People warned the end of the BBC is 'on its way'

A BBC showrunner has said the end of the BBC is ‘on its way’ (Picture: Reuters)

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has said the end of the BBC is ‘undoubtedly on its way’.

The showrunner, 60, created the series’ Queer as Folk, Years and Years, It’s a Sin and Nolly.

He also revived Doctor Who in 2005, leading the franchise for five years, during which time he also created the spin-off’s Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

He returned to the series last year, with the first episodes of his second tenure being the 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate.

Although the series has been broadcast by the BBC since 1963, it was announced in 2022 that the national broadcaster and Disney had come together to deliver new seasons of the show to audiences outside of the UK and Ireland on the streaming platform.

The deal was met with backlash from some fans however Russell has now said the deal to co-produce the series was a necessary move to ‘prepare’ the show to outlive the BBC.

Russell T. Davies is currently at the helm of Doctor Who (Picture: PA)

‘Before they (the BBC) approached me, I had already said in various interviews I think Doctor Who would have to become a co-production, there’s no way the BBC is going to fund that,’ he said on the They Like To Watch podcast.

‘You’ve also got to look in the long term at the end of the BBC, which is somehow, surely, undoubtedly, on its way in some shape or form.

‘Is Doctor Who going to die then? No, you’ve got to prepare for that kind of stuff.’

The series is now being co-produced with Disney Plus (Picture: Disney Plus)

He also referenced the lack of lavish BBC budgets as a reason why the series needed the support of Disney.

‘If Disney collapsed tomorrow and we had to go back to making Doctor Who on a normal BBC budget, you know what, we’d all rally round and make it and suddenly the stories would become claustrophobic ghost stories and a lot of people would like that,’ he shared.

Doctor Who has aired on the BBC in the UK since 1963 (Picture: James Pardon/BBC Studios)

But he added it would be a ‘real shame’ if Doctor Who was not available alongside other ‘big hitters’ like The Mandalorian and Marvel shows.

However, he did caveat his comments by adding that ‘all of that is kind of the flim flam on top of the fact that I love it, and it’s the only chance you have in television for me to really write in pictures’.

The new series of Doctor Who, starring Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa and former Coronation Street actress Millie Gibson, will begin on May 11, with the first two episodes also being available to stream in the UK on BBC iPlayer from midnight.

However, US fans will be able to watch them from 10pm EDT on Thursday evening, a decision which left some viewers seething over concerns they wouldn’t be able to avoid spoilers.

Metro.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.

Doctor Who returns on Saturday May 11 to the BBC.

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