As the dust settles on yesterday’s bombshell statements from the BBC and Russell T Davies over the future of Doctor Who, there’s one person I would love to take charge.
Earlier this week, the BBC confirmed there would be no Christmas special this year despite a previous announcement confirming its festive return with Russell at the helm.
Shortly after, the legendary showrunner himself hopped on Instagram to reveal his exit as Doctor Who is put out for competitive tender, which means it will be off air until it finds a new studio, execs and more – with BBC still the face of the operation.
This marks an end to Russell’s brief three-year run as showrunner of the sci-fi show – his second tenure overall.
Optimistic about the future of the show, however, he’s now patiently waiting alongside the rest of us Whovians to see how this will all shake out.
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His glass-half-full attitude is echoed by fellow former showrunner Steven Moffat, who told Radio Times: ‘No idea what’s coming either. But brave heart, everyone. It’s a cliffhanger – the Doctor ALWAYS survives those.’
With the fate of the show as unpredictable as the Tardis’ flight path, there’s one thing I do agree with Russell on. That is that the universe is truly the Doctor’s oyster, or, in his words: ‘It’s all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who, exciting and unpredictable and new!’
What made Russell’s appointment so exciting in 2005 to helm the reboot was that he was an experienced upcomer in the industry.
He’d cut his teeth in various writers’ rooms, had a few major projects under his belt and proved he could execute a bold vision successfully with his enduring classic Queer As Folk.
Not to mention, a lot of love for this fictional universe.
And as great as Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall (his successors) were in bringing new ideas to the reboot, that specific formula is desperately needed once more.
Thus, readers, I point you towards Bafta-winning screenwriter, director, filmmaker extraordinaire, Nida Manzoor.
Much like Russell, the British screenwriter and director has shown her knack for big, bold and brilliant ideas (and ability to take charge of ambitious projects) with her Channel 4 series We Are Lady Parts and movie Polite Society.
She has her finger on the cultural zeitgeist and brings her own unique twist to the conversation, whether through the medium of action sequences, musical numbers or – the bread and butter of storytelling – layered, nuanced character work.
Especially, We Are Lady Parts, about a Muslim punk rock band, is utterly bingeable and, given it is a modest two-season six-episode affair, packs a mighty punch with its sharp dialogue and engaging aesthetic.
Beyond her proven experience, it would also be so refreshing to see a woman take the lead and bring a fresh perspective to the show – a feeling shared by the Ninth Doctor himself, Christopher Eccleston.
The cherry on top? She has experience working on Doctor Who itself as the director of two of Jodie Whittaker’s episodes, Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror and the episode that introduced us to Fugitive Doctor (Jo Martin), Fugitive of the Judoon.
Discussing her process working on the show, she reflected to Digital Spy at the time: ‘One of my favourite things as a director is performance, working with the actors, and finding the truth, finding the vulnerability, and all the shades. They’re both so generous to work with.’
The show is reportedly heading on a short hiatus, if Deadline’s sources are anything to go by, with one producer claiming the ‘surgery’ needed could take us all the way to 2028 at least and another saying it could be as long as five years.
So, I can only hope that with a couple more years of experience to her name, she would be the perfect fit.
Nida Manzoor’s agent, if you’re listening – pick up the phone!
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