The BBC had some difficult news for the worlds longest running Science Fiction franchise.

It wasn’t too long ago when the skies looked limitless for the reboot of Doctor Who. Since relaunching in 2005 the show has received critical acclaim and a fast-growing fan base. When the show’s star writer Stephen Moffat took over as executive producer a few years back, it seemed like the dawning of a new golden age.

Unfortunately things haven’t quite worked out that way. The show has struggled in the last few seasons. Viewership has diminished. Many critics now look the other way at any mention of the series, pretending they didn’t hear.

The BBC announced Monday it will drastically cut the budget for the upcoming season. But they hope this will ultimately save the show. It is a two pronged effort. The budget cuts will allow the show to continue for now, executives will be less inclined to see it as a money pit and call for cancellation. It will also mean the end of the high-tech big-budget production the show has enjoyed since returning to television.

Some BBC insiders are looking forward to the new series, anticipating a return to the classic look from the 1960s and ’70s. The original show has long been infamous for it’s cheap and cheesy special effects and unconvincing costumes.

Also returning this season is Billie Piper as Rose Tyler. A BBC producer who wishes to remain anonymous informed us of her return, “She just showed up on set every bloody morning, begging to be back on the show.”

Apparently Ms. Piper offered to work for free, and the network could hardly refuse. Rose will be in six of the twelve stories planned for the upcoming season. But Billie Piper will also appear in the rest of the episodes playing a variety of roles. She will play a space-ghost in one episode, with a bed sheet draped over her and holes cut out for eyes. In another she will portray a time-mummy, wrapped up tight in toilet paper. And in one episode the Doctor reverses her polarity and she becomes Evil Rose Tyler, sporting a black goatee.