A little over a year and a half ago, a new Doctor Who era began when the long-running sci-fi series became available to exclusively stream with a Disney+ subscription internationally. There are now just three episodes left to go on the 2025 TV schedule with the second season set up at the Mouse House, but it’s still unclear if we can expect Doctor Who to stick around on the streaming platform for a third season. However, if a new report is to be believed, Doctor Who still has a bright future ahead of it with or without Disney+… albeit with one big hitch.
Let’s start with the alleged good news first. Despite rumors claiming that Disney might cancel its Doctor Who co-production deal amidst claims of dwindling ratings, The Mirror is hearing that at least two more seasons of the show are planned at BBC One. Showrunner Russell T. Davies has reportedly almost completed scripts for Doctor Who Season 3, i.e. the sixteenth season since the show was revived in 2005, and stories are being “worked out” for a seventeenth season.
The report also mentions that if Disney decides to get out of the Doctor Who business, it wouldn’t be as big of a financial hit as some might assume. That’s because supposedly a “huge chunk” of the extra budget that have come from Disney, around £10 million per episode, is spent on upgrading the image quality to 4K, but BBC broadcasts in 2K. Factor in how Doctor Who makes around £100 million for BBC Studios through global licensing deals and merchandising, and this certainly doesn’t line up with the allegation from February that BBC might shelve the series.
Now here’s the possible hitch Whether Doctor Who stays on Disney+ or finds a new home for international viewers, there’s allegedly going to be a long wait for the next season. Doctor Who Season 3 may not arrive until 2027, and The Mirror reports that there’s no holiday special set for this year. There are also rumblings that Ncuti Gatwa might not continue on as the Fifteenth Doctor after this current season. If this happens, he will be the first actor to regularly play The Doctor since Christopher Eccleston who hasn’t stuck around for three seasons.
But here’s one final tidbit to end things on a positive note: even if there aren’t any new Doctor Who episodes to look forward to next year, fans will still get to spend time in this universe. That’s because the five-episode miniseries The War Between the Land and the Sea is now expected to premiere in 2026. This show will follow UNIT clashing with the Sea Devils, who were last seen in the 2022 Doctor Who episode “Legend of the Sea Devils.”
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on what’s happening with Doctor Who once this current season is over, and catch new episodes Saturdays on Disney+. If you’d like to watch the first 13 seasons of Doctor Who’s revival era, you’ll need a Max subscription.
