Doctor Who Just Got a Very Disappointing Update (& Disney Is to Blame)

For months now, the future of Doctor Who has been a timey wimey uncertainty. After the departure of star Ncuti Gatwa, the series seemed to be in major trouble. Despite the BBC teaming up with The Walt Disney Company and Disney+ for two seasons and the upcoming spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, the sci-fi series was treading water. Just two weeks ago, a former writer for the series called the show “probably as dead as we’ve ever known.” Now, Doctor Who fans finally got an update on the future of the franchise, and it comes with news that may not surprise some fans, even if it is a major disappointment.

The BBC has confirmed in a new press release that Disney+ is no longer partnering with them on the new seasons of the series, officially ending the partnership after two years. It’s unclear if this conclusion of the partnership extends to the streaming rights to the series or is simply an end to the co-production of the show. Doctor Who isn’t going anywhere, though, at least, assuming the BBC can find a new creative partner.

Read Next

10 Most Rewatchable Episodes of Doctor Who Sci-Fi Fans Can’t Get Enough Of

Disney Dumps Doctor Who Partnership, But a New Christmas Special Is Confirmed

Disney officially ending this partnership for new seasons of Doctor Who doesn’t mean the end of the series just yet. The BBC has confirmed that a new Christmas special will be released in 2026, written by Russell T Davies. Despite this setback, the BBC notes they “remain fully committed to the show and will announce plans for the next series in due course to ensure the Doctor’s adventures continue.”

“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,” Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama, BBC said in a statement. “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 BBC also confirmed that The War Between the Land and the Sea will be released later this year on BBC iPlayer and BBC One, which appears to confirm it will not be present on Disney+. Furthermore, BBC notes “a brand-new animation series for CBeebies” is in the works, though it remains to be seen what that series will be about and how it will tie into the larger Doctor Who mythology.

Disney officially ending their partnership with Doctor Who and the BBC is a move that almost certainly comes down to cost. When the deal was first announced it came with impressively flowery language that the future of the series would be “a shared creative vision” that would deliver the hit series “to future generations on an unprecedented scale with Disney+.”

Despite this interest in backing a major genre franchise and trying to bolster Disney+ subscriptions worldwide, the response to the new (and expensive) series was lackluster. In a previous report from Deadline, a Disney insider told the trade that the new Doctor Who had done “Okay but not stellar,” which are not inspiring words, and make it clear why this partnership has ended.