The Stage

BBC to recommission Doctor Who

Published Wednesday 30 March 2005 at 16:10 by Liz Thomas

Following the ratings success of the inaugural episode of Doctor Who on Saturday, the BBC has announced it is to recommission the cult sci-fi series.

More than ten million watched the return of the timelord and his assistant Rose, played by Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. The show gave the Corporation a rare ratings victory over ITV1’s Saturday night golden boys Ant and Dec.

Russell T Davies has already penned the first six episodes of the new series and has also devised a Christmas special. Other writers are also on standby.

BBC controller of drama commissioning Jane Tranter said she was immensely pleased with figures for the first episode but refused to comment on whether the new series would feature Eccleston and Piper.

She added: “Doctor Who is unique in that he can keep regenerating but I am not going to give anything away that might spoil the rest of the series.”

While Piper has publicly said she is keen to continue the role, Eccleston - the ninth incarnation of the character - has been more circumspect.

He recently told The Stage: “It is a huge responsibility to shoulder and I do not want to be thought of as the Doctor to the exclusion of everything else I do in the future. So I’ll have to think long and hard about it.”