Is Doctor Who losing its grip on the next generation?

A recent podcast discussion sparked a fascinating debate about the current state of Doctor Who and its appeal to younger audiences. The conversation between Christian Cawley and James McLean kicked off with a personal anecdote about the viewing habits of nieces and children, revealing a potential trend of declining interest in the show among school-aged kids.

“When the David Tennant/Matt Smith era was on TV,” Christian explained, “my nieces, they were ranging through the ages. They grew up with it… When Peter Capaldi became the Doctor, they lost interest around the age of 13 or 14, but they loved it before that, particularly around the 8, 9 age.” This pattern seems to be repeating with the host’s own children. “My oldest children, they’re 13. No one in their school watches Doctor Who at all. No one is interested in Doctor Who. As my daughter said, ‘You just don’t.’ This is not a thing that school-age children are doing.”

This personal observation raises questions about recent claims from Russell T. Davies, who stated that the under-16 demographic for Doctor Who is “really strong.” The podcast host admitted, “I’m really struggling to understand, based on what I’ve just said to you… I really don’t see how that is a thing at all.”

Podcast guest James McLean offered a counterpoint, suggesting that direct comparisons to previous eras of Doctor Who might be misleading. “The change in how… in television and its consumption is so radical,” he argued. “I don’t think we can make those easy crossovers.”

Doctor Who viewers in a changing media landscape

McLean acknowledged the host’s observations, conceding, “I think there is absolutely no doubt that there are far less children watching Doctor Who than they have been before.” However, he attributed this decline not to the show’s quality or distribution, but to the vastly different media landscape. “There is so much stuff that for it to have that same sort of playground engagement or interest is just not there because it’s not even… There’s so much stuff.”

He elaborated on this point, explaining how the nuanced nature of modern entertainment caters to specific interests, potentially overshadowing a broad-appeal show like Doctor Who. “If you are interested in a certain style of show or a certain style of characterization, you’ll probably find it, and it might eclipse what Doctor Who would have done.”

McLean also highlighted the increased competition from streaming services. “If you think about when Matt Smith was around, it was still pretty much BBC or Sky in the UK anyway… It’s not until 2013 and streaming comes in, and now I’ve got Netflix, I’ve got Sky… I’ve got Disney Plus… I’ve got Prime. That’s a lot of channels showing a lot of stuff.” He even mentioned the wealth of content available on BBC iPlayer itself, citing shows like Strange Enough, One Piece, Campion, and Life on Mars.

What is Doctor Who in 2025?

Ultimately, McLean concluded that Doctor Who faces a significant challenge in finding its place in this crowded market. “How does this show find its identity? And also, it does have to contend with that. It does have a lot of… media negativity towards it, which isn’t, I don’t think, entirely based around the quality of the show, but just kind of the direction of the show, which… there are obviously strong opinions on. So I think it is a difficult space for it.”

The podcast discussion raises important questions about the future of Doctor Who and its ability to connect with younger viewers in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. While the show undoubtedly holds a special place in television history, its continued success will depend on its ability to adapt and resonate with new generations.

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