It’s been four months now since Doctor Who’s Christmas special was cancelled at the BBC amid showrunner Russell T. Davies and producers Bad Wolf’s exits from the show, plunging the iconic timey-wimey series into its third wilderness period in as many decades. But with the Beeb having now officially put the show out to tender ahead of a proposed 2028-2029 return, several bids have emerged from candidates hoping to spearhead Who‘s latest regeneration. And among the frontrunners pitching to take on the world’s longest-running sci-fi series, per Deadline‘s reporting, is none other than Line Of Duty showrunner Jed Mercurio.
According to Deadline, Mercurio’s production company Hat Trick Mercurio has submitted a formal proposal to take over the keys to the TARDIS, with Mercurio himself — no stranger to BBC sci-fi projects as the creator of classic Beeb series Invasion: Earth — eyeing an executive producer role on the show’s seventeenth season. Whether Mercurio would also be in the mix to serve as showrunner or writer very much remains to be seen as the feted British telly maker has his hands full at the moment with Line Of Duty’s return next year and upcoming Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Richard Madden starring Netflix thriller Trinity.
HTM isn’t the only company vying to get the two hearts of everyone’s favourite Time Lord beating again, either, though. Deadline also report that Line Of Duty producers World Productions are keen to get in on the Whoniverse action, potentially as part of an audacious move to bring the show to ITV Studios, while Blue Lights and Criminal Record production outfit STV Studios have expressed interest in taking the show even further afield yet, relocating the series from South Wales to Scotland in keeping with the BBC’s stipulation that any future Who should continue to be made outside of London. By Deadline‘s own admission however, it’s worth noting the trade’s list of bidders is by no means exhaustive, and so we’ll almost definitely hear of more bidders in the weeks and months to come.
With fan-favourite David Tennant story ‘The Satan Pit’ getting a cinematic release soon, the Beeb pressing on with kid-focused animated offering Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew, and the main series drawing no shortage of pitches to usher in a bold new era for Doctor Who, the future — while uncertain — is hopeful yet for Whovians. (Also, the campaign for Adrian Dunbar to be the next Doctor just so he can say “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and the wee Dalek” begins here…)
