The BBC considered axing ‘Doctor Who’ after David Tennant quit the series in 2009.
Executive producer Steven Moffat has revealed BBC bosses were so worried about fans accepting a new actor as the Time Lord they nearly ended the sci-fi drama upon David’s departure as the Tenth Doctor.
Steven is quoted by DoctorWhoTV.co.uk as saying: "I think there were plans maybe to consider ending it.
"David owned that role in a spectacular way, gave it an all-new cheeky, sexy performance, and became a national treasure.
"So the idea that ‘Doctor Who’ could go on at all in the absence of David was a huge question.
"I didn’t realise how many people thought it wouldn’t succeed at all. That was quite terrifying when I found out about it later."
However, it was former executive producer Russell T. Davies – who resurrected the show in 2005 – that managed to convince the BBC to continue the series.
Steven added: "It was Russell T. Davies saying, ‘You are not allowed to end it’ [that kept it going]."
Matt Smith succeeded David in 2010 and was the titular Doctor until the 2013 Christmas special, when Peter Capaldi took on the lead role.