"There's no update" on Doctor Who's future, says BBC commissioners, but the sci-fi show will continue "with or without Disney"

Doctor Who's second season ended back in May with a surprise regeneration for Ncuti Gatwa's Time Lord. Following the cliffhanger reveal of Gatwa's replacement – seemingly Billie Piper, who previously starred in the sci-fi show as Rose Tyler – however, things have gone unnervingly quiet on the Who front, as the BBC waits to learn if its co-production deal with Disney Plus will be renewed.

Now, a pair of senior BBC staff have candidly addressed the future of the series. Speaking at the annual Edinburgh TV Festival, the BBC's chief content officer Kate Phillips reassured fans, saying, "Any Whovians out there, rest assured – Doctor Who is going nowhere. Disney has been a great partnership and it continues with The War Between the Land and the Sea next year," referring to an upcoming spinoff focused on UNIT, the organization that often helps the Doctor defend Earth from alien foes. "But, going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC," she concluded.

Later in the same talk, the BBC's director of drama, Lindsay Salt, stated that "there's no update at the moment." She went on to stress that the BBC remains committed to the series, calling the brand "hugely important to us."

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The BBC and Disney Branded Television made headlines back in October 2022 when they revealed a partnership to bring new episodes of the 62-year-old British series to Disney Plus worldwide, except in the UK where the show continues to be broadcast on BBC 1 and BBC iPlayer. The season numbering was reset, with Ncuti Gatwa's first year as the Doctor referred to as season one.

Showrunner Russell T. Davies later revealed that the Disney deal encompassed two seasons of the main show (both of which have now broadcast) and one season of The War Between the Land and the Sea, which Phillips's comments seem to indicate will not be broadcast until 2026.

Fans have continued to speculate that a decision has already been made one way or another about the future of the show, but Davies has previously said – on multiple occasions – that this is not the case. Writing in Doctor Who Magazine in June this year, the showrunner admitted, "We don’t know what's happening yet... Hopefully, we'll have news soon."

Doctor Who season 2, also known as the 15th season, is now streaming on BBC in the UK and Disney Plus in the US. For more, check out our list of some of the best sci-fi movies of all time, and all the upcoming best TV shows in 2025 and beyond.