Doctor Who budget to triple to £10m per episode after securing deal with Disney+

Disney+ recently signed a new mega-deal with Doctor Who’s creator, the BBC.

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Doctor Who has already seen several overhauls ahead of its forthcoming series, with a new logo revealed, Russell T Davies returning as showrunner, and Ncuti Gatwa cast as the new Time Lord. The popular sci-fi franchise is also set to get a record-breaking new budget after the BBC signed an eye-watering new deal with Disney+, according to reports.

Broadcast reporting that Doctor Who’s budget could be as high as £100m, or around £10m per episode, due to the show’s new partnership with Disney+. https://t.co/5oUMIf17Vt

— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) November 7, 2022

Authorities told Broadcast magazine that the new funding is set to increase from £1-3million per episode to a staggering £ 10 million per instalment when the programme returns next year. One source told the magazine that ramping up production values and investment from Disney+ is an attempt to help the show succeed in the US. The reported budget would break BBC records and see Doctor. They became its most expensive series, surpassing the previous record-holder, His Dark Materials, which had a budget of around £ 6 million per episode due to its HBO collaboration. whynow has contacted Disney+ for comment. Disney+ is set to become the new global home for Doctor Who, with episodes from late 2023 premiering on both the BBC and the streaming service. Russell T Davies said of the collaboration: ‘I love this show, and this is the best of both worlds – with the vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can launch the TARDIS all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the UK.’ As reports of more money being pumped into the show, the BBC have already secured enormous names for its big 60th anniversary in 2023, including Neil Patrick Harris starring as a mystery villain. The actor, 49, will play the ‘greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced, with fans convinced that he will take on the nostalgic villain The Toymaker during his guest-starring stint. The budget comes as part of a vast overhaul which has seen Russell, 59, return as showrunner in a bid to save the show from falling ratings – 12 years after he stepped away. According to overnight ratings, Jodie Whittaker’s final episode pulled in just a 3.6million average viewers, with a peak of 4 million. Her last hurrah as the Time Lord proved more popular than the New Year’s, which racked up just a 3.2million viewer average with a peak of 3.4million. However, audience numbers remained far below the start of Jodie’s tenure as the Doctor in 2018, which pulled in a staggering 9 million viewers.