BBC Reveals Doctor Who’s Future as Disney+ Officially Leaves

The BBC has dropped some big news about what’s next for Doctor Who now that Disney+ is officially ending its partnership with the series. Disney+ and the BBC teamed up to bring Doctor Who to viewers around the world, trying to give the show a grander scale with a bigger budget, akin to Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian.

However, the latest Doctor Who revival didn’t quite hit the mark with audiences, and there was some controversy over showrunner Russell T Davies’s storytelling approach. The surprise departure of Ncuti Gatwa in the Season 2 finale, regenerating as a female Doctor with Billie Piper’s face, added to the upheaval.

Now, the BBC has confirmed that Doctor Who will be back with a special episode in Christmas 2026, penned by Davies himself. It’s uncertain if this will be Davies’s swan song to bridge his iteration of the series with the next showrunner’s vision, but the BBC assures fans that the Doctor’s adventures aren’t over and plans for the next series will be announced in due time.

Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama at the BBC, expressed gratitude to Disney+ for their partnership and revealed that The War Between the Land and the Sea will be available on BBC iPlayer and BBC One later this year. A new animated series for CBeebies is also in the works, alongside the Doctor Who Christmas special produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios.

While it’s a relief that Doctor Who isn’t going anywhere, the future of the series with regards to potential streaming partnerships remains uncertain. For now, it seems like the BBC is keeping things in-house.