'Woke' Doctor Who has gone 'too far', says BBC icon Peter Purves

Doctor Who icon Peter Purves believes the BBC show has gone "too far" as he criticised the show's modern era. The actor, 86, portrayed companion Steven Taylor in 10 stories across 45 episodes from 1965 to 1966. Ncuti Gatwa was the most recent actor to take on the iconic role, however, his time on the show came to an end earlier this year after just two series.

The BBC series was branded "woke" and "unwatchable", while ratings dramatically plummeted. Speaking about the show, Purves claimed it has lost his charm and admitted he no longer watches it. He said: "When Doctor Who started it was a children's programme, we had a weekly cliffhanger and it was simple. I liked it when it was straightforward entertainment. But it's a very different show now. I don't watch it any more, to be honest."

Despite acknowledging that the series "looks incredible" thanks to its increased budget, he maintained: "It's not really Doctor Who for me. It couldn't go back now. It's gone too far to go back."

Despite losing faith in the show in recent years, Peter still looks back on his time on Doctor Who with great fondness.

Earlier this year, Purves opened up about his abrupt exit from the programme, revealing he was dropped from the show after his contract wasn't renewed.

"I got the script for The Savages and [series producer] Innes Lloyd, as it was handed to me, said, 'We're not renewing your contract' - and I knew I had four weeks [left] on the show," he recalled at a BFI screening.

After filming his final scenes, Purves recalled: "I went and had a drink at the pub with two or three of the cast... but that was it. There was no party, no nothing... no goodbye, absolutely nothing."

He added: "I never heard anything again - and I never worked on Doctor Who again."

In August, BBC bosses confirmed that Doctor Who "is going nowhere," following speculation that the long-running series could be axed. Doubt was cast over the show's future after Gatwa, 32, made a sudden exit at the end of series 15, while showrunner Russell T Davies admitted he "didn't know" if the programme would be returning.

In a statement, the BBC reassured fans that Doctor Who is not being axed, and announced that a new spin-off series will hit screens in 2026.

Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Kate Phillips, the BBC's new chief content officer, said: "Rest assured, Doctor Who is going nowhere. Disney has been a great partnership - and it continues with The War Between The Land And The Sea next year - but going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC ... The Tardis is going nowhere."