Introducing WhoStudios

“His approach from the beginning was to build Doctor Who up as an empire, with a core brand central to its identity.”

Back in February 2022, it was announced that WhoStudios, a new joint-venture between BBC Studios & Paramount Global, would be taking over production of the Doctor Who franchise, beginning with Doctor Who: The Time Meddlers in June, at its new production hub in Greater Manchester. With the beginning of production on Doctor Who: The Time Meddlers fast approaching, let’s take a look at how WhoStudios came to be. While announced in February 2022, the beginnings of WhoStudios were founded in July 2020 when Mal

Young was appointed as Doctor Who’s new Franchise Executive. His approach from the beginning was to build Doctor Who up as an empire, with a core brand central to its identity. Young had a desire, right from the beginning, to create an independent production house, out of which all Doctor Who productions could be made, but this took over a year of work until plans were approved by the powers-thatbe at BBC Studios and ViacomCBS.

Though entirely a secret, WhoStudios was founded in August 2021. Young’s first tasks were to set out a timetable for the franchise’s transition to WhoStudios and to commission the building of two production hubs for the company - one in the UK and one in North America.

Several seasons of Doctor Who and its spinoffs had already been formally commissioned as BBC Studios or CBS Studios productions, and instead of attempting to transfer them across to WhoStudios, Young instead decided to take advantage of the lead time that it would allow. Doctor Who couldn’t be produced by WhoStudios until Season 57, Doctor Who: The New Renegade wouldn’t be until Season 4 and Doctor Who: Adventures wouldn’t be until Series 5. That meant that the first production the company would undertake wouldn’t be for another year.

Soon after, WhoStudios purchased a small production hub from BBC Studioworks in Greater Manchester. The hub was to be renovated and expanded significantly as it was to become the main home of the Doctor Who franchise. The Greater Manchester Hub would later be christened as “WhoStudios: The Lambert Centre”, upon the opening of Stage A and most of the office space in May 2022. Upon the Lambert Centre’s completion, in January 2023, there’d be five different sound stages with a total of 12,000m2 of space. Stage E would be home to the UK’s first AR Wall, provided by Pixomondo. A similar wall at CBS Stages Canada had been utilised by Doctor Who and Doctor Who: The New Renegade in the past year or so, to great success, and Young was keen to have one at the Lambert Centre. The investment could also be potentially very financially lucrative, as it’d be the only one currently in the UK, so could be rented out to other productions when it wasn’t in use by WhoStudios.

Across the pond, WhoStudios had decided to build their North American hub from scratch in Toronto. WhoStudios purchased land within the vicinity of the existing “CBS Stages Canada” where Doctor Who had shot several episodes and where the vast majority of Doctor Who: The New Renegade had been shot. It was to be constructed over a period of 13 months and opened its first stage in November 2022. The production hub was later christened “WhoStudios: The Newman Center”, after the show’s Canadian co-creator, Sydney Newman. For financial reasons, it was decided not to build an AR Wall at the Newman Center, as one of the few available on the planet, was just a few miles away at CBS Stages Canada, and could easily be rented. Additionally, the AR Wall at the Lambert Centre could just be used in a different production block if needed. The Newman Centre was to be significantly smaller than the Lambert Centre with just 2 stages, and a total soundstage space of 5,000m2, however, enough land had been purchased for expansion, if needed in the future.

All three television shows would be made, in some shape or form, at both the Lambert and Newman centres, but Doctor Who and Doctor Who: Adventures would be based at the Lambert Centre while Doctor Who: The New Renegade would be based at the Newman Center.

When Doctor Who: The Time Meddlers was commissioned, in December 2021, this was the first production commissioned under WhoStudios and, with production beginning in June, it would now be the first production. As a studio sitcom, the show would require the use of Stage E, now dubbed “The Barry Letts Stage”, for pre-records, and then Stage A, now dubbed “The Mervyn Pinfield Stage” for the recording of the programme, in front of a live studio audience. This would mean that the Barry Letts Stage would have to be completed in April or May, instead of in the Autumn as planned. The actual building of the AR Wall would take about 2 months, so WhoStudios just had to ensure by February, that the soundstage was built and kitted out, for the wall to then be constructed. The Lambert Centre was officially opened in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in May 2022 by Carole Ann Ford and Waris Hussein. A drinks reception was held that evening, with a plethora of invited Doctor Who alumni, both in front and behind the camera. The following day, the Doctor Who Production Office, led by Mal Young, officially moved from BBC Scotland to the Lambert Centre. The BBC Scotland Production Office remained open while Season 56 was being completed, both production and post-production wise, but the main base of operation was now in the Lambert Centre.

With the exception of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the first time the Lambert Centre was seen publicly was on 17 June 2022, when it opened its doors to 200 audience members for the recording of the first episode of Doctor Who: The Time Meddlers.