BBC axes ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas special as Russell T Davies leaves show
“This decision was not taken lightly,” said the BBC
By Nick Reilly
The BBC has announced the cancellation of Doctor Who‘s previously announced Christmas special for 2026, as well as confirming the departure of Russell T Davies as showrunner.
The corporation said the decision was taken “after careful consideration”, with showrunner Davies and production company Bad Wolf making a collective decision “not to go ahead” with the episode.
“This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory,” the BBC said in a statement.
It has also been confirmed that the BBC will be putting Doctor Who out to competitive tender – where production companies bid to make the show – later this year.
“Doctor Who remains an important part of the BBC and this tender underpins the BBC’s continued commitment to Doctor Who ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come,” the BBC added.
Posting on Instagram, Russell T Davies wrote: “And so GOODBYE from me to Doctor Who but HELLO to a big new future for the show, as the BBC announces it’s putting the show out to tender.
“As a result, there won’t be a Christmas Special – we only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there’s no need for it. You’ll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who… but you’ll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a one-off. So it’s worth it!”
Davies confirmed that there was never a script for the Christmas special and he hadn’t started finding an actor to play The Doctor, after the most recent episode saw Ncuti Gatwa regenerate into Billie Piper – who previously paid companion Rose Tyler.
“I never wrote it, and no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor. You may disagree; fine, sit in that chair and wait to be proved right. You’ll wait a lonnng time,” he wrote.
“Now I’m as excited as anyone to see what comes next! Will they keep the theme tune? Will they lose the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?! It’s all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who, exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future, vworp vworp.”
As well as Gatwa’s departure, Disney also dropped out as a production partner with the BBC last year after.
A “former Disney executive” told Deadline: “It was pretty apparent from early on that this wasn’t for the long term. Everyone got the impression that it wasn’t doing what it needed to do [on Disney+] to be sustained.”
The show has faced dwindling viewing figures in recent years, while Gatwa also faced online abuse as the first Black man to take the role.
Nodding to the viewing figures while hosting SNL UK last month, Gatwa said: “Millions of you watched me as Eric in Sex Education, and then about 12 of you watched me in Doctor Who.”