BBC Confirms End of Disney+ Partnership for Doctor Who as New Series Announced
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has revealed that it will be ending its partnership with Disney+ to stream Doctor Who after this year's Christmas special. The news comes as the long-running sci-fi series is set to return to BBC One in 2026, but with a revamped production schedule and budget.
A report released earlier this week stated that the show's international streaming deal had ended, leaving fans wondering about the future of the beloved character. There was no confirmation on who would play the Doctor next year or if Russell T Davies would be taking over as showrunner again.
The departure of Ncuti Gatwa, the 15th Doctor, has been a subject of speculation among fans. It is rumored that he briefly regenerated into Billie Piper's character in the final episode, "The Reality War," raising questions about her potential return to the role. However, Piper was not credited as "The Doctor" in the episode, leaving many to wonder if she will be taking on the iconic part once again.
Russell T Davies has written the upcoming Christmas special, and the BBC is eager to reassure fans that the show is not going anywhere. The corporation has announced plans for a new series, but no further details have been disclosed yet.
The news comes as a blow to Doctor Who's production team, which had enjoyed a significant boost in budget thanks to its partnership with Disney+. However, this deal did not propel the show to global streaming success that both parties may have hoped for.
The BBC has faced criticism from fans and critics alike regarding the show's dwindling viewership. The most recent series saw episodes pulling in fewer than 2 million viewers live on BBC One, a historic low for the long-running program.
As the production team moves forward with new plans, they will need to address issues such as production difficulties and controversy surrounding the departure of Ncuti Gatwa. Additionally, the corporation is exploring options for an animated version of Doctor Who aimed at preschool audiences, which would run independently from the main show on CBeebies.
With a revamped budget and renewed commitment from the BBC, fans will be eager to see what the future holds for this beloved sci-fi series.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has revealed that it will be ending its partnership with Disney+ to stream Doctor Who after this year's Christmas special. The news comes as the long-running sci-fi series is set to return to BBC One in 2026, but with a revamped production schedule and budget.
A report released earlier this week stated that the show's international streaming deal had ended, leaving fans wondering about the future of the beloved character. There was no confirmation on who would play the Doctor next year or if Russell T Davies would be taking over as showrunner again.
The departure of Ncuti Gatwa, the 15th Doctor, has been a subject of speculation among fans. It is rumored that he briefly regenerated into Billie Piper's character in the final episode, "The Reality War," raising questions about her potential return to the role. However, Piper was not credited as "The Doctor" in the episode, leaving many to wonder if she will be taking on the iconic part once again.
Russell T Davies has written the upcoming Christmas special, and the BBC is eager to reassure fans that the show is not going anywhere. The corporation has announced plans for a new series, but no further details have been disclosed yet.
The news comes as a blow to Doctor Who's production team, which had enjoyed a significant boost in budget thanks to its partnership with Disney+. However, this deal did not propel the show to global streaming success that both parties may have hoped for.
The BBC has faced criticism from fans and critics alike regarding the show's dwindling viewership. The most recent series saw episodes pulling in fewer than 2 million viewers live on BBC One, a historic low for the long-running program.
As the production team moves forward with new plans, they will need to address issues such as production difficulties and controversy surrounding the departure of Ncuti Gatwa. Additionally, the corporation is exploring options for an animated version of Doctor Who aimed at preschool audiences, which would run independently from the main show on CBeebies.
With a revamped budget and renewed commitment from the BBC, fans will be eager to see what the future holds for this beloved sci-fi series.
just read that the BBC is ending their partnership with Disney+ for Doctor Who 
guess all those rumors about Ncuti Gatwa's departure are true 
also, no new details on who'll play the next doc yet 
but one thing's for sure, Russell T Davies is back to write that Christmas special 
and the BBC is revamping production with a new budget 
fans are gonna be super curious about what's happening next 
hope they can get it right this time 
I'm all for drama, but not when it comes to our fave sci-fi show. The BBC should be more transparent about this stuff.
I mean, I love a good animated episode as much as the next fan, but can we please prioritize the main series first? It's been around for decades, after all. Let's not forget what made it great in the first place! 
... like that's gonna magically fix the show's viewership issues 
... anyway, i'm kinda stoked Ncuti Gatwa got to leave the role - he was getting too old for his own good 
... and can we please just get some actual new Doctors instead of rehashing the same old characters? 
... billie pierre's return would be awesome tho! 
.
! And I feel like the show needs some kinda shake-up, you know? Maybe this new series will bring some excitement to the long-running program 
just found out that Disney+ is no longer partnering with BBC for Doctor Who 
guess you can never predict these things and now it looks like the show will be going back to its roots on BBC One 
hope this new chapter will bring some much-needed changes to the series 
cant believe dey end partnership wit disney+. u think wot happn 2 ncuti gatwa next? & billie piper? my heart go out 2 rupert devine hes my boy 
i trust dat russell t davies bring back da magic 
& cant wait 4 new series in 2026. maybe dey go make animated show 4 preschool kids & make me look bad lol 
his regeneration into billie pierre's character was lowkey epic, but now i'm shipping him and the doctor again 
seems like a pretty abrupt decision considering they already cut ncuti gatwa from the final ep... and russell t davies was pretty vocal about how much he wanted to get back behind the show's reins 
i'm not sure what to make of this whole thing, but i do know one thing - fans are gonna be watching closely to see how it all shakes out 
. russell t davies is back at the helm and he's got some big shoes to fill, but i trust him to bring something special 
. lets get ready for an epic return of the doctor! 
and an animated show on cbeebies sounds like a great way to bring the doctor who universe to new fans 
fingers crossed they can get the production team back on track and make some magic happen 
over a 2-year period! Meanwhile, the BBC reportedly lost around $50M due to their own distribution costs 
it's not like they're missing out on anything 
. The revamped series is expected to have a much higher budget, so fingers crossed they can pull in some decent numbers 
new series coming up in 2026 and russia t davies is back as showrunner can't wait to see what he has in store 
the animated version for preschoolers sounds like a great idea too 
. Perhaps a return to form with Russell T Davies at the helm would be just what Doctor Who needs to regain some of its former glory 
.
i've been loving doctor who since like ever and now it's gonna be on bbc one again? 
so fingers crossed he brings some magic to the show... and maybe billie piper will make a comeback as the doctor who knows what would be lit 
. And what's up with Ncuti Gatwa leaving as the Doctor? It feels like a major plot twist in an episode (pun intended) 
, and they get the budget sorted 