Russell T Davies was tasked with bringing Doctor Who back to television in 2005, and the writer has since become synonymous with the property. While he happily passed the reigns of the hit sci-fi series to other creatives following that successful run, the news of his return has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response.
Davies will oversee this year's specials starring David Tennant before forging ahead with a new era of storytelling revolving around Ncuti Gatwa's Fourteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as his companion, Ruby Sunday. He'll do so with an increased budget too, courtesy of BBC's deal with Disney+.
His ambitious plans look set to play out over multiple years as he confirmed during a recent interview with Doctor Who Magazine that work has already begun on scripts for season 15 (season 14 premieres in 2024).
"There isn't time to pause, as we leap on to the 2025 season," Davies revealed. "Right now, four scripts are being written simultaneously, including this one, right here in front of me, which you won't see until the year after next."
In the same interview, the Doctor Who showrunner finally confirmed how many episodes we're getting in season 14. "All five blocks [are] in production," he said, "with eight regular episodes plus four Specials in varying states of readiness."
Despite the increased budget, this will make the next season the shortest since the six-episode miniseries arc Doctor Who: Flux starring Jodie Whittaker.
With Disney+ getting involved, as much as triple is expected to be spent on the show from season to season, giving the franchise its best chance yet to break into the mainstream alongside the likes of The Mandalorian and Star Trek: Discovery.
Everything we've seen from showrunner Russell T Davies' return from the franchise suggests the beloved show has been given a fresh lick of paint, and we're excited to learn more about where he plans to take the Doctor and his new companion!