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The Time Lord will not be teleporting away from the BBC anytime soon.

That’s the message from Kate Phillips, the BBC’s new chief content officer, who said the British national broadcaster is committed to Doctor Who — with or without Disney.

Speculation has been swirling around the sci-fi series for months amid plunging ratings and concerns that Disney+ could pull out of its co-production deal with the BBC.

Showrunner Russell T Davies said in June that “we don’t know what’s happening yet” regarding Doctor Who’s future. One thing is certain: Ncuti Gatwa has confirmed his exit as the Doctor.

Season 15 ended on an ambiguous note, as Gatwa regenerated into Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler. Produced by Bad Wolf, spin-off series The War Between The Land And The Sea is up next.

Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Phillips said: “Rest assured, Doctor Who is going nowhere. Disney has been a great partnership — and it continues with The War Between The Land And The Sea next year — but going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC … The Tardis is going nowhere.”

Lindsay Salt, the BBC’s director of scripted, added that the corporation was “committed” to Doctor Who, noting that it continues to perform well with young viewers.

Deadline analyzed official seven-day viewing figures for Season 15, and it does not make easy reading for those involved in Doctor Who.

The season averaged 3.2M viewers over its eight episodes, which was half a million viewers down from last year’s season — Gatwa’s first as the Doctor. Compare Season 15 to Jodie Whittaker’s last outing as the Time Lord, and things get grimmer. Season 13 pulled in 1.7M more viewers, averaging 4.9M in 2021.

Deadline used viewing figures from Barb, the UK’s official ratings body. They include on-demand and streaming viewing on televisions, but are not the full picture. Broadcasters and streamers prefer to use 28-day figures, which provide a more conclusive overview. Nonetheless, seven-day viewing is usually directional and the pattern of decline will likely be reflected in Doctor Who’s final ratings.

Disney+ has unveiled new casting additions for the second season of “Rivals,” with Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett joining the ensemble as guest stars in the drama based on Jilly Cooper’s bestselling novel.

Atwell, known for “Mission Impossible” and “Agent Carter,” will portray Helen Gordon, the ex-wife of Rupert Campbell-Black and mother to his children Marcus and Tabitha. Everett, whose credits include “Napoleon” and “My Policeman,” takes on the role of Malise Gordon, Helen’s husband and Campbell-Black’s former show-jumping coach and mentor.

The Happy Prince production, part of ITV Studios, is currently shooting in the U.K.. Season 2 will expand to 12 episodes, building on the success of the first season which became one of Disney+’s most popular British original dramas.

Additional new cast members announced include Maxim Ays (“Boarders,” “Sanditon”), Holly Cattle (“Young Sherlock,” “Mr Loverman”), Oliver Dench (“Hotel Portofino,” “Domina”), Amanda Lawrence (“Malory Towers,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”), Bobby Lockwood (“Wolfblood,” “Here We Go”), Eliot Salt (“Slow Horses,” “Normal People”), and Jonny Weldon (“One Day,” “Brassic”).

The series brings back its original ensemble cast alongside an extensive list of returning supporting players, including Wendy Albiston, Jamie Bisping, Denise Black, and David Calder, among others.

Set in the glamorous world of 1980s British television against the backdrop of the Cotswolds countryside, the second season will feature heightened power struggles and deeper rivalries as careers, marriages and reputations hang in the balance.

“Rivals is a landmark series for Disney+, quickly becoming one of our most beloved British U.K. original dramas,” said Lee Mason, executive director of Scripted Originals, EMEA Disney+. “I’m delighted to welcome Hayley and Rupert to our extraordinary family of actors. They are a perfect match for the world of Rutshire, so lovingly created by Dame Jilly and the team at Happy Prince.”

Dominic Treadwell-Collins, chief creative officer of Happy Prince, and Alexander Lamb, creative director, added: “We are utterly thrilled to have Hayley and Rupert join us to play Jilly Cooper’s legendary characters Helen and Malise Gordon. Alongside our other new wonderful actors and truly brilliant returning cast, ‘Rivals’ series two absolutely showcases the best of British and Irish talent.”

The series is executive produced by Treadwell-Collins, Lamb, Felicity Blunt, Elliot Hegarty, Laura Wade, Cooper and Jonny Richards for Disney+ EMEA scripted content. Eliza Mellor serves as series producer.

“Rivals” will return to Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in the U.K. and internationally. The first season is currently available to stream on Disney+.

Disney

BBC Committed To ‘Doctor Who’ — With Or Without Disney

Hayley Atwell, Rupert Everett Join ‘Rivals’ Season 2 at Disney+