TV news: ‘Doctor Who’ returning Christmas 2026 without Disney
The BBC confirmed Tuesday that flagship science fiction show Doctor Who will return to British television screens for Christmas 2026.
However, a brief partnership with Disney will not continue.
Film News Blitz’s Dan Lawrence discusses the future of Doctor Who.
Where things were left when we last saw the Doctor
The second full season of the BBC’s partnership with Disney on Doctor Who came to an end earlier this year with a surprise regeneration.
Ncuti Gatwa, who had been expected to continue in the show, was subject to a change of heart, forcing showrunner Russell T Davies into a surprise end-of-season regeneration.
Speculation suggests that Gatwa was unwilling to wait for the show’s future to be determined, with a promising acting career in need of progression.
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So ahead of time, Gatwa’s face faded and, in a shock twist, moulded into the form of former companion Billie Piper.
This Hail Mary regeneration added to a heap of questions, with no further episodes of Doctor Who scheduled, and the yet-to-air spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, the only confirmed forthcoming release from the Disney partnership.
We now know that will be the last of this fleeting merger.
‘Doctor Who’ will return
The BBC has consistently been outspoken about Doctor Who being a mainstay, whether with or without Disney, and it is forging ahead without the House of Mouse.
To reconcile these changes and to allow Davies time to mull over the shock twist delivered the last time we saw the TARDIS, the Welshman will pen a script for Christmas next year.
“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,” said Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama, BBC.
“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 closing remarks point towards a proper full season in the wake of next year’s Christmas special, and no doubt, between now and then, information will be delivered suggesting who will be piloting the TARDIS full-time and when.
Davies’ future as showrunner isn’t confirmed beyond the Christmas special, but plans for the seasons beyond for the BBC will no doubt clear up whether he will continue.
The 2026 Christmas special will be produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC.
What ‘Doctor Who’ needs moving forward
The return of Davies as showrunner has seen Doctor Who looking back, far more than it has looked forward.
First, there was the 60th Anniversary specials with the beloved David Tennant reprising his role as The Doctor, and Gatwa’s tenure was bookended by another face from Davies’ first stint as showrunner, Piper, returning.
The show has always succeeded by looking ahead, with regeneration bringing a new face and new ideas.
This is something that, from Christmas 2026 and beyond, should be embraced wholeheartedly, and hopefully the surprise appearance of Piper in the TARDIS can be explained swiftly so Doctor Who can look to the future.
Moreover, Disney’s place as the international distributor of Doctor Who for the past two seasons prompted a perplexing release schedule.
First, in 2024, episodes were released at the stroke of midnight, as Fridays came to a close, on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ internationally, several hours ahead of the traditional Saturday evening slot on BBC One.
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This was critiqued by some fans, who felt forced to watch the early streaming release for fear of spoilers by the time the TV release came around.
The streaming first strategy continued in 2025, albeit pushed back a bit further from midnight to the early hours of Saturday mornings.
In a perfect world, Doctor Who’s return will be a simulatanoeus Saturday primetime release across BBC One and iPlayer, and if a new international streaming partner is found, they can abide by this strategy.
Furthermore, pairing Doctor Who in the BBC One schedule with a popular favourite such as The Traitors or Strictly Come Dancing, while fanciful these days, would further boost the show’s stature upon its return.
Without Disney, the BBC won’t have as much money to produce episodes of Doctor Who, but that hasn’t hurt it in the past, especially when the writing is at its best.
Here’s hoping for a return to less CGI, leaning consistently on the talented production talents of those in Wales, and exemplary writing that have made Doctor Who endure for over six decades.
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