Cult favourite sci-fi series Doctor Who will no longer air on the ABC from 2023 onwards, with Australia’s national broadcaster confirming the end of its decades-long distribution partnership with the BBC.
Doctor Who has screened on the ABC for upwards of 50 years, with Aussie Whovians long able to tune into the latest episodes free of charge.
But the BBC, the network behind the series, has split ways with national broadcasters around the world, instead announcing Disney+ will become the show’s new home outside of the UK and Ireland.
‘Different direction’
The ABC confirmed the news with a statement on Wednesday morning, while still keeping the door open to the BBC for future collaboration.
“After a long friendship, spanning more than 50 years, the universe has called the Doctor in a different direction and Doctor Who will no longer appear on the ABC beyond the current season,” the statement read.
“We are incredibly grateful to the generations of Whovians who have enjoyed Doctor Who with us on the ABC. Everyone at the ABC wishes the Doctor well on their adventures and we hope the Time Lord will visit us again at some stage in the future.”
Tweet from @DisneyPlus
The broadcaster confirmed that past episodes remain available to watch on ABC iView.
But from 2023 onwards, loyal fans of the show will need to pay $11.99 a month for a Disney+ subscription to watch forthcoming seasons.
This marks the first time that Australian Whovians will need to pay anything at all to watch their favourite show.
Some fans are excited for the change, but others say it will definitely be a transitional period for the fanbase, who have grown accustomed to tuning in to the ABC.
‘Tragic moment’
ABC has been home to Doctor Who since the early days of the series.
Australia was the second overseas country to screen Doctor Who, after New Zealand, with the first episode airing Down Under in January 1965.
There the Doctor has remained, free to air, for 57 years.
Having it leave its home doesn’t feel right for many Whovians, who feel a sentimental attachment to watching it via the national broadcaster.
Many avid fans shared their disappointment at the change online on Wednesday, saying it simply didn’t feel right.
“The ABC losing the Australian right for Doctor Who to Disney+ after nearly 60 years is a very tragic moment for traditional TV,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
Others felt particularly betrayed by the move, especially given the ABC’s long-time support of the series.
“I appreciate there’s significant money here, but this really feels like a ‘screw you’ to the ABC,” writer Natalie Bochenski said.
“Surely they must have been one of the earliest networks outside UK to show Doctor Who?”
Tweet from @tobiloftus
The Doctor Who Club of Australia (DWCA), which boasts thousands of members across the country, said it was “shocked and saddened” by the announcement.
The club, ironically enough, was formed in 1976 when the ABC originally planned to stop airing the show.
Then, science fiction fans at the University of Sydney raised the alarm upon learning of the ABC’s intentions, and launched a ‘Save Doctor Who’ campaign.
The campaign gained plenty of momentum, with passionate fans protesting outside of the ABC offices, complete with posters, leaflets and even a life-sized Dalek.
Doctor Who saved
Thanks to those outspoken fans, the ABC eventually reversed its decision, and Doctor Who soon became one of the broadcaster’s most popular series.
It is a full circle moment for the DWCA, its committee was optimistic that great things would come from the move to Disney+.
Vice-president Darran Jordan said the relationship between Doctor Who and Disney could lead to plenty more exciting opportunities – particularly for the show’s 60th anniversary next year.
“I think that something like Disney+ and having [the] additional budget that obviously comes with a big broadcaster like that means there’s probably going to be more Doctor Who [programs], as well as the flagship program … that will explore that universe,” Mr Jordan said.
“When you look at what Disney+ has done with both Star Wars and Marvel, I think it’s highly likely that that’s the direction that they want to move.”
Tweet from @bbcdoctorwho
There have been rumblings of such intentions.
Russell T Davies, the man behind highly-popular spinoffs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, is returning as the series’ showrunner in 2023, to the delight of many fans.
Before he was even offered his old job back, Davies shared his enthusiasm for expanding the series, suggesting Doctor Who may soon be building its own ‘multiverse’, similar to that of Marvel.
“There should be a Doctor Who channel now,” he told Waitrose magazine back in September 2021.
“You look at those Disney announcements, of all those new Star Wars and Marvel shows, you think, we should be sitting here announcing The Nyssa Adventures or The Return of Donna Noble, and you should have the tenth and eleventh Doctors together in a 10-part series. Genuinely.”
Big change
Although there’s plenty to be excited about from the new announcement, Mr Jordan said he understood the fondness for the ABC.
“I think there’s obviously the nostalgia aspect in Australia, because it has only ever been on the ABC. So for a lot of people, what they remember is 5.30 in the afternoon, coming home from school and tuning in and watching.”
It will be a big change, particularly for the show’s older audience, but he expected fans would make the effort to follow the Doctor across to Disney+.
“I think everyone will inevitably follow the Doctor. Some people [are] saying, ‘Oh, that’s it, I won’t watch it anymore’. But I think that’s largely an emotional reaction to the news,” he said.
“I think once things settle down, people will still find a way to continue to follow the Doctor’s adventures.”
