Disney Is No Longer Backing ‘Doctor Who’

The BBC has confirmed, after months of speculation, that Doctor Who will return at Christmas next year—and when it does, it’ll do so without the support of Disney.

The British broadcaster confirmed in a statement today that after two seasons (and the upcoming spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea) Disney will not renew its partnership to cofund and distribute Doctor Who. The show will return at Christmas 2026, for a new special written by current showrunner 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. 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,” Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama for the BBC, said in the statement.

“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 BBC has yet to confirm whether Davies will carry on as Doctor Who‘s showrunner, or who will actually star in the 2026 special. The 2025 season concluded with Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor making a surprise exit, regenerating into the appearance of Billie Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler when the show returned after decades of hiatus in 2005.

This story is updating…

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