Shoestring is going back so far as to be irrelevant. In 2005 it started out as £1.3m per hour which put it in the high end of drama budget (the BBC’s biggest-budget production that decade had been Rome with HBO, with the BBC contributing £1.25m/hr), in SD on EFP cameras. Now a streaming partner will expect 4K delivery. Inflation, diesel prices, and audience expectations have increased the cost of production and a regular high-end drama will be around £3m/hr, and that’s without the burden of bespoke sci-fi sets, costumes and effects. The BBC/Disney deal gave the show a budget of £6m/episode.

So decisions must be made about budget, format, order length. These will impact the commercial viability of the show, and are things that need to be considered before the invitation for tender is drafted. Remember, the creative will be part of each tender bid so that’s months in the future and it isn’t time for that yet.

The BBC is facing a large shortfall in the licence fee, while costs increase. It has started cancelling stalwart series and cutting back services. It has a duty to ensure the licence fee is responsibly spent. It can’t therefore throw money at Doctor Who. It has to fit into the circumstances.