What the arrival of Disney will change for Doctor Who
From now on, the cult BBC series will be broadcast in France on the big-eared streaming platform. A small revolution, as the showrunner, Russell T. Davies, explains to us.
It's a small upheaval in the landscape of Doctor Who. The English channel BBC has signed a deal with Disney, so that the Disney Plus platform will now broadcast Doctor Who internationally. This is the case in France, where the British series was rather accustomed to France 4 or SYFY for two decades.
This time, you will have to go through streaming to watch the new episodes of Doctor Who. A way to reach a new audience Russell T. Davies, back in the showrunner's chair. “The arrival of Disney will not fundamentally change the series“, he reassures in the preamble. “Because they came for a great classic. So they boarded the train. They didn't stop it.”
On the other hand, the Welsh screenwriter admits that this completely revolutionized the series in terms of financial resources: “This is a massive budget boost! We have not reached dizzying sums, because I believe that the success of Doctor Who also comes from his inventiveness. But this money allows us to elevate ourselves a little visually, to be more in line with other science fiction franchises. This was beginning to become essential, because Doctor Who risked appearing very “cheap” next to other big productions of the genre.”
This era of streaming also means a potentially much larger audience. More than 140 million households subscribe to Disney Plus around the world. Which is not to displease Russell T. Davies : “We can reach a huge global audience now. That's what I love the most. The program has always sold well internationally, but this is on a completely different scale. We will be able to reach a new audience.”
The cast of Ncuti Gatwa goes in this direction. The 31-year-old young actor will be the new doctor, building on his post-barbie and post-sex Ed : “It’s true that thanks to Sex Education, it attracts a new audience” admits Davies. “He will bring a new generation to the series and frankly, I would love it to bring us the massive audience of Sex Education!”
Doctor Who, season 14, to watch on Disney Plus in France from Saturday May 11, 2024 in France.
