Disney has reportedly decided to drop their deal with the BBC for Doctor Who, and now the blame game has begun. Most industry experts cite authentic reasons for the failure of the show, but one “industry insider” says it failed because of “Trump’s USA.”
What happened to Doctor Who?
Disney partnered with the BBC for the series. Ncuti Gatwa was added as the new Doctor, and Russel T. Davies returned as the writer/showrunner for the series. Many, myself included, were thrilled to hear Davies was returning to the franchise. However, the excitement was short-lived. When the first special aired (2023) featuring David Tennant and Catherine Tate, people were tuned in to see the Doctor and Donna together again.
Instead of just a good story, Donna and her trans daughter lectured the Doctor on pronoun usage (The Doctor was just a woman), and now this iteration of the Doctor thinks the race-bent Isaac Newton is hot.
Then the Doctor split into two people. Ncuti Gatwa became one half, and David Tennant was the other half. Fans did not think this was a great idea, just like they did not think that the “Timeless Children” retcon was a great idea.
This was also the time when “Reimagine Tomorrow” was something Disney was doubling down on, and the show doubled down on agenda over story.
Gatwa and activism
When audiences started to question choices in the show, Gatwa told them to “touch grass,” and they did, and the show’s ratings plummeted.
Overall, the first season (May 2023) averaged about 3.2 million viewers, and by the second season, that dropped down to around 3 million. In comparison, Jodie Whittaker’s final season averaged 4.9 million viewers, which was considered a failure.
Throughout the course of the show, Gatwa and Davies made derogatory comments about the audience who rejected it, dismissing criticism as “online warriors.”
Well, “online warriors” weren’t enough to drop viewership that low, which means that the majority of people globally rejected the new Doctor Who.
While many recognize that the show did not resonate with audiences, some are still trying to blame the fans and now Trump.
Deadline said,
” …industry source says Doctor Who became “too woke for Trump’s USA,” and this was “a factor in Disney minds” when it came to a renewal. Under writer Davies, the series has cast transgender actress Yasmin Finney, featured drag queen Jinkx Monsoon as a villain, and played host to a historic gay kiss between Gatwa and Jonathan Groff — some of which drew complaints from BBC viewers.”
BBC viewers are mostly in the UK, meaning it couldn’t simply be “Trump’s USA” rejecting the show.
Maybe people wanted Doctor Who to go back to being more about good stories and less about being a vehicle for the activism of both the star and the writer/showrunner.
It easily could have been both, as the show traditionally walks that line. But it plummeted off the tightrope with this one.
The show was a failure before Trump was re-elected, and sources have indicated Disney was going to drop the deal over a year ago. But yes, blame Trump and Americans instead of accepting blame for the real problems with the show.
Sounds about right.
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