In a surprising turn of events, the BBC has announced that Caroline Skinner will be departing ‘Doctor Who’ as its executive producer and will be working on a new BBC drama show that films in London.
While most know Skinner from ‘Doctor Who,’ she has also received recognition as producer for the short-lived and highly praised series ‘The Fades’ which aired on BBC America last year. But it was the series about the Time Lord that has really brought the producer into the limelight.
Skinner has been with the series since 2011 starting with the Christmas episode ‘The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe.’ She will still be listed as EP for the remaining 8 episodes of Season 7 , but when the Christmas episode comes along (if there is one), there will be another to take her place. In the meantime Faith Penhale, head of BBC Drama in Wales, will take over Skinner’s role for the 50th anniversary special that begins filming on Monday, March 18, until another executive producer is found.
In a statement, Skinner said this about her departure:
“It has been an honour to have been a part of Doctor Who, and a privilege to have worked with Steven Moffat and Matt Smith on this extraordinary show. I have hugely enjoyed my time in BBC Wales and would like to thank Faith Penhale, and our wonderful production team for their unending commitment and brilliance. I will miss them all enormously, but I’m leaving Doctor Who in fine form, with the new series starting at Easter and the fantastic plans for the 50th Anniversary already underway. I am delighted to be now returning to BBC Drama Production in London as an executive producer, and the new opportunities and projects that will bring.”
Skinner marks the third executive producer to have left the series since Moffat took over in 2010. During the Season 6 break, both Beth Willis and Peirs Wenger left in 2011 almost simultaneously. There have been mumblings that Skinner’s departure is a result from a public argument with showrunner Steven Moffat last month at a BBC showcase, pointing to a discontented behind the camera atmosphere, but going from Skinner’s statement, the split seems amicable enough.
Skinner is not yet completely gone from the ‘Doctor Who’ family as she will remain as executive producer for the biopic ‘The Adventures of Space and Time’ which documents the birth of the ‘Doctor Who’ series before she head to her new position in London.
