Zai Bennett denies scrapped Doctor Who Confidential episode

BBC Three controller Zai Bennett has denied press reports claiming a Christmas edition of Doctor Who Confidential has been filmed but will not be aired.

Doctor Who Confidential was axed by Zai Bennett earlier this year after six seasons on BBC Three giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at Doctor Who. The axe prompted a campaign by fans to save the series with thousands signing an online petition. Last week a report in tabloid newspaper The Sun claimed that a Christmas edition of Confidential had already been filmed but would not be broadcast.  

The newspapers report was based on an article in the Doctor Who Magazine in which Confidential producer Gillane Seaborne writers “The biggest regret is the episode of Confidential we’ve filmed for this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special which now won’t be shown. So I guess in the fine traditions of Doctor Who, we now have our very own missing episode.” However, a BBC source told the tabloid ‘This is the first we have heard of it. We’re being told there is no Christmas show.’

However, Zai Bennett has denied that there’s is any such episode of Confidential. The controller was appearing on BBC One‘s series Points of View when he addressed the press reports over the episode. He stated ‘That’s absolute nonsense, there is no finished programme sitting on a shelf. That show, however, was made for lots of different people, so for DVD and for BBC Worldwide, and there was some footage, which was about ten minutes, which will end up going online – but there’s definitely not a finished show.’

Bennett’s comments came after a question about the cancellation of Confidential from a viewer to which the BBC Three controller replied ‘Doctor Who Confidential was a brilliant series that we made six series of. It’s a show about the making of another show – Doctor Who – and there are only so many ways explaining how a show is made, and in these straightened times when BBC3 is actually cutting its budget we have to prioritise the shows that we think are most important to our viewers. Doctor Who Confidential was a great show, but after six series we think that it had a very good go explaining how to make Doctor Who.’

Bennett has axed a number of series’ on BBC Three since taking over as controller of the digital channel. Other victims of his axe have included Lunch Monkeys, Two Pints of Larger and a Packet of Crisps and Ideal.

(Via the Doctor Who Newspage)