Streaming columnist NICK OVERALL charts the plan to get the iconic Doctor Who out of a ratings decline and into a new universe. 

For several years now the ratings of Doctor Who have been on a downward slide.

Since its peak of popularity when David Tennant was piloting the Tardis, the show has lost around five million of its average weekly viewers and those numbers continue to fall.

It’s about time someone took a sonic screwdriver to this iconic sci-fi series, which has been host to lukewarm fanfare now for too long and struggled to define itself in a new age of television.

Well, a notably cashed-up mouse might have just that up its sleeve or stashed in its wallet.

This week Doctor Who is back for a 40th season and it’s streaming on Disney Plus.

Yes, the entertainment giant is now an official co-producer of the Time Lord’s tales, having pumped around £100 million ($A190 million) into the franchise.

The flashy new intro alone, which features the iconic blue telephone box spinning through space, screams “We have money now”, with a slick coat of CGI paint that is a serious step up from previous seasons.

It’s clear Disney has worked hard on turning Doctor Who into another of its flagship brands to sell to subscribers.

All of it does smack of their endless Marvel and Star Wars reboots and with a show that’s now up to more than 800 episodes with plenty more in the works no less, what’s Disney not to love here? The BBC is also absolutely rejoicing in the funding boost.

From what’s been seen so far, the Doctor certainly hasn’t escaped some “Disneyfication” in the process though.

This new season appears a lot funnier, lighthearted and less high-concept than its recent predecessors in a bid to open up its appeal to new audiences.

So far fans have only had one episode of the latest take on the character, a Christmas special that aired in December, which many labelled as “promising” and refreshingly “fun” compared to recent iterations.

But who’s playing the iconic role this time?

For those who missed it, Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa is up front and centre, the first black and queer actor to ever take on the character.

Of course, that invited some backlash which Gatwa recently fired back at ahead of the show’s debut.

“I feel like anyone that has a problem with someone who’s not a straight white man playing the character, you’re not really, truly a fan of the show,” he told Variety in an interview.

Despite his critics, Gatwa has thus far shown he may indeed have what it takes to redefine the Doctor and the actor’s recent popularity makes him a smart casting choice indeed.

Gatwa will be a familiar face to anyone who’s been watching Netflix’s comedy hit Sex Education, last year’s box-office smash Barbie, and more recently Steven Spielberg’s new war epic Masters of the Air. Quite the pop-culture CV indeed.

Gatwa is also one of the youngest actors to play the role at 31-years-old. That’s not as young as Matt Smith who took on the gig at 26, but still certainly far younger than most of the Doctors that have come before him. The oldest actor to play Doctor Who was also the very first: William Hartnell who appeared in 1963 at age 55. Goes to show just how much the average age has come down since then.

For the next few years it looks like Gatwa will be sticking around, too. He’s indicated that he wants to do at least three seasons in this new take on the “Whoniverse”.

From the age of the dinosaurs to far-flung sci-fi futures, the show’s producers and long-time creative lead Russel T Davies are promising plenty of out-there adventures and some sly pokes at other popular TV shows. 

“Oh my Bridgerton” exclaims the doctor’s companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) when entering a regency-era mansion in the new trailer.

All of it seems to point towards a younger, more upbeat, more self-aware version of Doctor Who that aims to pull in a new generation to rejuvenate the long-running show.

Is this the right direction?

Time will tell.