Last October, Disney+ exited its partnership with the BBC to host Doctor Who after two seasons. Undeterred, BBC drama director Lindsay Salt let it be known that “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.” Unfortunately, that “spectacular Christmas special” has now been cancelled, as Deadline reports that showrunner Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf have both decided to leave Doctor Who.
What has been said about Russell T Davies’ exit from Doctor Who?
The original run of Doctor Who began in 1963 and ended in 1989. After a sixteen year hiatus, the show was revied by Davies, who served as showrunner on the revival from 2005 to 2010. Steven Moffat took over until 2017, with Chris Chibnall taking control in 2018.
Bad Wolf got involved, co-producing the series with the BBC, in 2021, and Davies returned as showrunner as of the 60th anniversary specials in 2023.
Davies took to social media to announce his exit from the series: “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! For the record: there was no script, 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. 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.“
The BBC provided the following statement: “As part of securing the next phase of the show for future generations, and in line with the BBC’s Charter and Agreement requirements, the BBC will put Doctor Who out to competitive tender 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.
After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas 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.“
As Deadline notes, the most recent season “concluded on an ambiguous note, with Ncuti Gatwa appearing to regenerate into Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler, a Doctor Who companion of yesteryear. It was hoped that the 2026 Christmas special could tie up some loose ends.“
Are you disappointed to hear that the Doctor Who Christmas special has been cancelled? What do you think of Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf leaving the show? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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