Doctor Who: 10 Reasons The BBC Should Increase The Budget

By David Hooks / February 10, 2014

Throughout the history of Doctor Who there has been one issue above all others that has plagued and threatened the show: Budget. Whether it be wobbly sets, unconvincing monsters, poor quality FX, time off air or just rushed scripts, the budget was at the heart of all that was wrong with Classic Who. Production staff over the years have done their level best to keep the program convincing to varying degrees of success. The Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Gothic Horror, ever reinventing program has endured despite all this thanks to a magical idea, wonderful cast and (mostly) quality writing. At the beginning there were those at the BBC who wanted Doctor Who cancelled and accusations of death by budget cuts will always haunt the early incarnation, or regeneration if you will, of the show. Figures are scarce but the generally agreed cost is between £90K and £100K an episode for the mid-80's stories. By the time Russell T Davies got the green light to bring it back the bill was a reported £800K. Despite reports of budget cuts Steven Moffat recently claimed a roughly £1M an episode allowance so there a case to be made that the BBC has got it right and hit the sweet spot. A comparable USA production would command between £1.2 and £2M per broadcast but Doctor Who is a large part of a £300M haul for the BBC so let's discuss how increasing the budget could be a money spinner for the BBC. Click "next" below to get started...