Reports confirm that Line of Duty showrunner Jed Mercurio has bid to produce future seasons of Doctor Who.
The BBC has launched a competitive tender process, inviting production companies to bid to help produce Doctor Who, succeeding the partnership between Bad Wolf and Disney.
The co-produced deal with Disney ended in October 2025.
Nobody in the public domain quite knows why it ended, but officially, the Disney deal included two seasons, and the studio hadn’t seen enough return to continue.
However, former showrunner Russell T Davies recently confirmed that he had written scripts for a third season starring Ncuti Gatwa.
The planned series would have featured a four-part Dalek story, something many fans would have loved to see, as Gatwa’s Doctor never got the chance to face the iconic villains.
The bidding war
Mercurio’s company, Hattrick Mercurio, which he co-runs with runs with Jimmy Mulville, is reportedly in the running to take on Doctor Who, according to Deadline.
Meanwhile, the company behind Mercurio’s Line of Duty, World Productions, has reportedly submitted its own bid, with ITV Studios also looking to be involved in running the show.
Other companies mentioned in Deadline’s report include the production team behind Blue Lights and Criminal Record, STV.
STV’s involvement could see Doctor Who move to Scotland, which would be a big change.
Ever since the show’s revival in 2005, Doctor Who has been based in Cardiff.
However, a completely new location and production team could be exactly what the show needs.
BBC Studios is also a contender, and a decision is expected by March 2027, with the hope that Doctor Who could return in 2028 or 2029.
What is the best way to take ‘Doctor Who’ forward?
Doctor Who’s future success isn’t about which production company has the best reputation; it’s more about the vision they have for the show.
The show needs a brand-new set of writers, a fresh production team and a completely new format.
If Doctor Who returns in 2028 or 2029, it is important that the new custodians get it right.
The last two eras have shown how divided fans can become over its direction.
To survive, Doctor Who needs to reach out to a new generation of fans while still giving longtime viewers something to enjoy.
It needs to find a way to bring both groups together again.
A new production company could be the fresh start the show needs, but ultimately, it will come down to the creative vision behind it.
The question is whether this tender process will give Doctor Who the new beginning it deserves, or whether it is running out of chances.
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