The fate of “Doctor Who” has been revealed, with Disney+ officially exiting the series after its two-season partnership with the BBC.
After months of speculation as to where the long-running sci-fi show would be headed following lead Ncuti Gatwa’s departure in May and without a Season 3 renewal, the BBC has announced that it will be moving forward with a new Christmas special in 2026 penned by series stalwart Russell T Davies.
“We’d like to thank Disney+ for being terrific global partners and collaborators over the past two seasons, and for the upcoming ‘The War Between the Land and the Sea,’” Lindsay Salt, director of drama at the BBC, said in a statement. “The BBC remains fully committed to ‘Doctor Who,’ which continues to be one of our most loved dramas, and we are delighted that Russell T Davies has agreed to write us another spectacular Christmas special for 2026. We can assure fans, the Doctor is not going anywhere, and we will be announcing plans for the next series in due course which will ensure the TARDIS remains at the heart of the BBC.”
“The War Between the Land and the Sea,” a “Doctor Who” spinoff starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, is due on Disney+ as well as BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year. A brand-new “Doctor Who” animated series is also in development at CBeebies, the BBC’s kids’ channel.
It remains to be seen who will be stepping into the iconic Doctor’s shoes after Gatwa’s two-season stint. The Season 2 finale saw Gatwa’s Doctor regenerate into Billie Piper, who previously played companion Rose Tyler in Series 1 (2005) and Series 2 (2006), though it has not been confirmed if she will be the next Doctor.
Said Tyler in a statement to the BBC after the Season 2 finale: “It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse as I have some of my best memories there, so to be given the opportunity to step back on that Tardis one more time was just something I couldn’t refuse, but who, how, why and when, you’ll just have to wait and see.”
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