No More Doctor Who For Ages

The BBC has announced that there won't be a new series of Doctor Who in 2009, leading to fears that the annoying Richard Hammond lookalike with the awful local radio DJ voice might have found something better to do with his time.

In a shock announcement, the BBC has revealed that, following the series of Doctor Who that's now being filmed for next year, the broadcaster will have to make do with three Doctor Who specials instead of a full series in 2009. This is widely believed to be because of Doctor Who David Tennant's decision to go and play Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company from July to November next year. However, we suspect that this is nothing more than a front for the fact that the whole world will be sick of Doctor Who by 2009 because all the episodes being filmed for next year's series have got Catherine Tate in them. And Kylie Minogue in some of them.

Since it returned with Christopher Ecclestone as the Doctor and Russell T Davies writing the scripts, Doctor Who has been able to do no wrong. Apart from Torchwood, obviously - the day that we want to watch a bunch of horny aliens standing around on top of buildings all day is the day that we give our TV to someone less crap. But since Doctor Who returned, it's been hailed as the saviour of Saturday night family entertainment and has hauled in an impressive display of awards. And Doctor Who has been in The Beano. How will we ever be able to live without Doctor Who? Maybe it's time to find out.

Following intense speculation that current Doctor David Tennant won't be hanging around for many more shows, to possibly be replaced by James Nesbitt off the Yellow Pages adverts, it's been announced that plans for a Doctor Who series in 2009 have been shelved by the BBC so that Tennant can run away with the Royal Shakespeare Company and turn Hamlet into an annoyingly zany midget with Pat Sharp's voice for a few months. The Telegraph reports:

David Tennant's appearance in a fifth series of Doctor Who looked uncertain last night after it was announced that the next run of the show will be postponed until 2010. With the fourth series, starring Tennant, due to hit television screens next year, viewers would expect to see a fifth series in 2009. But the BBC announced that it will not return until 2010.In the meantime, Tennant, 36, will star in three Doctor Who BBC1 specials, written by Russell T Davies, in 2009… A Doctor Who spokesman said "it was too early to comment" on whether Tennant would return for a fifth series.

This is big news, since it means that the BBC will have to find a landmark family drama to fill its schedules in 2009, and God help us if it's Robin Hood. But the important thing is that you shouldn't be scared at the prospect of not having a full Doctor Who series to look forward to in 2009. As far as we know there'll still be Torchwood to watch - which will come as good news to those of you who enjoy really shit television programmes - and don't think that the Doctor Who producers aren't trying to let you down as gently as possible. After seeing Kylie Minogue on the Doctor Who Christmas special and then putting up with Catherine Tate gurning her way through the whole of the next series, we get the impression that most people would rather let a polar bear stamp on their heads than look forward to any more episodes of Doctor Who by the end of next year.

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BBC Postpone Doctor Who Until 2010 - Telegraph