Doctor Who Is “As Dead As We’ve Ever Known It,” Says Former Writer After Years of Cratering Ratings

Doctor Who could be a dead show, never to return to the airwaves after a string of creative misses by its two most recent showrunners Chris Chibnall and Russell T Davies. Indeed, The Doctor may have survived Daleks, Cybermen, and the end of time itself — but can he survive modern television?

That’s the question hanging over the franchise this week after longtime Doctor Who writer Robert Shearman, the man behind the beloved 2005 episode “Dalek,” declared the show “as dead as we’ve ever known it.” The remark, made during an interview in Doctor Who Magazine sent shockwaves through a fandom already uneasy about the show’s nosediving ratings and uncertain creative direction under Davies.

A Writer Sounds the Alarm

Shearman, who helped relaunch Doctor Who during its triumphant mid-2000s revival (under Davies who has since returned to seemingly destroy the show he once brought back into the mainstream), didn’t mince words. He argued the series has once again reached a low point reminiscent of the years following its 1989 cancellation following the run of the Seventh Doctor played by Sylvester McCoy — only worse.

Russell T. Davies at San Diego Comic-Con via Doctor Who YouTube

In the Doctor Who Magazine interview, he lamented the creative stagnation surrounding the show’s recent output.

“Everything that is ever going to be produced in Doctor Who terms is going to feel retrogressive,” he said before going on to argue that the 2025 special The Reality War effectively ended things rather than opening new storytelling paths.

“In a funny way, the closing moments of The Reality War seem to put a full stop on things,” he admitted. “We didn’t have that before.”

The Controversial Doctor Who Bi-Generation between David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa – YouTube, Doctor Who

For Shearman, this marks a striking contrast with the series’ wilderness years after its 1989 cancellation. Back then, Doctor Who survived through books and audio dramas that kept the mythology alive.

“After 1989 we had, for years, a current Doctor,” he siad. “At least with the New Adventures and then the BBC Books you thought, ‘It’s the current Doctor – McCoy or McGann.’”

Now, he says, there isn’t even that.

The 15th Doctor regenerates into Billie Piper on Doctor Who – YouTube, BBC

“No one’s going to start writing Doctor Who books with a Billie Piper Doctor, because no one knows what that means,” Shearman admitted, seemingly pointing a finger at Davies’ divisive ending to the last series.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Unfortunately for the BBC, Shearman’s grim outlook matches the data.

Viewership for Doctor Who has reached historic lows. Earlier this year, the episode Lucky Day pulled in just 1.5 million overnight viewers — the smallest audience in the show’s 61-year history. Only weeks earlier, the previous episode had set the previous record low at 1.58 million. When your new “low point” keeps breaking the old “low point” just a few weeks later, something’s gone seriously wrong.

Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Jonathan Goff in Doctor Who (2024), BBC

Across the board, the first four episodes of 2025 averaged around 3.1 million viewers, roughly 800,000 fewer than the same stretch for the prior season. That’s a sharper fall than even during the show’s controversial Chibnall-Whittaker era — the one that started alienating fans with convoluted lore, political subtext, and what many described as identity politics dressed up as science fiction.

That torch of identity politics was picked up by Davies and then used to light the entire IP on fire during the reign of Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor, with many episodes dealing with PRIDE-centric stories about gender. 

Jinkx Monsoon in Doctor Who (2024), BBC

Even worse, a YouGov survey this summer found nearly 40% of young adults in the UK say they’ve never watched Doctor Who. The very generation that should be discovering the TARDIS is turning the channel.

The Disney Dilemma

Complicating matters is the BBC’s co-production deal with Disney. When Doctor Who partnered with Disney+ for global distribution, it was meant to modernize and broaden the show’s reach. Instead, fans say it diluted the brand’s charm and tied the creative direction to corporate meddling.

Picture Shows: The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) Credit: James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios

Rumors continue to swirl that Disney’s patience — and financial support — may be wearing thin. That could leave the BBC with an expensive, under-performing property and no international partner to keep it alive.

It’s a grim irony: the world’s most famous time-traveling show may have finally run out of time.

A Crisis of Identity

Even aside from money, Doctor Who has an identity problem. In recent years, the show has shifted between tones, timelines, and regenerations so fast that audiences can’t tell who The Doctor even is anymore.

The Doctor (David Tennant) in Doctor Who Special One: The Star Beast

The last special featured surprise cameos, meta-regenerations, and callbacks galore, but no clear direction forward. The series once thrived on imagination and moral curiosity; now it feels like a jumble of nostalgia and politics.

It’s telling that even one of the writers who helped resurrect Doctor Who now seems to believe it feels like a corpse.

Can Doctor Who Be Saved?

It’s possible — but it won’t be easy. The brand still carries enormous recognition. The BBC insists it’s not giving up, promising new stories and a “fresh chapter.” But unless there’s a decisive course correction — one that prioritizes storytelling over slogans — it’s hard to see a future where Doctor Who reclaims its global stature.

Fans don’t need another regeneration twist or lecture disguised as dialogue. They need adventure, mystery, and heart. They need Doctor Who to be fun again.

Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor in Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special “The Giggle” (2023), BBC

As Shearman put it: Doctor Who is “as dead as we’ve ever known it.” If that’s not a wake-up call, nothing will be.

Do you believe Doctor Who is dead? Sound off in the comments and let us know!

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