With the news that Russell T Davies is lining up new Doctor Who spin-offs now that he is back as showrunner, the writer has explained why he established spin-offs back when he was first in the job.
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In an interview with The Times ahead of his new series Nolly, Davies said that creating the adult-skewing Torchwood in 2006 and the younger-skewing The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2007 was about keeping BBC bosses "interested" in the original series.
He said: "The reason I spun out Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures first time round was to keep the [channel] controllers interested in Doctor Who. It’s a brand, a franchise."
Russell T Davies during the BFI Preview of "Nolly" at BFI Southbank Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
This comes after Davies told GQ that it's time for the "next stage" of Doctor Who, explaining his reasoning for coming back to the showrunner role that he left in 2010.
He said: "I thought the streaming platforms are ready, the spin-offs are ready; I always believed in spin-offs when I was there. I did Torchwood as a spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures as a spin-off.
"Those spin-offs declined when I left, and I can see why. And I very much left after 2008, when the money became scarce. I think that's fair enough for the public service broadcaster that the money is spent on other things."
In that interview, Davies also noted that, thanks to the involvement of Bad Wolf Studios as a co-producer and Disney Plus as an international broadcast partner, the show now has its biggest budget ever, meaning he feels "a lot more free" when writing.
He explained: "It's the same old problems, I still have to cut scenes because they're too expensive, and I still have to reduce the number of monsters, and things like that. But my imagination feels more free, a lot more free, actually.
"It's just a joy to write anyway. I'm really proud of it. Oh my god, there are some strong episodes coming up."
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
