What we know about Doctor Who's future at the BBC
The BBC has been the home of Doctor Who ever since it first began airing in 1963, but the show's future has been put into question.
Ncuti Gatwa portrays the 15th iteration of The Doctor, with the Time Lord embarking on new adventures after David Tennant's 14th Doctor regenerated at the end of the 60th Anniversary specials in 2023. The actor has delighted viewers with his upbeat, empathetic Doctor and he will soon return for his second full series in the role.
In short, yes the series has not been "axed" as claimed by The Sun, the BBC has denied reports from the publication which claimed that the show would not return for a third series because of poor ratings.
The Sun also claimed that Gatwa has "several Hollywood projects standing by for him" and so is poised to leave the BBC production as he doesn't want to be "tied down" by it.
However a BBC spokesperson has refuted these claims. They told Yahoo UK: "This story is incorrect, Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs.
"The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes - and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines."
Therefore we can surmise that Doctor Who will return for season 2 in 2025, and it is expected that a Christmas special will also air during the festive season. However news on a third season with Gatwa will only be announced following the release of season 2.
Yahoo has contacted Ncuti Gatwa's representatives for further comment.
Disney+ has the exclusive rights to stream the BBC show in international territories, with the show's entire back catalogue, named the Whoniverse, also available. In the UK the show is available on BBC iPlayer, with the new deal meaning that new episodes are released on the streaming platform at midnight before it airs in the evening on BBC One.
Speaking about the deal in 2023 Charlotte Moore, the BBC's Chief Content Officer, said they were "joining forces" with Disney to "elevate the show to even greater heights and reach new audiences so it's an extremely exciting time for fans in the UK and across the world."
The deal between the BBC and Disney over Doctor Who, as explained above, gives the latter streaming rights to 26 new episodes alongside the back catalogue.
10 episodes have aired so far in Gatwa's era as The Doctor —including the Christmas specials— and there were also three episodes for the 60th Anniversary special. This leaves 13 episodes still to air with Disney+'s backing, as explained by the BBC.
So if the Disney+ ends does that mean that Doctor Who is over? No, it doesn't. Disney+ don't own Doctor Who so regardless of whether the deal continues or not the BBC still retain the rights to the series and will be able to continue the show.
What it would mean is that the BBC would not have the financial support of Disney, which Deadline previously reported was a £10m investment per episode. This could result in some changes to the show in terms of star power (guest cast or otherwise) and visual effects budget — but we don't know anything for sure.
The aforementioned report from Deadline in July 2024 analysed whether the Disney deal had paid off for the BBC, with the publication reporting that the show's future with Disney was hanging in the balance. It was claimed that ratings were a disappointment for Gatwa's first full season, with overnight viewership down 1.5 million per episode compared to Jodie Whittaker's last outing as The Doctor.
However, a BBC spokesperson told Deadline that overnight ratings weren't a concern anymore because the series is now readily available on BBC iPlayer, which had an impact. Thus it is unclear how viewership might have an effect on the Disney deal.
Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, and series 2 of Ncuti Gatwa's era will premiere on BBC in the UK in 2025.
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