Christmas has been cancelled as far as Doctor Who is concerned, with the show being put out to competitive tender, meaning that production companies can put in bids for the opportunity to make the show for the BBC (this happened with Casualty last year, with BBC Studios itself re-winning the job).
We know that Disney won't be involved, but with the confirmation that Russell T Davies and the Bad Wolf production company have stepped away as well, the show's future is completely up in the air.
One notable science-fiction writer, with hits across television, film and comic books, has thrown his hat into the ring, much to the excitement of fans. However, he's admitted that he's not sure he'd even be allowed to take the job...
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J Michael Straczynski is the creator of seminal '90s sci-fi series Babylon 5 and Netflix's Sense8, the writer of the films Changeling and World War Z, as well as an author for Marvel and DC, crafting stories for Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Fantastic Four and Thor. He also helped pen the script for the God of Thunder's MCU debut film, and made a cameo in it.
After the Who news broke today, Straczynski took to social media to reiterate his previously-stated desire for the job, while pondering his chances.
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"A (relatively) quick note to respond to the (much appreciated) scores of (very nice) notes online regarding today's news about Doctor Who," he said.
"My interest and record is well-established; the only real question I think the BBC would (very fairly) ask is: would British fans be open to an American showrunner, even one who is legally a resident of the UK under a visa that allows me to work for in TV/film in the UK?
"I think so but I doubt they'd just take my word for it, nor should they. The fan community would have to have their (polite, constructive) say."
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And it looks like there are plenty of fans on board with the idea, replying with comments such as: "You have my vote", "You would be the perfect next showrunner", "I don't think any of the fans could think of a better & more qualified showrunner", "Your track records speaks for itself", and "A match made in the stars".
Some fans noted that people from Canada, Australia and India were instrumental in the show's originals, while others stated that they'd be happy as long as the lead actor is British.
Amid the news of Davies' departure, casting director Andy Pryor — who has been with the show since its revival over 20 years ago — also announced he is leaving the show today.
Doctor Who and its spin-offs can be streamed on BBC iPlayer.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
