‘Doctor Who’ Gets a Pay Raise
The production budget increased with the Disney+ deal.
British broadcast industry magazine Broadcast reports that the Disney+ deal for distribution rights outside of Great Britain includes a large financial increase for production — potentially tripling the budget to put it up near the $11.5M per episode range.
For perspective, this puts each episode around the lower end of the cost of one episode of The Mandalorian.
While this may leave long-time Who fans — in love with the show’s occasional endearing, low rent, goofiness — suspect, it will certainly give returning showrunner Russell T. Davies a lot of breathing room to try new things with the almost sixty-year-old show.
Broadcast also is reporting that the buyouts of current Who distributors outside of the British Isles — many of whom have promoted the show since the 1960s — were likely, not cheap for Disney; showing a surprising commitment and drive to get The Doctor under their wing.
If you’re new to Doctor Who and interested in jumping on-board, take a look at my guide, Doctor Who on Disney+ — A Chaotic Primer.
The Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa takes over the role in late 2023.
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Kelly McCubbin is a columnist for the Boardwalk Times