Series 6 confirmed!

[Pip Madeley]

Epic news:

Doctor Who will return for a sixth series in 2011

Executive producer Piers Wenger also announced a Christmas special for this year, penned by showrunner Steven Moffat.

Matt Smith will be returning for his second full series as The Doctor.

27 new episodes to come then!

[Rob McCow]

Very pleasing to hear - no 'Specials' break next year either!

Shouldn't you be watching BBC Wales, Pip?

[SiHart]

Yay!

Si xx

[Lord President]

Hurrah!

[Si Hunt]

Fantastic News!

Si.

[Simon R]

Series 6, sopping knicks.

[SiHart]

Or is it Series 2?



Si xx

[Simon R]

Or 32?

[Darren]

Is there still uncertainty surrounding the longevity of the new series do you think? Television has obviously changed a lot since the classic days and audiences are more fickle, but I think the BBC do and always have seen new Who as a flagship which will run and run a la Holby, Casualty et al.
Something catastrophic would have to happen for them to drop the show in the foreseeable future. I never for one moment thought there wouldn't be a Series 6.

[Anthony Williams]

The BBC often don't confirm a new season of a show until it's just about to air, so the fact that they are confirming Series 6 before Series 5 is about to air really shows the continued faith that they have in Doctor Who.

I think we're safe for several years to come!

Ant x

[SiHart]

Let's hope So, Ant.

Si xx

[brandynigma]

Series Floob?

[Si Hunt]

I don't want to seem like a misery but I do wish people wouldn't say "we're safe for years to come!". I wince! Never forget Doctor Who had never been safer in 1983... No show is less than a year or two from cancellation, not Who nor Eastenders or anything! Let's just enjoy it while we have it!

Si. :mobile

[Alex]

Have to agree with Si here, especially in the current climate where channels are ratings obsessed, and let's not forget that Who is quite an expensive show to make.

I'd like to think that if S.5 / 6 sees a dramatic decline in ratings then the Beeb would give it one more chance and bring in a new showrunner / Doctor for S.7, but if it was still unpopular then I could see it being cancelled.

That said, I really hope that this doesn't happen, obviously - I think the figures may well dip initially as the Tennant-lovers fail to get on with Matt Smith, but hopefully after that they'll slowly recover.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Let's just enjoy it while we have it!

Let's just enjoy it if it's any good

[Zbigniev Hamson]

We can't even really be sure there will be a BBC for years to come in the current climate.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

...

[SiHart]

We can't even really be sure there will be a BBC for years to come in the current climate.

Especially if the Tories get in after the next election...

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

TBH, Piers in the last DWM seemed pretty darned sure they'd be filming another series, starting in June - so this isn't that much of a surprise is it!

Good news though, I suppose the next thing will be, is Smith definitely confirmed for another series...

[Alex]

So he won't be the "new Paul McGann"...Let's just hope he's not the "new Colin Baker", either!

[Larry]

I don't want to seem like a misery but I do wish people wouldn't say "we're safe for years to come!". I wince! Never forget Doctor Who had never been safer in 1983... No show is less than a year or two from cancellation, not Who nor Eastenders or anything! Let's just enjoy it while we have it!

Si. :mobile

have to agree, allit would take is a drop of a million or 2 viewrs and the BBC might just start to have doubts I've always felt that if we got 5 series it will of done very well. I'm delighted we've got a 6th series confirmed and I really hope we get a 7th series so that we can at least hit the 100 episode mark.

[duncan]

I would imagine they would have to take a serious knock in the revenue the show generates before cancellation is considered.

[Rob McCow]

That's true - the ratings are one thing, the BBC Worldwide Franchises are another. There are still the books, DVD's, toys, easter eggs, Blu-Rays, Sky Blu-Ray lollys, worldwide sales of the show, magazines, clothes, bubble bath...

[shada pavlova]

Slippers too.

[Rob McCow]

That's the children of today, riding their Doctor Who scooters in their Doctor Who slippers, wearing their Doctor Who play outfit and a Davros mask, eating their Doctor Who easter egg while listening to Doctor Who MP3s, on their way to buy the latest Doctor Who toys at Tescos.

You cannot walk the high streets of England without bumping into hordes of these little blighters!