It's been a minute since I did a Doctor Who post.
For the first time since leaving HBO Max, there will be a new streaming home for modern Doctor Who.
Starting June 11th, the series that ran from 2005 to 2022, ranging from Christopher Eccleston to Jodie Whittaker will return to AMC+.
This does NOT include the series from 2023 to 2025 which for now is still on Disney+.
I also do not know if this will include any of the ancillary Doctor Who series such as Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.
But the main thing is modern Doctor Who finally has a platform for streaming.
AMC+ was having a sale to subscribe for a whole year for $30 so I went ahead and signed up while that discount price was available.
No Doctor Who yet but I've caught up on some Law & Order UK which features Bradley Walsh (13th Doctor companion Graham) and Freema Ageyman (10th Doctor companion Martha Jones).
AMC+ also has the classic HBO series Tales From the Crypt which I've sampled some episodes. That's been a weird nostalgic trip back to the 1980's.
As for Doctor Who, another question I don't have an answer to is will AMC+ get any new episodes?
Perhaps a more pertinent question: with there be any new episodes?
The internet began blowing up yesterday with tales of woe regarding any new Who.
Ostensibly, there is supposed to be a Christmas special for this year.
Unless the rumor mill is on to something and it's being delayed to Easter 2027.
The source for this rumor is the British tabloid The Sun so a generously sized grain of salt is called for.
The Radio Times shared news of this report but has received no confirmation from the BBC.
Speculation runs amuck as to why this Doctor Who special would be delayed from Christmas 2026 to Easter 2027.
One reason is money.
Without a production partner, the BBC will have to pay for the whole thing.
Is it a matter of the BBC's coffers being light or whatever plans Russell T Davies has for special are just too big or both?
The main obstacle, according to The Sun, is finding someone to play the Doctor.
Whoever Billie Piper is supposed to be, it's not the 16th Doctor.
I could see getting any actor to sign up to play the Doctor now would be tricky given all the uncertainty surrounding the franchise.
Starting with who's in charge.
RTD is point man for the special but will he continue with any kind of series that follows? There's been some dissatisfaction with Russell's leadership of the franchise during the Disney+ years.
But if not Russell, then who? Who would want to come in to run Doctor Who without a secure commitment from the BBC on what's to come next, with or without a partner?
In the current television production environment, can the BBC deliver a solid Doctor Who series without help?
We don't know nothing, man!
But we do know that Chris, David, Matt, Peter and Jodie will be available once more on AMC+ starting June 11th.
Classic Doctor Who is available on Tubi, the streaming channel via Roku and Amazon Prime and there are select episodes on You Tube.
So while the future of Doctor Who is uncertain, it's past has a home.
No comments:
Post a Comment