A new memoir by Russell T Davies is heading to bookshops (and gigawarehouses) near you, and the now former executive producer of Doctor Who has dedicated some words to the final few months of his second stint on the show. An excerpt from the book has been published in the Guardian, and it covers everything from Disney+ to Billie Piper, not to mention leakers, fandom, and the BBC’s Royal Charter agreement. (The main book probably includes something about Ncuti Gatwa quitting, but that isn’t included in the Guardian excerpt.) RTD on Disney The main takeaway is Davies’ recollections on what was happening between the BBC and Disney. …we had to make these final episodes not knowing whether the Disney deal would be renewed. That was nothing to do with us at [independent production company] Bad Wolf; it was down to conversations with Disney and the BBC. So we had no idea what was going on. Deep down I thought it wouldn’t. (Having spent a lot of time over the years watching and analysing Doctor Who, the events surrounding the Disney deal never really sat comfortably with me. It’s all felt like a bit of a mad adventure — a bit like the production of Planet of the Dead, which I was admittedly very critical of at the time, but on a far larger scale.) After deciding that the end of the 15th Doctor would scare children (apparently an open-ended regeneration is “like a death”), a meeting was held, and Billie Piper’s name came up… We need someone to be there. Someone for him to physically regenerate into in front of our eyes. We decided the Doctor should regenerate into … Billie Piper! Leakers, Charters, Stalkers The excerpt also includes details on the written/unwritten script for the 2026 Christmas special, the tangible creation of which is neither confirmed not denied. But the passage also provides information about the situation concerning leakers, BBC politics, and while the Disney decision isn’t analysed (and we don’t know if it is elsewhere in the book), the impact of the Royal Charter. Also, Russell takes the credit for pulling the 2026 Christmas special, something that would have kept him very busy. That’s the highlights, but this being RTD, almost every other line is a zinger so I recommend you head over to the Guardian and read it yourself. There’s also an interview with the writer which includes a worrying account of a visitor to his home… Like this: Like Loading…

This week it was a true pleasure and a beautiful gift to be on BBC’s This Cultural Life, talking to the inimitable John Wilson.

Abolish the mandatory TV licence fee and revoke the BBC’s Royal Charter. Legislate to transition the BBC into a private corporation, as they did with BBC Studio's. We believe the BBC should compete in...

Untying the knot is having a television moment with the launch of the HBO legal thriller War and BBC’s The Split UpThere were 105,002 divorces in England and Wales last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Right now, it...

These pages have information about how to complain to the BBC, with links to the BBC’s Complaints Framework, the BBC’s regulator Ofcom and regular reports about complaints. If you would like to unders...

The BBC's Guy Hedgecoe is in Madrid, where a series of marches have been scheduled, after Spain's Congress rejected measures aimed at tackling the country's housing crisis.

The BBC's Guy Hedgecoe is in Madrid, where a series of marches have been scheduled, after Spain's Congress rejected measures aimed at tackling the country's housing crisis.

The BBC's Guy Hedgecoe is in Madrid, where a series of marches have been scheduled, after Spain's Congress rejected measures aimed at tackling the country's housing crisis.

The BBC's Guy Hedgecoe is in Madrid, where a series of marches have been scheduled, after Spain's Congress rejected measures aimed at tackling the country's housing crisis.

The BBC's Guy Hedgecoe is in Madrid, where a series of marches have been scheduled, after Spain's Congress rejected measures aimed at tackling the country's housing crisis.

Untying the knot is having a television moment with the launch of the HBO legal thriller War and BBC’s The Split Up

A trip into the BBC’s archives for a selection of songs from 1985.

Untying the knot is having a television moment with the launch of the HBO legal thriller War and BBC’s The Split Up

Untying the knot is having a television moment with the launch of the HBO legal thriller War and BBC’s The Split Up

Reform UK's education spokesperson told the BBC's Question Time audience last night that she is 'British of Asian ethnicity' rather than English, because of her family's Asian heritage.

... UK 2026 – including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV. Set against the backdrop of the Pembrokeshire coastline, the series will depict ...

BBC Sport follows the trail of transfer money flowing to other clubs during Manchester City's period of financial rule-breaking.