‘Doctor Who’ Re-Gen Is Go! BBC Calls On Producers To Pitch “Brave” New Vision For Sci-Fi Series

The BBC has fired the starting gun on the regeneration of Doctor Who.

The British broadcaster has today launched a competitive tender for Season 16, in which producers will pitch in a bake-off-style process to refresh the iconic sci-fi series.

The tender process follows the BBC announcing a major creative rethink of Doctor Who in June after showrunner Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf abandoned ship, and Disney’s co-production deal expired. Ncuti Gatwa will also not return as the Time Lord.

In a document inviting submissions, 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.”

“We are flexible in the way the series is structured i.e. serialised or ‘story-of-the-week’ and the number of episodes which make up the series,” the BBC said. “We are not necessarily looking to work to a strict showrunner model and would expect once in production that the series will also use episodic writers.”

The document continued: “Visually, the series should feel cinematic, distinctive, and ambitious, capable of competing for audience attention in a highly competitive global market. We encourage innovative approaches to production, world-building, visual effects, and storytelling that maximise the scale and emotional impact of the Doctor Who universe.”

Producers must develop “at least one” companion character for the series, and stories 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 and most of all, it should and will always be distinctively British storytelling.”

The BBC was not prescriptive about budgets, but invited producers to propose “third party investment.” The tender document added: “Shortlisted tenderers will be invited to have a detailed discussion with the current distributor [BBC Studios] prior to the final interview with the BBC in order to discuss their proposed specification.”

The BBC called for initial proposals to be submitted by October 2. Interviews with bidders will take place in January 2027, with the BBC awarding a contract in March.

Earlier this year, Deadline contacted four respected UK drama producers to test their appetite for making Doctor Who. All had serious reservations about becoming a gun-for-hire.

The producers said they worried about not owning the rights to a series that would likely become a significant drain on resources and creative energy. They also harbored concerns about funding for Doctor Who after the Disney deal, while some expressed more fundamental fears about whether the Time Lord remains relevant to young audiences.

Others were more upbeat. One senior producer said Doctor Who is both an intriguing prospect and a potential resource sink, while Line of Duty producer Simon Heath told the Radio Times he was interested in the show.

Doctor Who is a global brand that could burnish the resumé of a producer and potentially open other doors. And whatever happens, BBC Studios will remain in the saddle, handling distribution, licensing, consumer products, digital, and immersive experiences.