Bad news for Doctor Who: Disney + stops!

After just two seasons, the partnership between the great British classic and the American giant comes to an end. What consequences for the Tardis?

Hard blow for the cult British series!

Disney officially withdraws from partnership with the BBC. The American giant will no longer produce or broadcast Doctor Who in the rest of the world. The deal only lasted two seasons. The announcement puts an end to a collaboration that began with the arrival of the fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, and leaves doubt about the future of the series.

After months of rumors about the sequel, the BBC confirmed today that it can no longer count on Disney, but that it will continue to produce the Doctor’s adventures alone, as was the case before. The British broadcaster is preparing a new Christmas special episode for 2026, still written by Russell T Davies, the historic showrunner who relaunched the franchise in 2005 and returned to business in 2023. Until then, we will see The War Between the Land and the Sea, a spin-off series led by Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, which will of course also be released on Disney+ (notably in France).

“We thank Disney+ for being a wonderful partner and collaborator during these two seasons and for the next episode The War Between the Land and the Sea,” said Lindsay Salt, director of drama at the BBC, reassuring fans at the same time:

“The BBC remains fully committed to Doctor Who, which remains one of our best-loved series, and we are delighted that Russell T Davies has agreed to write a spectacular new Christmas Special for 2026. We can assure fans: the Doctor is not going anywhere, and we will announce plans for the next season soon.”

So don’t panic: the series doesn’t end. On the other hand, it loses a valuable partner for its development and its ambitions. As Russell T Davies confided to Première in 2024, Disney’s entry into the TARDIS made it possible to “reach a huge global audience. The program has always sold well internationally, but this is on a completely different scale”. Disney Plus indeed allowed clear and simplified broadcasting everywhere on the planet, including France. We do not know who will take over the program here after 2026. Remember that France 4 was the French broadcaster of Doctor Who before Disney Plus.

And then we must not neglect the financial aspect: the partnership with the American giant had enabled “a massive boost in terms of the budget” by Davies’ own admission. “We did not reach dizzying sums, because I believe that the success of Doctor Who also comes from its inventiveness. But this money allows us to elevate ourselves a little visually, to be more in line with other science fiction franchises. This was starting to become essential…” We will certainly have to return to a more reasoned economy for the next seasons, which means that the series could decline in quality, in terms of aesthetics and SFX.

Still, the identity of the next Doctor will certainly weigh heavily in the relaunch of Doctor Who. The previous season concluded with the regeneration of Ncuti Gatwa… into Billie Piper, the emblematic actress of the first seasons (Rose Tyler in 2005 and 2006). Nothing has been confirmed yet, but his appearance has already ignited fans. What will its place be in the future? We don’t know anything about it. But Ncuti Gatwa is leaving. And now he needs a replacement capable of restarting the Tardis…