Doctor Who star says show should ‘have a rest’ amid BBC statement

Shaun Dingwall played Pete Tyler, the father of the Doctor’s companion Rose, played by Billie Piper, when the series returned in 2005.

The 56-year-old actor starred in fan favourite episode Father’s Day alongside Christopher Eccleston’s incarnation of the iconic Time Lord.

He then returned in the second season of the revival series in 2006, acting alongside Ms Piper once again as well as David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor.

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Now, Mr Dingwall has revealed this week that he thinks Doctor Who should have a rest after the BBC announced the show had been put out to tender.

A statement issued by the broadcaster earlier this year said: “After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode.

“This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series.

“It was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one-off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show, which ensures that when the Tardis lands once more, it does so in all its glory.”

Mr Dingwall spoke in an exclusive chat with the Oxford Mail ahead of BFI Southbank’s special Doctor Who: 20 Years On – The Tenth Doctor on Saturday (August 15).

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“I think it’s always good when things have a rest,” he said.

“Bond did a similar thing before Daniel Craig with this big gap, and I think that’s quite an interesting comparison in a way.

It’s like Bond had outlived that era, or rather, the era had outgrown Bond, and we didn’t want to see this macho womanising hero again.

“Now, Doctor Who obviously isn’t Bond because it’s able to cross all these different eras and the status quo.

“I think nowadays the world’s completely different because of social media and the whole fandom thing; it’s just good to wait for the noise to calm down, for things to just settle, and people get distracted with other things or other shows.

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“But more importantly, I think what it does allow is the writers to have some space to think about stuff.

“Just to soak up the news, the world, go on holiday, do whatever, get another job, write another series, and then come back with fresh eyes.

“I think it’s a really, really valuable experience for a writer alone, so when it comes to a whole TV show, yeah, I think that’s a really good thing.”

You can read more from our chat with Shaun Dingwall on the Oxford Mail website over the coming days, including the full interview tomorrow.