The BBC has confirmed that Doctor Who will return with a 2026 Christmas special and a new series, but the show's international streaming partnership with Disney+ is ending. The announcement raises questions about the future of the long-running sci-fi series, including who will play the next Doctor and whether showrunner Russell T Davies will continue.
The final episode of the 2025 series, The Reality War, appeared to show Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor briefly regenerating into Billie Piper, who previously played companion Rose Tyler. However, Piper was not credited as the Doctor, leaving the casting of the iconic role unresolved. The BBC has not confirmed Davies's continued involvement as showrunner or whether production will remain with Bad Wolf in Cardiff.
Doctor Who has faced declining ratings, with recent episodes attracting fewer than 2 million live viewers on BBC One, a historic low. Even including iPlayer views after seven days, none of this year's episodes reached 4 million viewers. The Disney+ deal failed to make the show a global streaming hit, and its end will impact the BBC's budget for the series, which had benefited from a reported £10 million per episode—a figure Davies called 'exaggerated'.
Behind-the-scenes difficulties have also plagued the Gatwa era. His departure after just 18 episodes reportedly required reshoots of the season finale. Actress Carole Ann Ford, who returned as Susan, said only part of her filmed material was used due to Gatwa's exit. Companion Millie Gibson faced tabloid claims of being a 'diva', leading to her replacement by Varada Sethu. Lindsay Salt, BBC director of drama, assured fans: 'The Doctor is not going anywhere, and we will be announcing plans for the next series in due course.'
