The BBC’s chief content officer, Charlotte Moore, has reassured fans (and wider audiences) that Doctor Who remains “one of the most important shows” made and broadcast by the 100-year-old corporation.

She affirmed that staples like Strictly Come Dancing, Top Gear, and Doctor Who are “absolutely critical to the BBC”, and went on to say:

“Doctor Who is one of the most important shows that we have. We’re coming up to [its] 60th year and it’s reinvented itself every year; every series it goes on the next journey. It’s the most extraordinary drama franchise and global phenomenon. The fact that the Doctor himself regenerates is a great symbol for the whole of the BBC. Jodie [Whittaker, the Thirteenth Doctor] has been such a fantastic first-ever female Doctor Who.

“[It] constantly reinvents itself, just like the BBC, and it constantly pushes at those boundaries and is ambitious in its storytelling. I’m very excited [for the future].”

It’s great to hear someone so senior at the Beeb air this view because, let’s face it, Doctor Who hasn’t always felt like the jewel in the BBC’s crown. Fans often think it’s been unfairly treated, knocked around the schedule and promotion taking a back seat. Sometimes, there’s some truth there; equally, we might be too close to Doctor Who to accurately see its position in the wider television landscape.

And of course, it’s good to hear that the BBC has such confidence in the future, seeing as Disney+ has now got the international streaming rights for the series, aside from within the UK. With Moore saying this, we can’t see Aunty Beeb giving up on the Time Lord any time soon.

Doctor Who will celebrate its 60th anniversary next November, with specials starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, before Ncuti Gatwa gets the key to the TARDIS.