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Doctor Who Showrunner Says Disney+ Helped Improve New Episodes


There is little doubt that we'll be seeing a lot of changes when Doctor Who returns later this year. For instance, we're getting the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors within months of each other. In addition to that, Russell T. Davies says that the big move to Disney+ allows the show to have "a bigger scale."

Last year, it was announced that Doctor Who will be available for streaming on Disney+ globally except in the UK. That means the old and new episodes including the 60th Anniversary specials will premiere on the streaming service later this year.

Not surprisingly, Russell T. Davies is happy about the big move. In a new interview with GQ UK, the Doctor Who showrunner admitted that he agreed to return to the series because of the big move to Disney+.

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"It's one of the reason I've come back – you can tell stories on a bigger scale," Davies said. "It's the same old problems, I still have to cut scenes because they're too expensive, and I still have to reduce the number of monsters, and things like that. But my imagination feels more free, a lot more free, actually."

"It's just a joy to write anyway," he added. "I'm really proud of it. Oh my god, there are some strong episodes coming up."

Davies also confirmed that he is pushing for Doctor Who spin-off projects in the future.

"So I thought — with no criticism whatsoever towards the people who were running it at the time, because they were running it within the BBC's measures — it was time for the next stage for Doctor Who," he said. "I thought the streaming platforms are ready, the spin-offs are ready; I always believed in spin-offs when I was there."

The Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials will bring back David Tennant as the Tenth/Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. The specials are set to premiere in November 2023.

Related: Doctor Who: Russell T. Davies Teases Possible Spin-Offs

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