BBC Studios is making significant strides in its partnership with Disney, focusing on the beloved series Doctor Who. In this article, we delve into the latest updates and insights from CEO Tom Fussell regarding this crucial collaboration.
BBC Studios’ Commitment to Doctor Who
BBC Studios is “really committed to Doctor Who and is continuing to look at ways in which we can bring the show to fans,” according to its CEO Tom Fussell.
Partnership with Disney
Speaking after the publication of the BBC Annual Report, Fussell stressed the “crucial” nature of BBC Studios’ partnership with Disney, especially with the BBC-Disney+ Doctor Who deal hanging in the balance, following eyebrow-raising comments from ex-Doctor Ncuti Gatwa over the weekend.
“Fans love the Doctor Who brand,” Fussell stated. “It’s been that way since before I was in short trousers.”
Disney as a Key Partner
Fussell celebrated Disney as a “key partner” that collaborates with BBC Studios on hits such as Bluey, Dancing with the Stars, Tucci in Italy, and “a decade’s worth of natural history.” “They are a crucial partner and we share a lot of the same values, so I’m really proud of the way that relationship has worked,” he added.
Doctor Who’s Recent Challenges
Doctor Who has been in the spotlight since Russell T Davies’ regenerated second season of the sci-fi series aired to below-par ratings and some middling reviews, leading to speculation that Disney+ may not extend the co-pro deal beyond two seasons, which is currently under discussion. Over the weekend, 32-year-old Gatwa told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg Show he is “getting old” and “my body was tired” when asked why he left Doctor Who after two seasons. While calling it “the most amazing job in the world,” Gatwa described Doctor Who as “strenuous” and said it “takes a lot out of you physically, emotionally, and mentally.”
Financial Success and Future Investments
One of BBC Studios’ strongest relationships with Disney is over Bluey, America’s most-streamed show, which helped drive record revenue and profit of £2.2B and £228M respectively for the commercial arm.
Fussell mentioned that BBC Studios’ move to finance the upcoming Bluey movie is “one of the biggest investments” made during his tenure.
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He highlighted other recent success stories, such as the £255M acquisition of the half of BritBox International that BBC Studios didn’t own.
BritBox and Future Strategies
BritBox itself delivered significant profits last year, driving a plus-40% increase in revenue for BBC Studios’ media and streaming division. Fussell stated that the best-of-British streamer has a “unique ability” to help the BBC by acting as co-producer on shows like Ludwig and The Other Bennet Sister.
“Our mandate is very clear: we are there to make longer-term sustainable growing financial returns and to use the BBC’s values as a way of achieving that,” he added. “[BritBox] has that added advantage of being a very powerful route to market for British shows, which would be very hard to fund if it wasn’t for BritBox.”
More direct-to-consumer initiatives similar to BritBox or the strategy to charge American audiences for news content could be forthcoming, according to Fussell, with today’s Annual Report indicating that BBC Studios is “working actively to further develop direct routes to market” as part of a strategy to establish sustainable growth amid challenging trading conditions.
Fussell acknowledged that the BBC has termed a scripted funding crisis as a consequence of those “challenging conditions” and noted that “the industry needs a bit of help” to overcome the issue, which is not limited to the drama genre.
“I would go back and say it hit kids and family first, then UK comedy, now it’s hitting drama and natural history is also a challenge,” he added. “Our job is to take risks, and our producers are doing an amazing job at pivoting our budgets to get them down a bit. Smart people are looking to pivot their slates to get them back into the sweet spot of [shows costing] between £1M and £3M per hour because that’s probably where you have to go, but even then it’s hard.”
BBC Studios returned £391M to the BBC last year and is well on track to meet its £1.5B five-year returns target by 2026-27, Fussell concluded.
