Jed Mercurio, the creator of “Line of Duty,” is chasing the job of running “Doctor Who,” according to Deadline, as the BBC reviews competing proposals to take the sci-fi series into its next era.
Hat Trick Mercurio, the company he runs with Hat Trick founder Jimmy Mulville, has submitted a bid with Mercurio attached as executive producer. The company teamed with Screen Scotland on the pitch. Mercurio, a sci-fi enthusiast, created the BBC series “Invasion: Earth” in the 1990s.
He is not alone. World Productions, which makes “Line of Duty,” has also entered a proposal. STV Studios has put forward a plan that would move the TARDIS to Scotland. Two separate BBC Studios labels are also expected to bid. Deadline cautions that its list of bidders is incomplete and that others may yet emerge.
Bids closed last Friday, and the corporation is now comparing the plans. The tender follows a shake-up that left the show without a creative leader. Showrunner Russell T Davies and production company Bad Wolf have departed, and Disney ended its partnership on the series. The BBC asked bidders to show how they would return the program in 2028 or 2029 and keep it “relevant, surprising, brave and inspiring” for existing fans and newcomers.
Geography matters. The BBC has said the show must be produced outside London, after Wales served as its home for many years. Scotland has a personal link to the property: Ncuti Gatwa, the most recent Doctor, grew up there. A Scottish base would also fit the broadcaster’s push to spread production across the UK.
Mercurio brings a record of hit dramas. “Line of Duty” returns next year, and he also created “Bodyguard.” His bid carries less sci-fi pedigree than the BBC Studios labels, which hold the franchise’s institutional knowledge, but he offers prestige and proven ratings power.
Casting speculation has already moved. Bookmakers made George Fouracres the 4/5 favorite to play the next Doctor, ahead of Billie Piper and Aimee Lou Wood, although odds can shift with each rumor, and no producer has been chosen.
The BBC has not announced a timetable for a decision.
