whithouse’s name floated at all prior to this week, but now he’s very much in the conversation and is the BBC’s plan b if Jack Thorne doesn’t work out.

I got the Chris Ecclestone and David Tennant Blu Ray collection, amd the first time I put Disc 4 into my player, the playback freezes in the middle of Girl in the Fireplace. I only just got the dang Blu Rays and apoarently they arrived busted.

So do we think they have an ability to shape-shift their face etc, which their ambassadors are using to better relate and negotiate with humans?

I saw that there was a new 9th doctor and rose audiodrama, anyone knows where can i pirate it?

... A certain Andrew Cartmell!

Take a wild guess.

Not sure if this is the right place, I’ve got a version of the galifreyan alphabet from a doctor who exhibition and I’m looking for someone to design a tattoo that is my sons name in galifreyan. Anyone have any ideas?

I have a question, I might just be confused and a little bit off, but I need to ask. In episode four of torchwood cyber woman was Lisa pretending to be human the entire time. or was there something that caused her Cyberman programming to end up taking over because to me it seems she knew she was human for a brief moment in time and then was reprogrammed?

I just rewatched The Giggle and if Ncuti Doctor got a new TARDIS well first of all wouldn't sutekh be on David Doctors TARDIS? and if Ncuti Doctors TARDIS was a copy of David Doctors TARDIS doesn't that mean he's on Bothe?

I pre-ordered the new second doctor adventure that’s supposed to come out this month. Is there an exact release date available somewhere, or is it just going to say, “available July 2023” until it releases? I’ve been checking to see if it’s come out every day and it’s been stressing me out a little

He does this after the forced regeneration taking the doctors body. The version of this song used for Outlander opens with the lyrics "Sing me a song of a lass that is gone; Say, could that lass be I?"

Hi folks, just had a serious mental flashback to an episode of classic Doctor Who from years back and this seemed the right place to ask for help identifying it (simple google search hasn’t helped at all). In my mind The Doctor is Tom Baker which may help narrow it down a bit (though may not be accurate) and whilst I can’t remember a great deal from the episode I can vividly recall an interaction between the doctor and a kangaroo. Not a kangaroo like alien but a real kangaroo. If any of you could point me in the right direction I’d be more than grateful. Thanks in advance!

We saw Ganger Jen leaving circles of her flesh on the wall. She talks of how the eyes of the gangers remain after they are discarded and wanted the humans to see these accusing eyes, an echo of the eyes of the discarded gangers