Chris Chibnall, former Doctor Who showrunner, admitted that the show was almost closed in the midst of the pandemic. According to Chibnall, the production of the 13th season of the project seemed to the BBC studios too complicated and expensive.
However, Chibnall stressed that he knew about all the sacrifices that the cast had to make for the sake of the project: for example, Jodie Whittaker, who played the role of the Doctor, turned down several offers for the sake of filming the sequel. So he had to find a way to still start production.
As a result, the 13th season of Doctor Who turned out to be the last for both Chibnall and Whittaker. Chris will be replaced as showrunner by Russell T. Davies, who has already worked on the project and led the show’s 2005 revival. The role of the new Doctor went to Shuti Gatwa.