‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special 2026 Canceled, Russell T Davies Exits

The BBC is no longer going ahead with a “Doctor Who” Christmas special this year as planned and is seeking new production partners.

Showrunner and writer Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf have officially exited the series as the BBC puts the show out to competitive tender. “‘Doctor Who’ remains an important part of the BBC and this tender underpins the BBC’s continued commitment to ‘Doctor Who’ ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come,” a release said on Wednesday.

Therefore, the previously announced Christmas special will also not be going forward. “This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one-off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory,” the release stated.

In a post on Instagram, Davies said goodbye to the show, which he led from 2005 to 2010 and again since 2023 in tandem with BBC’s co-production pact with Disney+. When Ncuti Gatwa departed the role of the Doctor after just two seasons last year, Disney+ exited the partnership and the series’ future has remained uncertain ever since.

“And so GOODBYE from me to Doctor Who but HELLO to a big new future for the show, as the BBC announces it’s putting the show out to tender. As a result, there won’t be a Christmas Special — we only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there’s no need for it,” Davies wrote. “You’ll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who… but you’ll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a one-off. So it’s worth it!”

He added: “For the record: there was no script, I never wrote it, and no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor. You may disagree; fine, sit in that chair and wait to be proved right. You’ll wait a lonnng time 🪑 Now I’m as excited as anyone to see what comes next! Will they keep the theme tune? Will they lose the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?! It’s all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who, exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future, vworp vworp.”

Gatwa’s final episode of “Doctor Who” in May 2025 saw his Doctor regenerate into Billie Piper, who previously played companion Rose Tyler from 2005-2006, though it was never confirmed if she was set to be the next Doctor.

In a statement to the BBC at the time, Tyler 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.”