The BBC’s iconic sci-fi series Doctor Who will soon be looking for a new global streaming home. Disney+ has officially ended its partnership with the broadcaster, concluding a two-season deal that made the streamer the international home for the show outside the U.K. and Ireland.
Despite the split, the BBC has reaffirmed its commitment to the long-running franchise. The next Doctor Who installment will arrive as a Christmas special in 2026, written by returning showrunner Russell T Davies.
“We’d like to thank Disney+ for being terrific global partners and collaborators over the past two seasons, and for the upcoming [spinoff series] The War Between the Land and the Sea,” said Lindsay Salt, director of drama at the BBC. “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 2022 deal between Disney+ and the BBC covered two seasons of Doctor Who starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, along with the upcoming spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea. Disney+ will continue streaming those seasons and related specials in existing territories but will no longer carry new installments.
Gatwa’s tenure as the Doctor ended with the most recent season’s finale in May, which concluded with the character regenerating into the form of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) — the beloved companion from the Ninth and Tenth Doctor eras. The BBC has yet to confirm whether Piper will take on the mantle of the next Doctor, but if she does, she will become only the second woman to portray the Time Lord after Jodie Whittaker’s groundbreaking run from 2018 to 2022.
Industry observers had anticipated Disney’s exit for months, as the original deal only extended through two seasons and the company had remained silent on the show’s future. While Doctor Who maintained a loyal fan base on Disney+, it didn’t reach the platform’s top-performing franchises such as Star Wars or Marvel, never breaking into Nielsen’s top 10 streaming originals during its run.
For now, the Doctor’s next destination remains unknown — but with the BBC steering the TARDIS once again, fans can expect new adventures ahead in 2026 and beyond.
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