According to “scripted sources” cited by Broadcast, the episode budget for Doctor Who could triple due to a recent deal the BBC made with with Disney.

Industry executives speculate the budget for the BBC science fiction franchise will soar to £100m.

A number of Broadcast’s sources have estimated that the show’s existing £1-3m per episode budget could triple to circa-£10m as the global streamer Disney+ strikes up a creative partnership with the BBC from 2023.

The deal is expected to “turbocharge” Doctor Who as Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf prepare to create new Doctor Who episodes with Ncuti Gatwa as the time-travelling hero.

Spin-off series are apparently also rumoured to be in the works. During Davies’ previously tenure on the programme, he created created two spin-off shows; Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

“The length of the deal is unknown but is expected to run for several years at least, with the guaranteed financial commitment helping Davies and Bad Wolf feel more secure in taking creative risks.”

The deal is understood to involve significant sums to buy out existing contracts with multiple distributing partners including HBO Max in the US and ABC in Australia.

Broadcast’s first source estimated that Disney is likely to have paid the BBC “tens of millions” for the rights to stream the show.

The first episode of Doctor Who with Ncuti Gatwa as the primary star portraying the Doctor is expected to air during the 2023 festive period after three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant air in November of the same year.