Chris Chibnall’s public time on Doctor Who begins a gradual finish this coming weekend with the arrival of Legend of the Sea Devils, the primary of three particular episodes that type the ultimate chapter of Chibnall and exiting-Time Lord Jodie Whittaker’s time on the present. But for the author at the very least, he almost left a lot, a lot sooner.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Chibnall revealed that the pressures of the early days of the covid-19 pandemic on Doctor Who’s manufacturing—or lack thereof—meant there was a time when 2021’s occasion sequence Flux by no means occurred in any respect, and each Chibnall and Whittaker merely bowed out after simply two seasons. “That we made Doctor Who at all during the past two years is a miracle,” Chibnall stated. “There was a point around April/May 2020 where it looked like we’d have to call it a day after two series. If we hadn’t already planned to leave after series three, there’s no way I’d be staying on now after going through that experience.”

Chibnall and Whittaker’s peculiar closing “season,” the six-episode Flux, 2022’s New Year’s Day Special “Eve of the Daleks,” and now three extra standalone episodes littered between Easter 2022 and Who’s sixtieth anniversary in November 2023, was closely reworked by the realities of the pandemic. Flux as an concept, a closely serialized sequence of episodes as chapters in a bigger story in comparison with Doctor Who’s often episodic story format, wouldn’t have existed with out the constraints placed on making certain secure filming after the UK exited its first sequence of lockdowns. Originally billed as eight episodes—already down from the ten of prior seasons—Flux was minimize additional all the way down to a run of six. Chibnall additional seen at the very least one plan for a New Year’s particular was scrapped on the final minute, necessitating a brand new script.

“We had to ditch our original idea and I had to write a new script in just over a week,” Chibnall stated. “You can’t just go, ‘Right, we’ve got the series and then we’ll do the specials.’ You’re constantly on this treadmill.”

Making Doctor Who is a fraught prospect at one of the best of instances, however attempting to make it amidst an unprecedented world disaster would take a look at even probably the most seasoned showrunner. At least Chibnall is getting to finish his time on the present on his personal phrases, reasonably than having his hand pressured… even when not all of these phrases have essentially turned out fairly so effectively.

Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC America this Sunday, April 17.

Wondering the place our RSS feed went? You can decide the brand new up one right here.