The BBC will not produce the Doctor Who Christmas special scheduled for this year and is looking for new production partners for the series.
Showrunner and writer Russell T Davies, along with production company Bad Wolf, have officially left the project after the British broadcaster opened a bidding process. “‘Doctor Who’ remains an important part of the BBC and this bid reinforces the BBC’s ongoing commitment to ‘Doctor Who’, ensuring audiences can enjoy the series for many years to come,” said a statement released on Wednesday.
Therefore, the previously announced Christmas special will not happen either. “This decision was not made lightly and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but to prepare the series for future seasons, we have decided that rather than filling the gap with a one-off special, we will choose to invest in the long-term future of the series, ensuring that when the TARDIS lands again, it does so in all its glory,” the statement read.
In an Instagram post, Davies said goodbye to the series, which he led from 2005 to 2010 and again since 2023, in partnership with the BBC and Disney+. When Ncuti Gatwa left the role of the Doctor after just two seasons last year, Disney+ ended the partnership and the future of the series has remained uncertain ever since.
“So, GOODBYE from me to Doctor Who, but HELLO to a great future for the series, as the BBC has announced it will put out bidding to renew the rights. As a result, there will be no Christmas Special — we only invented it to secure a future when no one knew what would happen, but now that we know, there’s no need for it,” Davies wrote. “You’ll have to wait a little longer for new episodes of Doctor Who… but you’ll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a single episode. So it’s worth it!”
He added: “To be clear: there was no script, I never wrote it and no actor was even contacted to play the next Doctor. You can disagree; that’s fine, sit in that chair and wait to see if you’re proven right. You’re going to wait a looong time 🪑 Now I’m as eager as anyone to see what comes next! Will they keep the theme song? Will they get rid of the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?! Everything is up in the air, the which is so Doctor Who, exciting, unpredictable and new! Here comes the future, vworp vworp.”
In Gatwa’s final Doctor Who episode in May 2025, her Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper, who previously played companion Rose Tyler from 2005 to 2006, although it was never confirmed whether she would be the next Doctor.
In a statement to the BBC at the time, Tyler said: “It’s no secret how much I love this series, and I’ve always said I’d love to return to the Doctor Who universe as I have some of my fondest memories there. So having the opportunity to step back into that TARDIS once again was something I simply couldn’t turn down, but who, how, why and when, you’ll have to wait and see.”
Earlier this year, Bad Wolf co-founder Jane Tranter told Variety that the production company had only been hired to make 26 episodes. “Bad Wolf has been contracted by the BBC and Disney+, along with BBC Studios, to be the producer responsible for 26 episodes in this major deal with the BBC and Disney+…,” she said. “There was never any talk about more than that. That’s all we were contracted for and it’s already completed. Obviously we’ve talked about doing a Christmas special with the BBC. So negotiations about all of that are ongoing at the moment.”
