The BBC has denied reports that Doctor Who could be axed after the transmission of the next series.
A new era of the show began in 2023 after the BBC struck a co-production deal with Disney+ which resulted in a significant increase in the production budget for returning showrunner Russell T Davies.
The deal was for an initial run of five specials, two eight-episode series and a five-episode spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea.
The second series is due to air from this Easter, while the spinoff will air later this year - and Disney is thought to be waiting until after the next series has been released before deciding whether to continue with the deal.
As such the show remains in limbo - most likely until the early summer - but a report in The Sun on Tuesday says that production crew are being laid off, while also claiming that Ncuti Gatwa has quit his role as The Doctor and even filmed a regeneration scene.
An alleged source on the show told the newspaper: "Ncuti doesn't want to be tied to the series beyond this and plans to relocate to Los Angeles with several Hollywood projects standing by for him. His team also see a lot of fan backlash from the series, and don't want the perception of him still being The Doctor to get in the way of any future work.
"The show has been poorly managed in recent years and there's a lot of people who've been working on this show for years and now being cast aside due to poor leadership. People warned some episodes were getting too caught up on an agenda rather than telling a story and those people got shouted down, ignored."
They continued: "Word on set is that the BBC will shelve the series for at least five years. The crew were told not to hold their breath for work on the series for at least ten years. As we scramble to find work, those responsible get to ride off on to other well-paid projects without any repercussions. Filming wrapped on Friday afternoon, with no fanfare or celebration."
A BBC spokesperson clapped back: "This story is incorrect, Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs.
"The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes - and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on The Doctor and future storylines."
The next series is due to premiere on the BBC and Disney+ in April or May.
Neil Wilkes
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