Ncuti Gatwa's run as the star of Doctor Who ended in such a divisive way that it seemed unclear if the show was about to enter an unintended hiatus, but it's now been confirmed to be coming back sooner than many had anticipated. The Doctor Who website revealed on October 28, 2025, that the long-running sci-fi series is coming back for a Christmas special in 2026.
The episode in question, which will presumably air on Christmas Day of next year, will be penned by showrunner Russell T Davies. It will be the first installment since "The Reality War" saw Ncuti Gatwa regenerate into Billie Piper during a surprise twist that no one expected or seemed to even like.
The announcement also comes with a statement from BBC's Director of Drama, Lindsay Salt. Salt not only shared the news of Doctor Who's return but also confirmed that the studio would be moving forward without renewing its contract with Disney beyond the upcoming spinoff, The War Between the Land and Sea.
What Doctor Who's 2026 Christmas comeback means for the show's future
Lindsay Salt didn't just stop at announcing a 2026 Christmas special and the fact that Disney wouldn't be involved. She went on to explain that "The Doctor is not going anywhere," and that BBC will be "announcing plans for the next [season] in due course." So, Doctor Who isn't just coming back to help celebrate next year's festive season, but seems to be in the process of returning in full force.
Therefore, if you were worried (or pleased) that Doctor Who felt destined for a multi-year break after the mixed reviews of Gatwa's run, I'm here to tell you that the revival era is still alive and kicking, 20 years after Davies himself brought Doctor Who back to screens back in 2005. In fact, Salt is determined to ensure that the show "remains at the heart of the BBC."
The biggest question about Doctor Who's comeback hasn't yet been answered
I'm thrilled by the news that Doctor Who will be back in just over a year, but the reveal immediately has me wondering who will be playing the legendary Time Lord in the Christmas special. I'm sure I'm not the only one, either. Gatwa's regeneration sequence at the end of "The Reality War" makes it incredibly unlikely that he'll be returning to lead the show in 2026.
By extension, perhaps the most logical choice would be for Billie Piper to play the Doctor in the upcoming special. While it's not confirmed that Piper was actually playing the Doctor during the final seconds of "The Reality War," it's tough to deny that it remains a very real possibility. Personally, I hope that twist gets retconned in some way.
That leaves two main possibilities. The first is that the show's return will introduce a new actor to the lead role, and the other is that we will be treated to a THIRD return of a familiar face. David Tennant's most recent Doctor Who comeback was in 2022, about a year before he led all three 60th anniversary specials as the Fourteenth Doctor.
What's interesting about Fourteen is that he's still canonically in existence and living on Earth, separate from the "main" version of the Doctor. Furthermore, Davies quite obviously has an affinity for working with Tennant, so I wouldn't be surprised if the actor came back once again for the 2026 special while Davies searches for the show's next full-time star. The showrunner has already said that Tennant isn't coming back to Doctor Who, but that was well over a year ago, and a lot has changed since then.
Regardless, keep an eye out for the next Doctor Who Christmas Special on Christmas Day, 2026.