10 False Doctor Who Facts You Probably Still Believe
2. Doctor Who Was Cancelled In 1989
Classic Doctor Who ended on 6 December 1989, with the Seventh Doctor and Ace heading off to cities made of song. While it's true that the BBC had informed the production team that there would be no Doctor Who in 1990, it was never formally cancelled.
Perhaps to avoid the release of another charity single, the BBC never publicly stated that Doctor Who was cancelled. And, in their defence, there was never a point during the '90s where someone, somewhere in the corporation wasn't investigating a way to put Doctor Who back on TV.
Forgetting the Paul McGann TV Movie, there was a planned animated series from Canadian studio Nelvana. When that fell through, Doctor Who was eyed up as a potential movie franchise, sort of like the Paddington of its day.
And from the late '90s onwards, BBC Head of Drama Series Mal Young was exploring the possibility of a new series of Doctor Who. While he wouldn't be successful at first, the work done by him would ultimately pave the way for the 2005 revival.