BBC abandons plans for Doctor Who Christmas special

The BBC has cancelled the special Christmas episode of Doctor Who amid speculation about the future of the series after Ncuti Gatwa ended his run as the Time Lord.

The broadcaster also said the long-running sci-fi series, which launched in 1963, would be put out to “competitive tender” this year as part of its Royal Charter agreement after the departure of the showrunner Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf.

The Doctor Who special has been a fixture of festive TV in the UK, with previous actors making their debuts as the Time Lord during the episode. Gatwa made his full-episode debut as the 15thth Doctor in The Church on Ruby Road in 2023, and David Tennant made his as the 10th Doctor in The Christmas Invasion in 2005.

Jodie Whittaker also made her first on-screen appearance as the 13th Doctor in the 2017 Christmas special Twice Upon a Time, immediately after Peter Capaldi’s regeneration.

In its announcement on Wednesday, the BBC acknowledged that the news would be disappointing for fans having previously promised a Christmas spectacular for 2026.

“After careful consideration, the BBC, Russel T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode,” it said.

The broadcaster said it had opted to focus on the show’s long-term future and that when the Tardis returned it would do so “in all its glory”.

Davies and Bad Wolf joined Doctor Who as part of a major reboot in 2021. Their exit means BBC Studios, which owns the rights to the series, or an independent producer will be able to reinvent the show.

Davies posted on Instagram

: “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.”

He said fans would have to wait a bit longer for a 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’s 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 be waiting a long 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.”