Ask what ruined Doctor Who, and some folks online will froth at the mouth and blame anything that dared to take the British sci-fi show in a new direction. The reality, as former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies reveals, is far more normal: a slowness to act.

In an extract from Davies’ new memoir, The Queerest of Folk, published in The Guardian, the Doctor Who showrunner who first revived the series in 2005 discussed the slow, public hanging the sci-fi show endured after its controversial partnership with Disney, which lasted two seasons, didn't work out. He also spoke out about the attempts to pull Doctor Who back from the brink of disaster — including the controversial choice to have the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) regenerate into New Who’s first companion, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper).

In the most shocking disclosure from the extract, Davies places the blame for Doctor Who’s death (and for why it is currently up for competitive tender) on the BBC and its inability to act during a time of crisis.

To be clear, Davies attributes the BBC’s delay to its status as a “vast institution” that had to constantly deal with “press barons” and “right-wing media poised to attack every decision” it made. The BBC also saw departures, including chief content officer Charlotte Moore, who, according to Davies, had been one of “Doctor Who’s greatest champions.”

With Disney gone — a partnership that, let’s be honest, was a pretty poor fit from the get-go — and the BBC in no rush, the people working on Doctor Who were stuck in limbo.

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