By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Every fandom has its most divisive figures. For example, in Star Trek, many fans respect William Shatner as a legendary figure, but others see him as a self-made man who changed his costars behind the scenes if it meant getting a minute or two of screen time. In Doctor Who, there are very few very different characters (not to mention John Barrowman and his problematic sexual debut), but the same can’t be said for the runners. When the show starts, fans tend to blame the top man, which is why Chris Chibnall gets so much heat in Jodie Whittaker’s seasons as the Doctor.
Historically, Russell T. Davies was one of the most popular athletes. He was in charge for the first four seasons of 2005 Doctor Who revival, essentially turning this venerable ’60s franchise into something beautiful and appealing to win over younger fans. But Davies had a huge controversy when he returned to Doctor Who almost two decades later, and his run was canceled after two seasons of unprecedented disaster. That was bad enough, but fans are now ready to pull out their pitchforks because Davies took to Instagram and confirmed that he was lying about working on the Christmas special, which, it seems, was also a complete fabrication!
Timey Wimey Rises and Falls
At one point, Russell T. Davies returned to Doctor Who he was hailed as the return of the king. The original series debuted in 1989, and an attempt to bring it back as a made-for-TV movie in the ’90s died on arrival. Davies was a producer of the 2005 reboot, which was an unqualified success: with interesting storylines and likable actors like David Tennant, NuWho filled the sci-fi TV void left by its cancellation Star Trek: The Enterprise. He eventually left the franchise, leaving it in the capable hands of Steven Moffat, the show’s creator who added a vivid film-like feel to nearly every episode.
When Moffatt left the franchise in 2017, the series got a new showrunner: a veteran. Doctor Who author Chris Chibnall. Unfortunately, things went downhill, as fans were divided over the new Doctor Jodie Whittaker and controversial changes to franchise lore. Finally, the BBC threw in a Hail Mary, partnered with Disney and brought back Russell T. Davies as showrunner. Sadly, the new show failed to gain much viewership and was canceled after two seasons. Davies previously mentioned writing the script for the upcoming Christmas episode which fans were hoping would bring everything together. Surprisingly, however, Davies took to Instagram to confirm that he had made a Christmas special and had never written anything to you!
Everything is Falling Apart
While Russell T. Davies’ Instagram post was long-winded, it got to the point relatively quickly. He made sure to say “GOODBYE” to her Doctor Who and that the BBC is “putting the show to tender.” Afterwards, Davies clarified that “there won’t be a Christmas Special—we cooked that up to ensure a future where no one knows what’s going to happen, but now we know, there’s no need for that.” Following that surprise reception about the Christmas Special, he added, “For the record: there was no script, I never wrote it, and no actor was ever asked to play the next Doctor.”
Fans were very salty about Davies’ reception for many different reasons. First, he claimed to be writing the script in December 2025, a claim that seemed to be backed up Doctor Who composer Murray Gold. Taking his Instagram post at face value, we can’t help but wonder why Davies felt free to lie to his fans about this Christmas special. Even more surprising, he seems to be saying that the special was never in any level of active development and was merely announced as a last ditch effort to keep the franchise alive.
Adding insult to injury, the underdevelopment of the script and the lack of new leads meant that even Davies (the man in charge!) didn’t know how to wrap the bag when Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor was somehow reincarnated in the body of Billie Piper, Rose Tyler, who was a member of the Society. When the episode aired, some critical fans thought that bringing back the beloved character was a last-ditch effort to save the show. Now, that theory seems accurate, given that Rose was apparently brought back into the business with no real idea of how to use her character. Now, that’s going to be a problem for another runner, if we think about it Doctor Who he always comes back.
The Crankiest Doctor Is Now Certified
Amid the hate inspired by Russell T. Davies’ Instagram post, it’s on the rise Doctor Who fans came to a simple conclusion: Christopher Eccleston was right! Eccleston played the Doctor for the first season of the 2005 revival; when fans asked why he left the show, the actor replied that he had concerns about the way the group was being managed and was told to ignore these concerns. After he left, he said that he no longer trusted Davies. Recently, when Eccleston was asked at a fan meeting what it would take to return to Doctor Who, he bluntly replied, “Sack Russell T Davies…and I’ll be back.”
For a long time, it was easy to dismiss some of Eccleston’s claims as sour grapes. However, now Davies is back Doctor Who only to screw it up, and on his way out, he happily lied to fans about a Christmas special that would never happen. In some of her Instagram posts, she alternates between being incredibly defensive and slightly snarky. Now, it seems increasingly clear that Eccleston was right about the other man. However, there is one silver lining left: with Davies now fired, Eccleston is one step closer to returning to the franchise that made him famous!
