Russell T Davies on reviving the Doctor Who Experience: "Once bitten, twice shy"
The beloved exhibition closed its doors in 2017, after five years in Cardiff.
The Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff was adored by fans, offering the opportunity to see classic costumes and props as well as take part in interactive experiences inspired by the BBC sci-fi series.
The exhibition closed its doors after five years in Cardiff in September 2017 – but could it ever return?
Though Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies isn't ruling out the opening of a similar attraction in future, he did caution that any such project was unlikely in the immediate future during an interview on the Firecrotch & Normcore: They Like To Watch podcast.
"That Doctor Who Experience lost a lot of money," Davies explained. "That's not a secret, it just did.
"I loved it – it was brilliant, it was so lavish... no wonder it lost money. So it's kind of 'once bitten, twice shy'."
Davies said that he and the creative forces behind Doctor Who will "see how successful it becomes" before committing to any franchise expansions.
"If it starts to get the kids watching, if it starts to sell the toys, if it starts creating demand, then it'll start to happen. Right now, it's a difficult time for that."
Davies did add, though, that "the early signs are great" for the new era of Doctor Who, which stars Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and sees the BBC partner with Disney for global distribution of the series.
The new season of Doctor Who is set to launch on 11th May in the UK, with the first two episodes available on iPlayer from midnight, with a BBC One broadcast following later on Saturday evening.
Millie Gibson will star opposite Gatwa's Doctor as new companion Ruby Sunday, while other returning cast will include Jemma Redgrave (Kate Stewart), Anita Dobson (Mrs Flood), Michelle Greenidge (Carla Sunday), Yasmin Finney (Rose Noble), and Bonnie Langford (Mel Bush).
Joining the returnees will be new guest cast including Aneurin Barnard, Jinkx Monsoon, Indira Varma, and Lenny Rush.
Ex-showrunner Steven Moffat will also be back to write episode 3 of the eight-part series.
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Doctor Who will return on Saturday 11th May on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are 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.
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Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
