‘Doctor Who’ Bids Revealed: Jed Mercurio Leads Pitch To Regenerate BBC Series, As STV Studios Plans To Transport TARDIS To Scotland

EXCLUSIVE: Could Jed Mercurio be about to take control of the TARDIS?

Deadline can reveal that the Line of Duty showrunner is spearheading a bid to produce Doctor Who after the BBC launched a competitive tender, a bake-off-style process in which producers have put forward plans to regenerate the iconic sci-fi series.

We are told Hat Trick Mercurio (HTM), the production company Mercurio runs with Hat Trick founder Jimmy Mulville, has submitted a proposal with Mercurio attached as an executive producer. Mercurio is a sci-fi fan and created BBC series Invasion: Earth in the 1990s. He has since become one of the nation’s pre-eminent TV scribes, with credits including Bodyguard and Cardiac Arrest. HTM declined comment.

HTM is one of several production outfits bidding for Doctor Who. Line of Duty producer World Productions has submitted separate plans to reimagine the Time Lord after CEO Simon Heath recently mooted his interest in the Doctor Who tender. Sources said that World is effectively spearheading ITV Studios’ efforts to land the contract. World Productions declined comment.

Or could the TARDIS soon be spinning its way to Scotland?

Deadline is told STV Studios, the production group behind Blue Lights and Criminal Record, has made an audacious bid to move the show north of the English border for Season 17. Deadline understands that the company has teamed up with Screen Scotland to table the proposal. STV Studios declined comment.

We previously revealed that two different BBC Studios labels will likely table bids to make Doctor Who, with scripted boss Jamie Hall animatedly saying the entire BBC group should “reap the rewards” of the iconic sci-fi series. He told Deadline last week “there is an opportunity to get back to what the core offering was” during the era of Matt Smith and David Tennant.

The deadline for Doctor Who submissions was last Friday, meaning the BBC is now considering competing visions for the show, which requires a dramatic refresh after showrunner Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf abandoned ship.

A Scotland bid is intriguing. The BBC has stipulated that Doctor Who must be made outside of London after Wales served as the show’s home for many years. The BBC came in for some criticism last year for axing long-running Scottish soap River City, although it is worth noting that at the time it said it would spend £100M ($132.3M) on drama in the nation over the next three years.

STV Studios also has a connection to the Whoniverse: Peter Capaldi, who played the Time Lord for three years, stars in Criminal Record, the Apple TV series produced by his wife, Elaine Collins, who runs STV-backed Tod Productions.

Deadline’s list of bidders is by no means exhaustive and other interested parties may yet emerge. There is speculation, for example, of a second Scottish bid with a well-known native actor thought to be interested in picking up the Sonic Screwdriver. The previous Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, was brought up in Scotland.

Deadline has established that several top producers have declined to throw their hat into the ring, with many citing concerns about the lack of rights and the production contract sucking creative energy away from other projects. Among those not bidding are A24 UK, Playground, Mammoth Screen, New Pictures, Big Talk Studios, Expectation and Quay Street.

“Anyone with a pulse knows it will go to BBC Studios,” was the view of one producer. Another seasoned production chief added: “If Jane Tranter and Russell T Davies can’t make sense of that show, then who can and who wants to? It feels like a thankless task.”

In a document inviting submissions (see it here), the BBC said producers should detail a vision for Doctor Who that can return to screens in 2028-29 — as predicted by Deadline — and ensures the series remains “relevant, surprising, brave and inspiring for both long-standing fans and new audiences.” Interviews with bidders will take place in January, with the BBC awarding a contract in March.

The BBC was not prescriptive about budgets but invited producers to propose “third-party investment.” This has raised eyebrows among some producers, who would have liked more detail on the BBC’s funding expectations for the series.