It’s been a tense wait for Whovians across the nation as they await news of the future of the beloved Time Lord show, and a BBC Studios boss has now broken their silence on the matter.
The latest series of Doctor Who, which aired in May last year, saw Ncuti Gatwa step into the iconic shoes as the fifteenth Doctor, alongside Millie Gibson as his companion Ruby Sunday (and later Varada Sethu as Belinda). But his time on the sci-fi series came to an end when viewers saw him regenerate into longtime show favourite Billie Piper, who played Rose Tyler.
The surprise ending left fans teetering on a cliffhanger, which was felt even further after an announcement in October that Disney would no longer partner with the show for future seasons.
While a Christmas special was confirmed by showrunner Russell T Davies to be on the horizon, a BBC Studios executive has now spoken about plans for the show beyond that. Keep reading to get the details…
Is Doctor Who coming back?
Zai Bennett, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of BBC Studios Global Content, spoke to Deadline about the future of Doctor Who, in which he clarified he “won’t speak for the BBC” but asserted that “we’re all in it together” when thinking about the future of the show.
“We’re a big important part of Doctor Who and are all motivated to make sure Doctor Who has a long and flourishing life,” he said. “We’ve got the Christmas special coming. After that, it’s time for us all to work on it.”
This echoes the sentiment of Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama at the BBC, back in October, when she thanked Disney for their partnership for two seasons. “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.
© BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Danny Kasirye“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.”
As for when fans can expect the new season after the Christmas special, however, remains unknown.
What is the Doctor Who Christmas special about?
While details are being kept under wraps for the Christmas special, some fans suspect Billie Piper may make an appearance following her regeneration in the finale episode.
© Photo: RexReflecting on her surprise reappearance, Billie said: “It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse as I have some of my best memories there. So to be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn’t refuse, but who, how, why and when, you’ll just have to wait and see.”
Read the full article here
