Scotland could become the new home of Doctor Who after STV Studios launched a bid to take over production of the iconic BBC sci-fi series.
The Glasgow-based company is understood to have teamed up with Screen Scotland in an effort to bring the Time Lord north of the Border.
Showbiz website Deadline revealed that several production companies have submitted plans after the BBC launched a competitive tender process seeking a new producer for the long-running programme.
Among the bidders is Hat Trick Mercurio, the company run by Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio and Hat Trick founder Jimmy Mulville.
Mr Mercurio is understood to be attached to the proposal as an executive producer.
A long-time science fiction fan, he created the BBC series Invasion: Earth in the 1990s before going on to become one of Britain’s most successful television writers with credits including Line of Duty, Bodyguard and Cardiac Arrest.
Scotsman David Tennant played the Doctor… and had Kylie as a sidekick in a Christmas Special
Another Scot, Ncuti Gatwa, was the last full-time Doctor
Line of Duty producer World Productions has also submitted separate proposals for the future of the Time Lord.
A move to Scotland would represent a significant shift for the series.
The BBC has stipulated that the next incarnation of Doctor Who must be produced outside London after Wales served as the show’s home for many years.
The prospect of relocating production north of the Border comes after criticism of the BBC’s decision to axe long-running Scottish soap River City.
At the time, the corporation said it would invest £100million in drama production in Scotland over the following three years.
STV Studios also has a link to the Doctor Who universe.
Another Scottish actor, Peter Capaldi, also had a successful stint in the Tardis
Former Doctor Peter Capaldi stars in Criminal Record, the Apple TV drama produced by his wife Elaine Collins, who runs STV-backed Tod Productions.
The previous Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, was brought up in Scotland while Karen Gillan, who starred as Amy Pond, the Doctor’s sidekick during the Matt Smith era.
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in July by stepping out of a TARDIS – the Doctor’s preferred mode of transport – on stage at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow.
Modelled on a police box designed by the Metropolitan Police’s surveyor, Scottish architect Gilbert Mackenzie Trench, they were introduced in 1929 and eventually adopted across the UK.
Deadline reported that several major production companies have decided not to bid, citing concerns about the rights attached to the programme and the scale of the commitment involved.
Among those believed to have opted out are A24 UK, Playground, Mammoth Screen, New Pictures, Big Talk Studios, Expectation and Quay Street.
One producer told the industry website: ‘Anyone with a pulse knows it will go to BBC Studios.’
Another added: ‘If [producer] Jane Tranter and [writer] Russell T Davies can’t make sense of that show, then who can and who wants to? It feels like a thankless task.’
The BBC is expected to interview shortlisted bidders in January before awarding the contract in March.
Producers have been asked to set out a vision for a series capable of returning to screens in 2028 or 2029 and ensure Doctor Who remains ‘relevant, surprising, brave and inspiring’ for both existing fans and new audiences.
STV Studios and the BBC declined to comment.
First broadcast on November 23, 1963, Doctor Who was conceived by BBC executives led by Canadian-born television pioneer Sydney Newman.
The programme followed a mysterious time traveller known as the Doctor, who journeys through space and time in the TARDIS.
The first serial, An Unearthly Child, introduced William Hartnell as the original Doctor and helped launch what would become one of the longest-running science-fiction franchises in television history.
Over the following decades the programme became a British television institution, with actors including Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy taking on the title role.
The show’s ability to refresh itself through new Doctors, companions and storylines helped it remain popular, although falling ratings eventually led to its original run ending in 1989 after 26 years on screen.
After a television movie in 1996 failed to revive the franchise permanently, Doctor Who made a triumphant return in 2005 under the stewardship of Davies and BBC Wales.
Starring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, the revived series introduced the Time Lord to a new generation of viewers and restored the programme to mainstream popularity, paving the way for modern stars including David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker.
