DOCTOR Who is facing the axe, with lead star Ncuti Gatwa poised to quit and crew claiming to be laid off.
The recent series suffered abysmal ratings with fans outraged by the BBC shoehorning wokery into storylines.
Bosses have postponed any decision until Ncuti’s second season has aired later this year.
But the Scot, 32, is already believed to have filmed his regeneration “exit scene”, and crew fear the BBC will shelve the show after 62 years.
An insider said: “Ncuti doesn’t want to be tied to the series beyond this and plans to relocate to Los Angeles with several Hollywood projects standing by for him.
“His team also see a lot of fan backlash from the series, and don’t want the perception of him still being The Doctor to get in the way of any future work.
“The show has been poorly managed in recent years, and there’s a lot of people who’ve been working on this show for years and now being cast aside due to poor leadership.
“People warned some episodes were getting too caught up on an agenda rather than telling a story, and those people got shouted down, ignored.”
The first series under Ncuti which began last May attracted viewing figures between 2.25m and 3.18m – a fraction of what it used to pull in.
Controversy over the storylines has ramped up since 2023, when Russell T Davies returned as showrunner.
A trio of 60th anniversary specials kicked off with a plot involving a character who was able to save London because they were trans.
Another saw The Doctor — played by the returning David Tennant — realise he was gay after developing a crush on Sir Isaac Newton.
However viewing figures were still around two million up on the episodes to come under Ncuti, accompanied by new companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson.
The first full series had plots slamming everything from capitalism to Christianity — and introduced a new enemy played by a drag queen.
A huge question mark also hangs over whether Disney will renew their deal with the BBC, which is said to be worth £100m.
Crew working on the show in Cardiff are said to be furious at being left in limbo after filming wrapped last week.
The insider said: “Word on set is that the BBC will shelve the series for at least five years. The crew were told not to hold their breath for work on the series for at least 10 years.
“As we scramble to find work, those responsible get to ride off onto other well-paid projects without any repercussions. Filming wrapped on Friday afternoon, with no fanfare or celebration.”
Ncuti’s exit as the Time Lord would be the earliest since Christopher Eccleston, who left after just one series in 2005.
Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker all did at least three seasons before handing over the Tardis key.
Ncuti was brought in by Russell T Davies, who rebooted the franchise in 2005 before leaving in 2009, only to return two years ago.
The actor has appeared in Barbie and has just been making another film, The Roses, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman.
It is understood he also has a string of other projects on both sides of the Atlantic.
Fans had feared the show — which first aired in 1963 — could be scrapped after Ncuti’s appearance on The Graham Norton Show last year.
He revealed he would be filming a third series, but his comment was mysteriously edited out.
The BBC and Disney+ declined to comment.
BEEB’S TO BLAME
By ROD McPHEE
FOR over 60 years he defeated daleks and saw off cybermen — but now The Doctor looks like he’s been beaten by wokery.
It’s another example of the BBC wrecking a TV institution with a politically correct agenda.
Russell T Davies was brought back in by the BBC to revive the show — but he tried to change too much, too quickly.
Ncuti Gatwa was also a problem for fans.
Not because he was the first non-white actor in the role but because he blurred the doctor’s eccentric image by wearing latex tops and skirts in mags.
The BBC look like they’ve managed to kill off a character who, in theory, was supposed to live forever.
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