- Doctor Who‘s future on Disney+ has been addressed
- Disney has ended its partnership with the BBC over the iconic sci-fi show
- The entertainment giant has confirmed if the Ncuti Gatwa era will stay on the platform
Disney has commented on Doctor Who‘s Disney+ future after the entertainment titan ended its partnership with the BBC over the iconic sci-fi show.
Yesterday (October 28), the BBC provided a long-overdue update on the long-running program after last season’s incredibly divisive finale left its future uncertain.
In summary, Doctor Who will return in 2026 for another Christmas special, with said episode all but certain to be shown on BBC One / BBC iPlayer in the UK. However, Disney won’t be involved in that or future seasons after its collaboration with the BBC came to an end after two seasons.
News that Disney won’t co-produce more installments of the Time Lord-fronted show has caused concern among Whovians worldwide.
Disney+ became Who’s new home when a landmark deal was struck between Disney and the BBC over the show in November 2022. That agreement didn’t permit Disney to show past seasons on its primary streaming platform outside of the UK, but it did mean Disney+ would be the home of Nu-Who for the foreseeable future in nations including the US and Australia.
With Disney deciding not to renew its deal with the BBC, though, some fans have expressed concern that it could only be a matter of time before Doctor Who is removed from the Disney+ library. After all, other TV Originals have been permanently erased from the back catalog of one of the world’s best streaming services in recent years, including fan-favorite projects like Willow, and new Disney+ movies like Crater.
Thankfully, Whovians can breathe a sight of relief for the time being. I reached out to Disney for comment on Doctor Who‘s future on the service and a spokesperson told me that “where available, the first two seasons and specials will remain available on Disney+”.
The same is true of the forthcoming Doctor Who spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea. Asked if Disney+ would be the international home for that show, the same source said: “The War Between The Land And The Sea will stream on Disney+ in 2026.”
At the time of publication, it’s been less than 24 hours since Disney ended its partnership with the BBC over Doctor Who. The dust is yet to fully settle, then, on a story that’ll continue to dominate the news cycle in the days to come.
Right now, it’s still unclear why Disney walked away from its collaboration with the BBC. I asked my Disney+ source if it was for financial reasons, low viewership, a combination of both, or other mitigating factors, but they declined to comment. It’s a response I expected but, with fans discussing their theories about the partnership’s cancellation, and all kinds of rumors likely to surface in the wake of this announcement, Disney isn’t going to help itself by staying quiet.
Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see where Doctor Who materializes next in non-UK territories. The first 13 seasons following its 2005 revival continue to live on HBO Max in the US, so I’m curious to see if the BBC will try to strike a new rights deal with Warner Bros. for the 2026 Christmas special and future seasons. With Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav open to selling the entertainment behemoth to one of its rivals, though, that might be a non-starter.
So, where else could Doctor Who end up? Is Prime Video a possible destination? Or what about the show joining the acclaimed sci-fi ranks of Apple TV? Or should the BBC reach out to Netflix about an arrangement? The possibilities are, if not as endless as time and space, many – and, if nothing else, at least Whovians know their beloved series hasn’t regenerated for the final time.
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tom.power@futurenet.com (Tom Power)
