'Doctor Who' is primed to be bigger than ever. How Bad Wolf is helping lead the charge

LOS ANGELES — Bad Wolf, the name of the production company founded by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, is a "Doctor Who" reference.

Before teaming up for this joint venture in 2015, the industry veterans had worked together for years in various roles at the BBC and BBC Worldwide. One of their earliest projects was the 2005 "Doctor Who" revival from showrunner Russell T Davies.

Those who've watched that first season will pick up on the reference — a message scattered throughout time and space to lead the show's time-hopping heroes to a specific moment. For Tranter and Gardner, calling their company Bad Wolf was an acknowledgment that their professional journeys had always been leading up to its founding.

What the name wasn't, however, was "an indication that we had set up Bad Wolf with the idea that we would ever be making 'Doctor Who,'" says Tranter during a joint video call with Gardner. But "'Doctor Who' came along and it was unexpected [but] it's a very welcome experience."

"I'm still in shock years later," added