In an interview with GQ Magazine, Russell T. Davies, returning showrunner of Doctor Who, has confirmed that the added revenue from the Disney+ streaming deal will allow him to create new spin-off series in the vein of the current Star Trek franchise which currently has five shows in active production.
And we’re now in the age of the streamer. I watch the Star Trek empire with vast envy: the way that’s turned itself from an old archive show into something fantastic. The cast is so progressive, so good, so beautiful. And very cleverly I think Star Trek is reaching out to making something like fifty-two episodes a year. So that’s your yearly show, genius.
Doctor Who, since its revival in 2005, had spawned several spin-offs already — Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Class — all of which were fairly short-lived.
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 [BBC] that the money is spent on other things.
What these spin-offs might be is a question rife for speculation, but the concept of a shared Who-niverse is one that fans will find truly tantalizing.
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Kelly McCubbin is a columnist for Boardwalk Times
