BBC Announces Date For 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special And Exit From Disney Partnership

TV & Film

Oct 30

Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor floating through space with a distraught look on his face — Image Source: *IMDb*

The Disney+ chapter of Doctor Who is coming to a close. Following the departure of Ncuti Gatwa, the actor of the Fifteenth Doctor, at the end of series 15 and the lack of a renewal announcement, many questioned what the future held for the series. As reported by Variety, the BBC has officially ended its partnership with Disney+ for its production of Doctor Who. A new partnership has not been announced at this time.

Not to worry, the future isn’t totally devoid of the Doctor. A Christmas special is in development. Written by Russell T Davies, it is planned for the 2026 season. A Doctor Who spin-off series, The War Between Land and Sea, is still on its way as well. While it doesn’t have an official release date, the projection is for a late 2025 release. Finally, there is an animated Doctor Who series in the works at the BBC children’s station CBeebies.

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former Doctor companion actress Billie Piper in the regeneration scene from episode The Reality War; Billie’s face is the next iteration of the Doctor, the sixteenth — Image Source: *IMDb*

BBC director of drama Lindsay Salt commented on the future of Doctor Who (via Variety), “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 director continued, reaffirming the corporation’s commitment to the IP, “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.” Salt closed off her statements with a reference to the future, “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.”

Series 14 and 15 of Doctor Who are available to stream on Disney+, along with four specials released between 2023 and 2024. The classic seasons of Doctor Who are available to stream for free on Tubi TV. A variety of episodes across the entire series can be streamed on BBC One.

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