Disney+ is officially ending its partnership with BBC to host Doctor Who after two seasons

I’m not surprised, to be honest. After months of rumors, it’s been confirmed that Disney+ is exiting its partnership with BBC to host Doctor Who. The termination comes after Disney hosted two seasons of the long-running sci-fi show, as well as a spin-off titled “The War Between the Land and Sea.”

While it sucks not to have the convenience of watching Doctor Who on Disney+, this news does not come as a surprise for Whovians able to read the tea leaves, thankfully, the BBC says the show will continue across the pond and will return with a Christmas special in 2026, penned by showrunner Russell T. Davies. The BBC says details about new episodes of Doctor Who are forthcoming, as well as plans for the preschool kids’ program.

BBC drama director Lindsay Salt thanked 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,” she added. “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.”

More than a year ago, Deadline began digging into the fate of Doctor Who on Disney+, with sources saying the show was barely hanging on at the mouse-eared streaming network. At nearly the same time, Ncuti Gatwa, the 15th Doctor, seemingly handed over the keys to the T.A.R.D.I.S. to Billy Piper’s Rose Tyler. Gatwa’s exit was mysterious, and the idea that he blamed burnout for the departure did not sit well with fans.

What do you think about Doctor Who exiting its partnership with Disney+? As I’d said, I’ll be sad not to have the show all in one convenient place, but that’s about the long and the short of it. I never thought Disney was the right fit for Doctor Who. The show is a bit too radical for Disney’s corporate sensitivities, and they’ve done next to nothing to promote new episodes to new and existing fans. Oh, well. Exterminate the contract and bring the Doctor home, I say!

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