The BBC has confirmed that Doctor Who will return for a brand-new Christmas special in 2026, written by showrunner Russell T Davies. While Disney+ will no longer co-produce the next season, the BBC emphasized its full commitment to the long-running sci-fi series and assured fans that the Doctor’s adventures will continue.
We’d like to thank 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. 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.
Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama at the BBC, said
Before the 2026 Christmas special, fans can look forward to The War Between the Land and the Sea airing later this year on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, alongside a new animated Doctor Who series in development for CBeebies.
The 2026 Christmas episode will be produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios for the BBC.
Source: Doctor Who