Since its 2005 relaunch, Doctor Who has been produced by the BBC. The broadcaster is publicly funded in the UK through a TV License required to watch the BBC and live television, but the rise of streaming and a general unhappiness over those fees will likely lead to it eventually being scrapped.
The Whoniverse's latest creative overhaul - which has seen Russell T Davies return as showrunner - is being co-produced by Disney, meaning the franchise's future no longer hinges on the BBC's continued existence. After all, there's now a scenario where, if BBC gives up on the show, it could become a Disney+ exclusive. As you might expect, this has created a great deal of uncertainty among fans.
Talking to They Like To Watch, Davies weighed in on what this might mean for Doctor Who moving forward.
"You’ve got to look in the long term at the end of the BBC, which is undoubtedly on its way in some shape or form," he explains. "Is Doctor Who going to die then? No! You’ve got to prepare for that kind of stuff."
Disney's involvement has also led to a significant budget increase for Doctor Who, a big change from Davies' previous stint as showrunner when a lack of funds clearly held the ambitious sci-fi series back.
Davies says Disney has helped bring Doctor Who "up there with the big hitters," but notes, "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."
"A lot of people would like that very much, so I’m not saying you have to have this happen. But while it’s happening elsewhere, I think it’s unfair that it doesn’t happen to Doctor Who."
Ultimately, what comes next for Doctor Who will hinge on the BBC's evolution and those all-important streaming numbers on Disney+. Either way, Davies - who is already working on a third season - is free to walk away from the show whenever he pleases.
"It’s kind of a rolling contract. It’s very free. Look, if I had enough tomorrow, I could walk out. Well, I wouldn’t walk out, because I wouldn’t let people down. But nothing could trap me. I would never be in a situation where I had to write things."
"I’m talking as though that’s about to happen. That’s not about to happen," he adds. "I love it. But, oh my God, I’d never be stuck sitting somewhere going: I must do five years here. Never. I’m too old for that now."
The first two episodes of Doctor Who will be released internationally on Friday, May 10, at 7pm ET on Disney+ and also the BBC iPlayer in the UK at 12am BST on May 11 (they'll then air as normal on BBC One later that same day).