Huge BBC show’s special spin off episode faces the AXE due to schedule chaos
A HUGE BBC spin-off show is at risk of being scrapped due to a schedule shake up.
The programme’s boss admitted he “doesn’t know if it will even be transmitted” amid a clamour for prime time telly slots on BBC One.
It comes as Doctor Who’s return date for the upcoming instalment was revealed.
Ncuti Gatwa will star as the Fifteenth – and current – iteration of the titular Doctor in the scenes kicking off on Saturday, April 12 at 6.50pm on BBC One.
Yet with a special Eurovision-themed show planned as a sci-fi take on the annual contest, it is unclear if it will air on the day of the Basel event on May 17.
An upset could be sparked by none other than the FA Cup Final, with Nottingham Forest, Man City, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa all in the mix for the match aired live on BBC One.
Two of the four teams will progress to the FA Cup Final at Wembley and, if that final should go to extra time or penalties as in Nottingham Forest’s quarter final clash against Brighton – where they triumphed 3-4 in penalties – this could mean Doctor Who’s spot on the telly schedule is erased.
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies recently expressed his concerns and said: “The FA Cup is going live on BBC One, and then you have Eurovision going live in the evening, we’re squeezed in the middle.
“We don’t know if we’ll even be transmitted that day.”
He added to OK! Magazine: “It will be on iPlayer but you’ll have to sit through a football match to know whether Doctor Who will be out that night.”
He continued: “They [the BBC] asked if we wanted to move it.
“But I said, ‘That’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever heard. Let’s find out!’”
ALL CHANGE
However, Doctor Who’s overall future is looking rather bleak, with the 2025 Christmas special set to be scrapped for the first time in six years after a plunge in ratings.
The Beeb previously confirmed Ncuti would return as the titular Time Lord, but he is already believed to have filmed his regeneration exit scene — and crew fear the BBC will then axe the show altogether after 62 years.
A source told The Sun: “There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Doctor Who at the moment and it looks like the beloved Christmas special won’t be happening.
“It seems the ep just wasn’t commissioned. People had no doubt be hoping that next series would be in the bag and that would include the festive edition.
“But things are very much hanging in the balance and bosses don’t even know if Ncuti will be returning – let alone if there is time to bash out a new episode for Christmas Day.”
Typically filmed a year in advance, the Christmas special was expected to be locked into the schedule.
But with the current 26-episode deal — which covered anniversary specials The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder, and The Giggle, plus the 2023 and 2024 festive episodes, two eight-episode series, and five spin-offs — now nearing its end, the show’s future is hanging by a thread.
A source told The Sun: “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.”