What Doctor Who should learn from Marvel and DC

This week’s podcast explores what the future might hold for Doctor Who—and whether the problems facing the BBC’s flagship series are really part of a much bigger shift across television and film.

Hosted by Christian Cawley and James McLean, the show discusses Sylvester McCoy’s surprise appearance in the Commonwealth Games trailer, what it tells us about the BBC’s continuing commitment to Doctor Who, and the implications of the programme’s move to open tender.

From there, the conversation broadens into Marvel fatigue, Netflix’s audience drop-offs, Spider-Noir, Chris Chibnall’s attempts to reinvent Doctor Who, and whether modern audiences still want long-running serialised storytelling—or something completely different.

Talking points:

Sylvester McCoy and the Commonwealth Games trailer

BBC Studios and Doctor Who’s future

What happens after Bad Wolf?

Why Marvel’s current strategy may no longer work

Spider-Noir and character-first storytelling

Reassessing Chris Chibnall’s era

What Netflix’s viewing figures tell us

Why Doctor Who may need a completely different release strategy