Friday, June 01, 2007

BBC denies rumours Doctor Who will be axed

RUMOURS that Doctor Who is to be axed by creator Russell T Davies were dismissed as “idle speculation” last night.
Filming is set to start on the fourth series of the BBC Wales-produced programme next week and TV executives say the Corporation has a long-term commitment to the award-winning programme.
Speculation was rife that Swansea writer Davies, who revived the hit TV show in 2005, was scrapping the show to concentrate on other projects.
According to news reports, Davies and other senior staff working on the series were said to be thinking about handing in their resignations. But a spokesman for the show last night quashed the rumours, which had upset sci-fi fans.
“This story is merely idle speculation,” said a statement issued on behalf of the programme-makers.
Story continues
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“We are a long way away from even thinking about series five when the current series hasn’t ended and we have yet to start filming series four.
“But the BBC has a long-term commitment to Doctor Who.
“We are approaching the climax of a brilliant third series, and work on series four gets under way from next week.”
Doctor Who burst back on to our screens in 2005 after a 16-year absence, with Christopher Eccleston as the Timelord and Billie Piper as his sidekick Rose.
The first episode attracted around 10 million viewers and the programme went on to amass awards, including Baftas.
Although Eccleston quit after the first series and Piper after the second, David Tennant is proving a hit as the latest Doctor. In April, he won the Bafta Cymru award for Best Actor for his role.
Davies has also created a spin-off series, Torchwood, which was the highest-rating programme to be screened on a digital channel when it was aired on BBC3.

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