Dean Devlin, the writer behind Stargate and Independence Day, has confirmed that his production company wants to take on Doctor Who as the BBC prepares to put the series out to competitive tender.
Devlin is chief executive of Los Angeles-based Electric Entertainment, the studio behind Leverage, The Ark and The Librarians. The Times reported this week that the company was in talks with the BBC over a new Doctor Who series, and that Devlin hoped to bring David Tennant back as the Doctor to help revive the show.
Devlin denies that any talks have taken place.
“It is untrue that we have had negotiations with the BBC. Preliminary or otherwise. When the proper time comes when they are prepared to speak with people, we certainly hope to have a discussion with them.”
Dean Devlin, chief executive of Electric Entertainment, speaking to Radio Times
The BBC announced in June that Doctor Who will go out to competitive tender “this year”, with details to follow “in due course”. The decision came after showrunner Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf withdrew, and the 2026 Christmas special was scrapped — tbreak covered the cancellation. The tender lets production companies pitch to make future seasons, and a winning bid could mean a full reboot.
BBC Studios, the show’s producer for six decades, has already said it will compete. “We’ve been the producer for 60 years and we want to be the producer for another 60 years, so we will be going for that tender with gusto. We are in it to win it,” chief executive Tom Fussell told Deadline. The BBC’s new director general was calmer, noting that the show “has regenerated multiple times in its 60-plus year history”, and “we’ll do so again”.
Tennant has already revived the role twice, for the 50th and 60th anniversary specials, so a third run would at least be consistent. Electric Entertainment has employed him once before, in its 2018 thriller Bad Samaritan. Nothing is decided: the tender has not yet been posted, and Devlin’s interest is, by his own account, a hope rather than a negotiation.
Doctor Who streams on Disney+ in the UAE.
Is Doctor Who being rebooted?
Not yet. The BBC is putting the show out to competitive tender later this year, inviting production companies to pitch for future seasons. A winning pitch could involve a reboot, but nothing has been decided.
Will David Tennant return as the Doctor?
The Times reported that Dean Devlin hoped to reinstate him as part of a Doctor Who revival. Devlin denies that any talks have taken place, so for now it is speculation.
What is the BBC’s Doctor Who tender?
The BBC will invite production companies to bid for the right to produce future seasons of Doctor Who. BBC Studios has said it will compete, and details of the process are due later this year.
