Don't Expect to See More Doctor Who for a While

The galaxy-hopping hero of Doctor Who has survived many narrow escapes and reinventions over more than 60 years. But is time finally up for the BBC science fiction series that has entertained generations? The British broadcaster has canceled a Christmas special previously announced for later this year, and showrunner Russell T Davies has confirmed his exit, per the AP. Davies had been due to write the Christmas episode, announced when the last season ended in May 2025.

The BBC said on Wednesday that it, Davies, and production company Bad Wolf "have collectively decided not to go ahead" with the Christmas episode. The broadcaster said it was determined "to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show" and that it would put out a tender for production companies to work on the series. A deal between the BBC and Disney+ to co-produce and distribute the show ended in 2025 after two seasons. Sources tell Deadline that "it was a mutual parting of the ways" after all involved parties realized the show needed an overhaul—a reworking they say will likely keep the show off the air until at least 2028.

First broadcast in 1963, Doctor Who follows the adventures of a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in the TARDIS, a time-and-space machine that from the outside resembles a mid-20th-century British police telephone booth, per the AP. The show's longevity is due in part to its premise: The central character can regenerate into a new body when the old one wears out, so the show can outlive any individual star. More than a dozen actors have played the role, most recently Ncuti Gatwa.

Davies, who revived the show in 2005 after a 16-year hiatus and returned as showrunner in 2022, said the Christmas episode hadn't been written and no actor had been approached to play the central doctor role. Davies, who has also written dramas including Queer as Folk, It's a Sin, and the recent Tip Toe, said the show's future was still unknowable in an Instagram post. "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!" Davies wrote. "It's all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who, exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future."