AmericanDoctor Whofans are facing a tough day on August 1. Despite the return of notedDoctor Whofanatic Russell T. Davies as showrunnerand the show’s recent global distribution via Disney+,Doctor Who’s fate has never felt so uncertain. During times like these, it’s nice to revisit a period when the future ofDoctor Whowas undeniably bright, but sadly, even that will soon be harder to do.
HBO Max (recently renamed from Max)has announced thatDoctor Who’s first rebooted series, which aired on the BBC between 2005 and 2021, will no longer be available on the streaming service from August 1.
It’s currently unclear where this particular batch ofDoctor Whoepisodes will land (all episodes will remain on BBC iPlayer in the UK). The 60th anniversary episodes and the Fifteenth Doctor’s run will still be available to watch on Disney+, and ClassicWhoepisodes are available to stream on Tubi and BritBox.Whoniverse spinoffTorchwoodis also leaving HBO Max, a few days earlier, on July 26.
What This Means For Doctor Who’s Future
Which Streaming Service Could This Era Of Doctor Who Move To?
For the time being, this era ofDoctor Whois still available for digital purchase and as physical media, but it’s tough to say how long this streaming hiatus will last. The NuWho era may move in full to the free, ad-supported streaming service Tubi. More likely, and more beneficial forDoctor Whofans, would be if theseDoctor Whoepisodes were to move over to Disney+.
If Disney is trying to secure those rights as part of a continued production deal with the BBC, it would mean all modern episodes ofDoctor Whowould be easily accessible to millions of sci-fi fans across the globe.
If Disney is trying to secure those rights as part of a continued production deal with the BBC, it would mean all modern episodes ofDoctor Who, from the Ninth to the Fifteenth Doctor (and hopefully beyond), would be easily accessible to millions of sci-fi fans across the globe. It might also mean that the future of the show is more secure, even after Ncuti Gatwa’s surprise regeneration.
Our Take On Doctor Who’s Future
Let’s Hope Doctor Who Is Inching Closer To A Renewal
HBO Max has been the streaming home of NuWho since it first launched, so the show’s departure is undeniably surprising. Hopefully, this isn’t something sinister and only means thatDoctor Whois inching towards a renewal, and its new streaming home will give us a clearer picture of what’s to come.
This is especially important given the massive cliffhanger the show was left on. Rather than watching Ncuti Gatwa regenerate into a new, full-fledged Doctor,former companion Billie Pipershowed up instead.
It’s unclear whether Piper is genuinely playing the Sixteenth Doctor, whether her role will be more transitional, akin to David Tennant’s brief stint as the Fourteenth Doctor, or if Davies is up to his old tricks and has another slightly confounding twist up his sleeve. Surely,Doctor Whocan’t end there; let’s hope NuWho andDoctor Who’s second “revival” get some concrete answers soon.
Doctor Who(2005-2021) is available to stream on HBO Max until August 1.
