BBC 'fully committed' to Doctor Who as Disney+ to end participation in show

The BBC has said it is “fully committed” to Doctor Who after it was announced that Disney+ is ending its participation in the show for the next series.

Disney+ has been the the home of the sci-fi show outside the UK for the past two series.

Disney also partnered with the corporation on upcoming show The War Between The Land And The Sea, which is a spin-off of Doctor Who.

However, the BBC confirmed the show will continue and will return with a Christmas special written by Russell T Davies next year.

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.”

The War Between The Land And The Sea, starring Russell Tovey, will be on BBC iPlayer and BBC One later this year, while a new animated series for CBeebies is in development.

The Doctor was most recently played by Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa in two series and two specials.

His final episode aired in May and he appeared to be replaced by former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper when his character regenerated.