It's a brave new age for Doctor Who, and the beloved sci-fi is series already in spinoff territiory. There's a live-action spinoff called The War Between the Land and the Sea on the way, and now the BBC has revealed a new, animated series aimed at children.
This wouldn't be the first time that there's been a Doctor Who spinoff aimed specifically at much younger audiences. Fans may remember The Sarah Jane Adventures, which began in 2007 and ran for five seasons. While it heavily focused on appealing to juvenile audiences, it also attracted fans of the main series. The show still maintains a cult status within the fandom.
The new animated Doctor Who show will run on the BBC's children's channel CBeebies. The series would run independently of the main show. In a statement at the BBC, Patricia Hidalgo, Director of Children’s and Education, said:
""Everyone is welcome at CBeebies, including the Doctor! This much-loved franchise entertains millions around the world, so it is only right that our younger audience get to experience the wonder and the magic of the Doctor in a brand new format. This is an extremely exciting opportunity, and we are looking forward to welcoming companies to pitch for this new project, as we continue our commitment and investment in the UK’s animation industry.""
The project will "see the Doctor traveling through time and space for the pre-school audience, solving mysteries and problems alongside their companions and other friends," according to the tagline. "And, of course, they may come up against one or two challenges on their way."
It's currently unclear who the Doctor will be in the animated series. Will Ncuti Gatwa reprise his role as the Fifteenth Doctor? Will it be our new Doctor, Billie Piper, into whom Gatwa regenerated at the end of the latest season of the main show? Will it be an older Doctor from the show's past, or will it be someone completely new? Given that it will run independently of the main series, I'm betting it could be someone brand new.
On the live-action side of things, The War Between the Land and the Sea follows the team at UNIT as they face down the Sea Devils, who want to wage war on all things land-dwelling. There's no firm release date for that show set as of yet, but it should be out on the BBC and Disney+ later this year.
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