The Media Club · 12 June 2026 · 41 min
The Doctor Will Not See You Now
- Doctor Who Tender
- BBC International Acquisitions
- Children's Media
- BBC Deputy DG Appointment
- BBC Role and Licence Fee
- Print Media Resilience
In this episode of The Media Club, host Matt Deegan is joined by Rebecca Cooney, Insight Editor at Broadcast, and Vanessa Harriss, Editor of The Week Junior. The main discussion centres on the BBC's decision to put Doctor Who out to competitive tender, with no Christmas special, no Russell T Davies, and no Bad Wolf, following Disney's withdrawal. Rebecca provides insight into the financial and creative pressures behind the move, while Vanessa offers a perspective on the importance of family-oriented programming. The episode also covers complaints from ITV, Channel 4, and Sky about the BBC's spending on international acquisitions, the appointment of Rhodri Talfan Davies as Deputy Director General, and a segment on children's media, where Vanessa discusses the success of The Week Junior as a print magazine. The show concludes with a media quiz and mentions of recent industry news.
Key takeaways
- The BBC has put Doctor Who out to competitive tender, cancelling the planned Christmas special and parting ways with Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf.
- ITV, Channel 4, and Sky have criticised the BBC's spending on international acquisitions, arguing it should focus on UK originals.
- Rhodri Talfan Davies has been appointed as the BBC's Deputy Director General, a role vacant for almost a decade.
- The Week Junior, a print magazine for children, is thriving, with over half a million readers globally.
- Goalhanger, Gary Lineker's podcast company, topped the Sunday Times 100 list of fastest-growing private companies.
In this episode
- Introduction and Guest Introductions
- Doctor Who Tender Discussion
- International Acquisitions Debate
- BBC Deputy DG Appointment
- Children's Media and The Week Junior
- Media Quiz: It's Coming Home
- Wrap-up and Outro
Notable quotes
“I'm a master doctor who fan I've been on here before talking about it I love bad wolf I love the stuff they put out you know his dark materials is phenomenal”
“I think a smaller budget makes people be more creative and makes them do things where maybe we don't see the monster for most of it.”
“It is there to explain the world to children.”
“We want to be as clear and as clean as possible. You know, the meaning has to come off the page like steam is the idea.”
“I think it's trying to make those decisions while it's being shouted at from all sides.”
Discussed
Mentioned or recommended
- Doctor Who
- Schitt's Creek
- What We Do in the Shadows
- Colin from Accounts
- The Newsreader
- Only Murders in the Building
- His Dark Materials
- A Discovery of Witches
- The Mandalorian
- Brexit: A Very British Civil War
- Miss Me
- Talking TV
- The Week Junior Show
- Today in History with the Retrospectors
- Sunday Times 100
- Panorama
