A doctor who named himself after a Star Wars character while dealing drugs has been jailed for a second time. Shoaib Ahmad sold fake versions of the anxiety-reducing medication Xanax, cannabis and ecstasy online.
27.11.2023 - 16:17 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Doctor Who, the long-running BBC sci-fi series, has shifted away from a residual model for its writers since Disney+ came on board as a partner, we understand.
The series, which is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary with a trio of specials from returning showrunner Russell T. Davies, has moved towards a buyout model for writers, Deadline has been told.
Sources said that episodic writers are now being paid a large fee upfront rather than a smaller fee plus residuals that has seen previous scribes earn additional compensation when Doctor Who is repeated.
Doctor Who, which has aired nearly 900 episodes over six decades, has been one of the most lucrative British sources of residuals for former writers down the years as it is so heavily repeated. The entire back catalog has just landed on BBC iPlayer, for example.
While Deadline understands that contracts were freely negotiated and agreed with writers and their agents, the move comes at a topical time for writers’ compensation, particularly given the recent labor action in the U.S. Doctor Who remains a British show and thereby doesn’t have to abide by WGA contracts but the optics are interesting given that the move comes after Disney+ boarded the series last year as a partner outside of the UK and Ireland.
Deadline understands the Doctor Who writer contract deals were struck prior to the WGA resolution, which came two months ago. Residuals were a key sticking point in those negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP and the guild’s eventual deal included increased streaming residuals and viewership-based streaming bonuses.
Ellie Peers, General Secretary of the Writers Guild of Great Britain, told Deadline: “As a trade union we take our
A doctor who named himself after a Star Wars character while dealing drugs has been jailed for a second time. Shoaib Ahmad sold fake versions of the anxiety-reducing medication Xanax, cannabis and ecstasy online.
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