Doctor Who is now officially returning to screens with a Christmas special in 2026, but the long-running sci-fi show still has a huge decision to make before its comeback. In fact, the biggest problem that needs to be solved has been faced by Doctor Who before. In 2013, the BBC had an issue that was pretty much identical to the one it's facing right now.
2013's "The Day of the Doctor" marked Doctor Who's 50th anniversary. While it's remembered as one of the show's best ever episodes, then-showrunner Steven Moffat spent the writing process exploring various avenues when it came to what the special would be about. It ended up being a thrilling multi-Doctor story, but some very different versions of the script were also considered.
On paper, Doctor Who's 2026 return isn't quite as momentous an occasion as "The Day of the Doctor," but it also sort of is. The 2013 special marked a major milestone for the show, while the upcoming festive installment is mostly a shot at redemption after the divisive Disney era. Still, the episodes both share the same fascinating behind-the-scenes struggle.
Steven Moffat almost didn't have a Doctor actor under contract for the 50th anniversary special
"The Day of the Doctor" brought together David Tennant as Ten and Matt Smith as Eleven, but it also featured John Hurt as the War Doctor for his only real appearance in the show. However, Moffat was forced to pen a contingency script that featured no familiar faces when it came to Doctor actors. As he mentioned in a Radio Times interview, the only actor Moffat had under contract at the time was Jenna Coleman. So, Coleman almost led the episode as Clara, while the role of the Doctor was to be shared by various guest stars as she searched for the Time Lord.
It sounds like a compelling premise, but I'm glad that Moffat managed to bring in the actors he did — even if Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor was originally supposed to fill the spot that ended up being occupied by Hurt. Having a newcomer like Hurt step in to lead the cast for the 50th anniversary special would have been cool, but not quite the same as getting to witness his team-up with Smith and Tennant. Twelve years later, Russell T Davies finds himself in a position similar to Moffat, only worse.
Doctor Who currently has no one to lead the 2026 Christmas special
Just as Moffat was fighting a quiet battle to recruit actors for the 50th anniversary, Davies also has no one under contract to play the Doctor when the show returns next year. Ncuti Gatwa's exit as the Fifteenth Doctor drew a line under his era, so it's highly unlikely that he'll be returning as Fifteen in 2026 — as much as I'd love that.
What makes Davies' situation even more challenging than Moffat's is that the former even lacks a familiar companion, so the latter's contingency of having a Clara-esque character step in to lead the cast also isn't possible at the moment. Varada Sethu's Belinda Chandra is the most recent companion, but she also left the show along with Gatwa in "The Reality War."
So, while there was an expectation that Smith and Coleman would continue their respective runs as Eleven and Clara for "The Day of the Doctor," the opposite is true for Gatwa and Sethu for the 2026 special. The latter two actors have cut ties with Doctor Who for now, so Davies is in a trickier scenario than Moffat was in 2013. There are several possibilities when it comes to who could play the Doctor when the upcoming special airs, but I'm starting to doubt it'll be a face that's all that familiar.
Doctor Who's 2026 comeback episode is arguably more important than 'The Day of the Doctor'
The Steven Moffat era is loved almost universally by Whovians, especially when Matt Smith was the show's star. So, there was little doubt that the 50th anniversary special would be anything but amazing, especially paired with the return of David Tennant. It was an important occasion in terms of celebrating the show's longevity, but also for its huge introductions to the franchise's canon.
The upcoming festival installment, however, surely has a lot more riding on it. While Davies' second stint as Doctor Who showrunner has had some great moments, there have also been a bunch of questionable episodes with twists that seem included simply for the sake of shock value without being properly thought out. It's unclear how much of this was due to Disney's input, if any, and how much of it was Davies acting without oversight.
So, with the Disney deal now in the rearview window, Davies has a chance to restore Doctor Who's reputation as the slick sci-fi drama it's always capable of being. While the news of the 2026 special also came with the announcement that another full season is on the way, it'll be tough the justify the decision to bring Doctor Who back so soon if the Christmas adventure still isn't up to scratch.
Thankfully, there is recent evidence of RTD's talent for writing Doctor-less episodes
The Doctor is, understandably, pretty much always a central character in Doctor Who. That said, there have been occasions, especially since the 2005 revival, when the show has focused on other protagonists so much that the Doctor becomes largely absent in his own show. The concept of the 'Doctor-lite' episode originated during Davies' first spell in charge, and he hasn't lost his touch when penning this variety of adventure.
Since his return, Davies has written most Doctor Who episodes, but two standouts are "73 Yards" and "Dot and Bubble." He's also credited as a producer for "Lucky Day." All three of these installments are among the show's best efforts in recent years, and the Doctor has almost no screen time in any of them. So, if Davies is forced to write the special without a Doctor, as Moffat almost did in 2013, I'm confident that the showrunner's script for Doctor Who's comeback will still be great.
Doctor Who is set to return on Christmas Day, 2026.