It begins. Doctor Who, a show that famously could pay your mortgage, is now no longer paying writers residuals, only ‘lArgER uPfRoNt fEeS’. Writers being stripped of the rewards for the longevity of their work, so it can be fed to the Disney machine. https://t.co/zjNvs03jrd
— Sophie Petzal (@Sonic_Screwup) November 28, 2023
- Residuals are when, in addition to the upfront fee, a creative is paid a set amount when an episode is rebroadcast
- Doctor Who is an especially lucrative source of residuals for its writers as it is a long running show that frequently re-airs
- British scriptwriter Sophie Petzal points out this will be devastating for writers as previously writing for Doctor Who meant an income stream for life
- The show is now saying this was freely negotiated between showwriters and their agents
- The move comes after Disney joined the show last year as a producing partner
- A spokesperson for the Writer’s Guild of Great Britan calls it a step back and urges writers presented with this contract to come to the Guild to review their contracts
Fuck Disney, fuck the Doctor Who producers for doing this.
