Disney and Doctor Who have come to a parting of the ways.
Disney has decided not to go forward as a co-producing partner of the BBC’s iconic science-fiction series Doctor Who, it was announced today. Disney and the BBC entered into a partnership to co-produce the series in 2022, with an agreement for two seasons of the series plus a five-episode spinoff series. Ncuti Gatwa was tapped to play the latest incarnation of the time-traveling adventurer known only as the Doctor. The two seasons were broadcast on the BBC in the United Kingdom and Ireland, while being made available on the Disney+ streaming service everywhere else.
For its part, the BBC has reaffirmed its commitment to the show, stating that current showrunner Russell T Davies is already working on a Christmas special for next year. Disney still has the five-part spinoff series The War Between The Land And The Sea, set to air on Disney+ early next year.
In a statement, director of drama at the BBC Lindsay Salt said –
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. 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 decision as to whether or not Disney and the BBC would continue their partnership has been anticipated for some time now. It’s delay led Gatwa to decide to leave the role earlier this year to pursue several acting opportunities he was being offered rather than having to wait to find out what his Doctor Who work schedule may be.
His departure did lead to the show having to restructure its second season finale, wrapping up storylines that were intended to extend into a hypothetical third season. The show ended on a cliffhanger that saw Gatwa’s Doctor regenerating into their next incarnation, who surprisingly looked like Rose Tyler, a previous Doctor’s companion as played by Billie Piper. Presumably this head-scratching development will be addressed for fans in next year’s Christmas special.
