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BBC cancels planned Doctor Who Christmas special
A planned Christmas special of Doctor Who has been cancelled while the BBC plans the next phase of the sci-fi show.
The corporation had announced last year that there would be a festive special in 2026, but revealed on Wednesday that it would no longer proceed.
Instead, the broadcaster said it was inviting production companies to put themselves forward to help co-produce the next series.
In a statement, the corporation said the decision to cancel the Christmas episode was made "after careful consideration" and "had not been taken lightly".
The last series of Doctor Who aired in May 2025 and was the final one to star Ncuti Gatwa, who had announced he was leaving after two series.
‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special Not Going Forward This Year at BBC as Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf Exit Series
The BBC is no longer going ahead with a “Doctor Who” Christmas special this year as planned and is seeking new production partners.
Showrunner and writer Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf have officially exited the series as the BBC puts the show out to competitive tender. “‘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,” a release said on Wednesday.
Therefore, the previously announced Christmas special will also not be going forward. “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 release stated.
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'There Was No Script, No Actor Was Ever Approached': BBC Scraps Planned Doctor Who Special, Showrunner and Production Company Gone
The future of Doctor Who is now uncertain, after confirmation that the BBC has parted ways with its former showrunner and production company, and scrapped its previously-announced one-off episode due to be aired this Christmas.
In a statement today, the BBC confirmed it was putting the production of Doctor Who "out to competitive tender this year" — in other words, beginning a search for a new team to take the franchise forward, as current production company Bad Wolf will play no part in its future.
The news follows the departure of Disney as a co-funding partner, after a middling response to the series' recent era from fans and critics alike.
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