tv show BBC confirms future of Doctor Who and a new Christmas Special in 2026

[6Foot2]

Link: BBC confirms future of Doctor Who and a new Christmas Special in 2026

 

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... Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama, BBC says: “We’d like to thank Disney+ for being terrific global partners and collaborators over the past two seasons, and for the upcoming The War Between the Land and the Sea. The BBC remains fully committed to Doctor Who, which continues to be one of our most loved dramas, and we are delighted that Russell T Davies has agreed to write us another spectacular Christmas special for 2026. We can assure fans, the Doctor is not going anywhere, and we will be announcing plans for the next series in due course which will ensure the TARDIS remains at the heart of the BBC.”...

 

[DalekSec]

As a life long Doctor Who fan i say.... just let it die, the stories are getting more ridiculous and far-fetched and writing is poor.

 

Needs to be put to sleep for another 15 years or so. 

[Bromcom_John]

Never would have guessed you were a Whovian.. I mean with that vague a forum tag
I think they should just overhaul the writing team and get back to some proper good Who.

 

[Roberto]

57 minutes ago, DalekSec said:

As a life long Doctor Who fan i say.... just let it die, the stories are getting more ridiculous and far-fetched and writing is poor.

 

Needs to be put to sleep for another 15 years or so. 

What would be interesting in terms of improving writing would almost be limiting the Doctor's ability to travel the way they did for Doctor #3 back in the day. The problem with being able to go anywhere, anytime is that the writers almost have too much choice. Every episode becomes the equivilent of a "very special episode in which "the crew" of your favourate show somehow all go on holiday together".

[paulkerton]

12 minutes ago, Roberto said:

What would be interesting in terms of improving writing would almost be limiting the Doctor's ability to travel the way they did for Doctor #3 back in the day. 

This!! This a thousand times. Let's strip The Doctor back and get them back to the basics. At the moment this inflated budget has done nothing but increase the bombast.  Let's get back to The Doctor protects the Earth stuff.

[Rob_D]

So lock the Dr to present day earth (I think that's what they did with 3)? Or do you put a slghtly different twist on it?

 

I'd be down for leaving it a couple of years and then soft-rebooting (ignore the "Rose" thing and just start with the new Dr).

[Roberto]

Not sure but they could contrive some kind of peacekeeping role post the war between the sea devils and humanity that they're pushing as a spin-off. Maybe not tied down unable to travel at all, but limited in duration or distance that could be travelled.

 

Or who even says it needs to be earth? Tthough the advantage of earth of course is that you don't need to have half of each episode be exposition to explain how, I dunno, the banking system works on the world of "Wibble" in order to establish that something bad has happened to the Wibbleonian banking system due to aliens (maybe even human invaders, who would be alien to the Wibbleonians) that the Doctor needs to fix.

 

Are there any fans of Charlie Stross here? I had the pleasure of listening to him talk about the Laundry Files series once, and about how he has a real problem with writing new fiction in that universe because the main protagonist has essentially become overpowered and can address anything he faces with essentially "God Mode" abilities. Hence the "new management" spin-offs from that universe that he's writing.

Edited October 29, 2025 by Roberto

[LeMarchand]

I'm liking the idea of a leaner, lower budget, "Who" with a new set of writers.

 

One thing that really annoyed me about the arc plots of Nu-Who was that they rarely made sense (if the ever really got resolved). Ditch that aspect, too.

[36Degrees]

1 hour ago, Rob_D said:

So lock the Dr to present day earth

Maybe but the biggest problem is still, IMHO, the writers.

 

Wasn't Peter Capaldi's doctor effectively confined to Earth? I was really looking forward to his tenure as I hoped it would be a bit darker but I don't remember much about it as I stopped watching.

 

My OH and SiL are both massive fans and would WhatsApp each other about the episodes with Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa. OH would ask what I thought and some of them I would have an opinion but others I would end up replying with something along the lines of "I wasn't really watching". That never happened in the Christopher Ecclestone \ David Tennant \ Matt Smith episodes

[Davit2005]

3 hours ago, DalekSec said:

As a life long Doctor Who fan i say.... just let it die, the stories are getting more ridiculous and far-fetched and writing is poor.

 

Needs to be put to sleep for another 15 years or so. 

100% the minute Daleks could fly I gave up watching 😉 In actual fact I think the last ones I enjoyed were Jon Pertwee and previous actors although David Tennant was OK.

Edited October 29, 2025 by Davit2005

[DalekSec]

34 minutes ago, Davit2005 said:

100% the minute Daleks could fly I gave up watching 😉 In actual fact I think the last ones I enjoyed were Jon Pertwee and previous actors although David Tennant was OK.

 

Remembrance of the Daleks 1988?

[paulkerton]

38 minutes ago, 36Degrees said:

Wasn't Peter Capaldi's doctor effectively confined to Earth?

Kinda? He wasn't intentionally grounded with a TARDIS that didn't work though.

I'd go back to that. They seem keen on UNIT still so let's fix this overly Marvel'd version we have (Keep Kate, Ibrahim, Shirley etc but more "unknown to the general public" - less giant tower in the middle of London) and have him in a newer looking canary yellow roadster for a bit

[psydii]

18 minutes ago, Davit2005 said:

100% the minute Daleks could fly I gave up watching 😉 

I know what you mean, seeing it happen in moving pictures was quite jarring, even though  The Dalek Book 1964 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive had them for almost as long as they've existed. It is definitely a show that tests ones suspension of disbelief. 

 

 I do think that adults in 2005 were carried along by a wave of nostalgia, the objective fact that the kids absolutely loved it, despite only a handful of actually good stories. Season two was helped by many many women liking a bit of David Tenant on the screen and the Rose story line. Matt was "too young" and not David. Capaldi was "too old" (though re-watching his stuff ages like good wine), and the kids of 2005 were ageing out and becoming scornful, discouraging the next generation etc etc.

So so much has always been soo soo bad, and eventually the cynical naysayers overcame any positive effect that the one or two great episodes that would in previous years have rescued public opinion of it.

 

If recent seasons had been given twice if the episode count, there would have been twice the number of stand-out episodes. But there weren't and modern writers/producers seem to have drunk the "plot doesn't have to work, audiences will love it on vibes" cool aid. When there are too few episodes  every one has to be a banger, and they were not.

 

BTW Almost everybody who has enthused to me about the show IRL has been a woman (or a child) and **LOVED** Tenant, despite many ropy stories in that era.

[BKGarry]

12 minutes ago, DalekSec said:

 

Remembrance of the Daleks 1988?

 

I like most of McCoy once they had Ace as the permanent companion, had some proper timey whimey stuff in some of those plots too

[BKGarry]

I would like to see a proper executed serial, like old who, Flux has some much potential, started good and then was like WTF is this and what was that ending!!!!

 

 

 

[psydii]

Oh, now I have an opportunity to share my opinion that  Chibnal's arc was a re-working  of a fair chunk of the Cartmel Masterplan! And it was good (but harmed by covid/episode count). I will not be discussing this any further.

Edited October 29, 2025 by psydii

[BKGarry]

3 minutes ago, psydii said:

Oh, now I have an opportunity to share my opinion that  Chibnal's arc was a re-working  of a fair chunk of the Cartmel Masterplan! And it was good (but harmed by covid/episode count). I will not be discussing this any further.

It just needed Ace rather than "The Fam" though didn't it, sometimes too many companions can hurt the plot I feel. Looking at you Adric 

[Rob_D]

3 hours ago, psydii said:

BTW Almost everybody who has enthused to me about the show IRL has been a woman (or a child) and **LOVED** Tenant, despite many ropy stories in that era.

I think part of the love for Tenant's Dr is that he's been the longest running "modern Dr" (possibly the Dr with the most episode overall), so by that measure alone he's probably had the most good/great episodes. 

[BKGarry]

1 minute ago, Rob_D said:

I think part of the love for Tenant's Dr is that he's been the longest running "modern Dr" (possibly the Dr with the most episode overall), so by that measure alone he's probably had the most good/great episodes. 

I would argue that Tom Baker had the best opening "season" of all doctors, and I do believe he is the longest running Doctor of them all, including the modern ones too.

[Rob_D]

3 hours ago, BKGarry said:

I do believe he [Tom Baker] is the longest running Doctor of them all, including the modern ones too.

Yeah, it looks like most of the OG doctors have way longer runs than I thought. 

[6Foot2]

4 hours ago, BKGarry said:

I would argue that Tom Baker had the best opening "season" of all doctors, and I do believe he is the longest running Doctor of them all, including the modern ones too.

 

1st Doctor: William Hartnell. Tenure: 1963–1966 (3 years). Stories: 29. Episodes: 134.

2nd Doctor: Patrick Troughton. Tenure: 1966–1969 (3 years). Stories: 21. Episodes: 119.

 

3rd Doctor: Jon Pertwee. Tenure: 1970–1974 (4 years). Stories: 24. Episodes: 128.

4th Doctor: Tom Baker. Tenure: 1974–1981 (7 years). Stories: 41. Episodes: 172.

5th Doctor: Peter Davison. Tenure: 1982–1984 (2 years). Stories: 20. Episodes: 69.

6th Doctor: Colin Baker. Tenure: 1984–1986 (2 years). Stories: 8. Episodes: 31

 

7th Doctor: Sylvester McCoy. Tenure: 1987–1989 (2 years). Stories: 12. Episodes: 42.

8th Doctor: Paul McGann. Tenure: 1996 (1 film). Stories: 1. Episodes: 1 TV film.

 
9th Doctor: Christopher Eccleston. Tenure: 2005 (1 series). Stories: 10. Episodes: 13.

 

10th Doctor: David Tennant. Tenure: 2005–2010 (4 years). Stories: 36. Episodes: 47 (including specials)

11th Doctor: Matt Smith. Tenure: 2010–2013 (3 years). Stories: 38. Episodes: 44 (including specials).

 

12th Doctor: Peter Capaldi. Tenure: 2013–2017 (4 years). Stories: 30. Episodes: 40 (including specials).

13th Doctor: Jodie Whittaker. Tenure: 2017–2022 (5 years). Stories: 24. Episodes: 31 (including specials).

14th Doctor: David Tennant. Tenure: 2023 (60th Anniversary specials). Stories: 3. Episodes: 3 episodes.

15th Doctor: Ncuti Gatwa. Tenure: 2023–2025 (as of May 2025). Stories: 11. Episodes: 18.

 

😄

[Rob_D]

There seems to be some discrepency in the number of episodes attributed to the newer Doctors: 

https://thedoctorwhocompanion.com/2024/04/07/fourteenth-doctor-update-which-doctor-starred-in-the-most-episodes-of-doctor-who/#:~:text=Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor: 172,reign as the Fifteenth Doctor.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

See I've loved the last two series and I've been a massive fan of the show all my life.

 

Everyone needs to remember that's it's largely a children's show that adults also like.  The feedback from my two kids who watch is that is was amazing and they want more.  They loved that the Doctor showed his emotions because 

RTD's writing has always been excellent, moffat's boom episode and the christmas one were magnificent and there was plenty of timey wimey stuff that pullked threads together over the course of the two series. I also appreciated Davies' refusal to ignore the show's recent past and its more ancient heritage despite Disney hoping for a clean break from the old continuity.

 

I don't get the hate to be honest.  Disney wanted something more accessible like the MCU but that was never going to work with this eccentric british show that delights itself with its own quirks.

I'm looking forward to the christmas special where I imagine Billie Piper's "Doctor" will come face to face with Tennant's 14 in a grand resolution of Nu Who's grandest arc.

[psydii]

15 hours ago, 6Foot2 said:

 

 

 

7th Doctor: Sylvester McCoy. Tenure: 1987–1989 (2 years). Stories: 12. Episodes: 42.

8th Doctor: Paul McGann. Tenure: 1996 (1 film). Stories: 1. Episodes: 1 TV film.

 

It's arguable that McCoy has 9 years (87-96) as he appeared in the 96 TV Movie and the role was not recast during the break. (I read a lot of the NA stuff from Virgin Publishing during that time, which was the DW equivalent of the SWEU, so to me he *did* have 9 years.)

 

Also McGann I feel ought to get credited with  2 episodes, his starring role in the mini-episode ahead of the 50th anniversary special made me smile.

 

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 it's largely a children's show that adults also like.

That is a significant part of the problem. Children start to age out  and if they still watch it, many reach the point where they are dismissive/critical of new iterations of their childhood things, this affects the children who have not aged out. For those who still find joy, this can be taken from them by peers and adults who have lot it.   My eldest (a teenager) who has been frustrated by the messy plots and poorly executed resolutions to a number of arcs in recent  years, **loved** the space babies episode until his friends (who didn't like it) took the piss. His joy died that day.

[6Foot2]

11 minutes ago, psydii said:

...My eldest (a teenager) who has been frustrated by the messy plots and poorly executed resolutions to a number of arcs in recent  years, **loved** the space babies episode until his friends (who didn't like it) took the piss. His joy died that day.

 

It's entertainment, and it's harmless. It's not my favourite episode, but who (no pun intended) cares? Others can like or dislike it as they please. Hopefully, he can find his joy again, maybe with whatever the new episodes bring?

 

Who fandom is diverse – the only opinion that truly matters regarding his personal enjoyment of the show is his own.