VOD News | On 01, Nov 2025

Disney is officially departing Doctor Who, with the BBC set to continue the show without its USA counterpart.

The long-running sci-fi series got an unexpected but logical bump in budget in 2022, when Disney joined the programme as a co-producer, just as Sex Education’s breakout star Ncuti Gatwa stepped into the TARDIS to take on the role of the Time Lord. The plan to Marvel-ise the franchise into an expansive IP was a natural fit, thanks to the show’s sizeable backlog, copious spin-off series and family-friendly appeal – with the show also coming with the new framing of the Whoniverse to boot.

Since then, though, rumours have been circulating that the series didn’t quite take off in the way that was expected in the States, where Disney would have been hoping to see the show grow beyond its existing fanbase. Now, after the end of Gatwa’s second season, the BBC has confirmed that there has been a conscious uncoupling between the two giants.

Nonetheless, the BBC remains committed to the programme, with a Christmas Special set for 2026, penned by Russell T Davies. Meanwhile, the spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea has been brought forwards to air sooner than planned, with a release date later this year. A new animation series for CBeebies is also in development.

Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama at the BBC, 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.”

Watch the trailer for The War Between the Land and the Sea here – and explore The Whoniverse with our Whoniverse channel.

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