Articles by Asyia Iftikhar

Technology

The real reason why BBC’s Doctor Who cut ties with Disney ‘revealed’

The Ncuti Gatwa era is over – with Disney leaving alongside him (Picture: BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf/James Pardon) After months of waiting, the BBC confirmed Disney Plus will not renew its Doctor Who deal – but why might it have fallen through? The streaming platform announced a trailblazing global partnership in October 2022, as the international home of the long-running sci-fi series with Ncuti Gatwa at the helm of the Tardis as the 15th Doctor. At the end of this year, the show (currently under returning showrunner Russel T Davies) shocked the nation by airing Ncuti’s unexpected regeneration into Rose Tyler star Billie Piper. Since then, there has been radio silence on the show’s future with the BBC offering reassurance that Doctor Who would always have a home there – and the promise of an upcoming spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea. Now, that future has been confirmed with the BBC announcing the series will return for a Christmas special in 2026 without Disney Plus, although details of where the show will go from there remain to be seen. After months of waiting, Disney Plus and BBC have confirmed Doctor Who’s future – but how did it happen? (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/PA Wire) But what exactly went so wrong between what seemed like a match made in heaven? Why did Disney Plus end its deal with Doctor Who? When the show joined forces with Disney Plus, it came with an increased budget, something Davies has mentioned on more than one occasion, with reports of up to £8m per episode. One former Disney executive – who believes alone the BBC could afford around a £2.5m budget – told Deadline that it was apparent the deal wasn’t for ‘the long term’ early on as it wasn’t ‘doing what it needed to do’. Another source echoed: ‘The writing has been on the wall for ages. There has been a complete lack of enthusiasm over at Disney.’ This came in tandem with fierce controversy over what appeared to be declining ratings. In the UK, season 15 (otherwise known as season two on Disney Plus) was drawing in an average of just over three million viewers, significantly less than the show’s heyday. And even 1.5m on average compared to Jodie Whittaker’s era. Although it still remained one of the most popular shows for 18 to 35 year olds for the broadcaster. There have been plenty of obstacles for the show in recent years from ratings discourse to woke accusations (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Lara Cornell) Meanwhile, in the US one source called the figures ‘underwhelming’ with Ncuti’s final season not making it onto the Nielsen streaming chart. There had also been conflict over marketing budget, with one BBC executive claiming ‘it never felt like Disney were making much of a deal’ while another source told The Times ‘a lot of marketing muscle’ was present for the show. Elsewhere, another insider claimed that there were concerns that the show was becoming ‘too woke for Trump’s USA’. The series has had to battle constant criticisms of ‘wokeness’ from certain groups since its return for its inclusion of transgender character Rose (played by Yasmin), as well as tackling wider themes around sexuality and race. Metro's Rebecca Cook on the future of Doctor Who Senior TV Reporter Rebecca shared her views on how the show can survive going forward… I want to caveat what comes next by saying that I think Russell T Davies is a visionary, who is in large part the reason we’re all here still talking about Doctor Who after the TV show was quietly shelved in the 80s. I have no doubt the years since he first revived the franchise in 2005 he has come across obstacles which he has overcome confidently. He’s a legend, but I no longer believe he is the right person to run this show. There’s also only so many times you can mount the mammoth task of revitalising a once-phenomenally successful franchise as show-runner. It’s time Davies left that job to someone else. The show will return for a festive special – what happens beyond that is up in the air (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Dan Fearon) Discussing the woke accusations in April, Davies said: ‘Someone always brings up matters of diversity. And there are online warriors accusing us of diversity and wokeness and involving messages and issues. ‘And I have no time for this. I don’t have a second to bear [it]. Because what you might call diversity, I just call an open door.’ There are still plenty of questions remaining. Will the BBC continue to work with Bad Wolf – the home of the reboot? Will Billie Piper return as the 16th Doctor proper? And will Davies stay on or pass the baton onto a new showrunner after the festivities come to an end? Metro has reached out to Disney Plus for comment. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Technology

‘Rude’ Channel 4 series that was shelved for 3 years is finally coming out

After a lengthy wait, Channel 4’s steamy fanfiction puppet show is coming to screens (Picture: Channel 4 ) Over three years after it was first announced, Channel 4’s intimate, steamy and erotic fanifiction series is airing on TV. Originally called The Really Rude Puppet Show, the rebranded No Strings Attached will now land on E4 (as opposed to Channel 4 itself) and the network has even shared a first glimpse at what to expect. Hosted by Bake Off star Mel Giedroyc, the heavily-delayed series – set across six episodes – sees a string of celebrity guests read aloud erotic fantasy stories about themselves, while grinning and bearing the sheer horror if it all. Every sordid tale has been written by a fan and cobbled together by script editors with the celebrities experiencing it for the first time as they proclaim it on national television. The six famous faces are TV personality Sam Thompson, Gogglebox star’s Scarlett Moffatt, broadcaster Melvin Odoom, Atomic Kitten’s Kerry Katona, Loose Women regular Coleen Nolan and musician and actor Martin Kemp. To heighten the sensual drama to the absolute max, and stir untold chaos, certain scenes have been recreated using puppets to curtail any actual human nudity on screen. Six celebrities will read erotic stories about themselves, brough to life in a strange way (Picture: Channel 4) As put by Mel: ‘This is going to be a celebration of erotic fan fiction. With puppets. Imagine a world where Jackie Collins meets Thunderbirds. I’m so looking forward to a trip to Love Island… via Tracy Island.’ As each guest unveils of the unhinged sexual exploits put before them, they’ll also be sharing revealing ‘unheard and revelatory anecdotes’ from their actual lives, no doubt rivalling the shenanigans of their fictional counterpart. Touted as an ode to the world of fanfiction – works penned by hobbyist writers about fictional characters and celebrities alike – ‘some of the most successful writers having gone on to achieve book and film deals, including, most famously, E.L. James’s multi-million-pound raunchy romance franchise Fifty Shades Of Grey.’ Bake Off star Mel Giedroyc will helm the series (Picture: Hoda Davaine/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Women of the Year) It’s unclear why, after a three-year wait, the show has decided now is the perfect time to land but it’s finally here, nonetheless. Channel 4 has been rolling out experimental TV in recent weeks with a new episode of Dispatches becoming the first programme on in Britain to use an AI (artifical intelligence) presenter. Fans were left shocked when the investigation, Will AI Take My Job, revealed at the end of the episode the host was, in fact, not a real human. At the time, Louisa Compton, head of news and current affairs, specialist factual and sport at Channel 4, said: ‘The use of an AI presenter is not something we will be making a habit of at Channel 4 – instead our focus in news and current affairs is on premium, fact checked, duly impartial and trusted journalism – something AI is not capable of doing.’ No Strings Attached begins Tuesday 11th November at 10pm on E4. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.