Doctor Who fans just got some much-needed news about the future of the iconic sci-fi show that may soothe fears.
With the show having wrapped up its latest season earlier in 2025, its future has been up in the air, with Davies himself saying he was uncertain of the show’s future and the possibility that Disney may drop the series. Thankfully, it sounds like the Doctor won’t be heading to cancellation just yet!
Doctor Who is not ending anytime soon
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, as reported by Deadline, Kate Phillips, newly installed as the BBC’s chief content officer, was quick to assure fans that there are no plans to cancel Doctor Who, no matter what Disney does.
“Rest assured, Doctor Who is going nowhere," Phillips stated. "Disney has been a great partnership — and it continues with The War Between The Land And The Sea next year — but going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC … The Tardis is going nowhere.”
Phillips refers to the upcoming The War Between the Land and the Sea miniseries, where UNIT faces off against the Doctor’s old foes, the Sea Devils. It sounds like the BBC and Disney might reevaluate their partnership, which would mean the series might no longer have exclusive Disney+ airings or the Disney budget.
The show's history
As a show that started in 1963, Doctor Who has seen some ups and downs over its long history. The series has fought for its budget and has often had issues with the BBC. The show was outright canceled in 1989, and it took until 2005 for a full revival to take place.
Since then, Doctor Who has continued its run, getting a big boost in 2023 by releasing on Disney+. That gave the show a larger budget, but the viewership has been iffy. Per Deadline, ratings for the last season averaged 3.2 million viewers over its eight episodes, which was half a million viewers down from the previous year. Meanwhile, season 13 in 2021 pulled in an average of 4.9 million viewers.
There have been complaints by fans over the show's direction under former showrunner Russell T. Davies, who returned with Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, the latter of whom ultimately received praise.
The last season had a huge shock for fans, however, with Gatwa leaving after just two seasons as the 15th Doctor. More stunning was the Doctor regenerating into a female form, played by Billie Piper. It’s unclear if this is somehow the return of Rose Tyler, Piper playing the 16th Doctor, or some other twist.
We’ll have to wait a bit for that to play out, but it’s no surprise that the BBC would want to keep on a show that’s been a sci-fi mainstay for six decades. To end it on that cliffhanger would be worse, and perhaps going back to a lower budget might help the show concentrate on stories more than visuals. Either way, for now, the TARDIS should be flying back on screens for a long while to come.
Doctor Who is streaming on Disney+.