Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has suggested that production on a new series, featuring a new Doctor and companion, will begin in summer 2027.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show, Davies said: “You’ll start to see production with a brand-new Doctor, a brand-new companion, summer next year.”

However, the timeline raises questions. The BBC’s ongoing competitive tender process to find a new production company is not expected to conclude until March 2027.

That would leave only a few months to prepare for filming, including assembling a production team, finalising scripts and casting the new Doctor and companion.

Davies is also no longer the show’s showrunner, so it is unclear whether his prediction is based on inside knowledge or simply an educated guess, an optimistic one at that.

The BBC has yet to confirm any production dates, with the next series currently targeted for broadcast in 2028 or 2029.

Elsewhere in the interview, Davies criticised BBC director-general Matt Brittin for describing an entirely AI-generated episode of Doctor Who as “pretty good”.

“That’s a clumsy thing to say in an industry where he’s got writers and artists and it specifically affects people, they’re the first to take the blow,” Davies said.

He added: “My inbox went ping ping ping ping ping, so God knows what his was like.”

Davies suggested that Brittin, who previously worked at Google, lacked experience in television and “might not be so fruity with an opinion in future.”

Brittin has since acknowledged that his comments had got him into trouble.