Doctor Who has lost another companion, as Disney has decided to part ways with the endurable BBC drama. In October 2022, Disney+ partnered with the BBC in a landmark distribution deal for all upcoming seasons, allowing them exclusive streaming rights for new episodes outside of the U.K. and Ireland. The deal was for 26 episodes, and coincided with the show’s 60th anniversary and introduction of the incoming Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa.
For six decades, Doctor Who has survived cancellations, reboots, and regenerations — but Disney’s exit may be its most uncertain cliffhanger yet.
Trouble in the Tardis
As part of the Doctor Who deal, Disney didn’t just get international streaming rights, but also contributed to the production budget of the modern series’ 14th season (officially branded as Season 1 under the Disney relaunch). But upon release, the show’s ratings were extremely disappointing. Even showrunner Russell T. Davies acknowledged that it was “not doing that well.”
Jinkx Monsoon in Doctor Who (2024), BBC
By July 2024, speculation was already running high that Disney wouldn’t renew their contract. As the new episodes of Doctor Who continued rolling out, Gatwa sparked controversy with political statements and the series experienced the lowest ratings it had seen in its entire 60 year history. Gatwa ultimately stepped down from the role a year later, explaining that at 32 years old, “I’m getting old and my body was tired.”
At that time, Disney+ was still lagging behind other streaming services in total subscribers, and may have been considering if Doctor Who was providing a good return on investment. In April 2024, Forbes reported on Disney’s $11 billion streaming losses. With so many other financial challenges, continuing to prop up the struggling Doctor Who may have seemed an unnecessary burden.
Where Does Doctor Who Go from Here?
Lindsay Salt, BBC drama director, said, “We’d like to thank Disney+ for being terrific global partners and collaborators over the past two seasons.”
This isn’t the end of Doctor Who, however, and she promised fans that Russell T. Davies is returning to write a 2026 Christmas episode, a series mainstay. Beyond that, she assured fans that “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.”
The 15th Doctor regenerates into Billie Piper on Doctor Who – YouTube, BBC
Without Disney+ helping to foot the bill, it will be interesting to see if budgetary constraints change the look and feel of the next generation of Doctor Who. Perhaps of greater interest to remaining fans will be how the show navigates Gatwa’s exit and regeneration as the Doctor. At the end of the last episode, he regenerated in the form the 9th Doctor’s companion, Rose Tyler (played by Billie Piper). The breaking with established lore proved extremely controversial, with some calling it “stunt casting.”
Even a new Doctor, however, may not be enough to revive the iconic series.
Conclusion
The current sentiment online seems to lean towards letting the franchise go dormant, with or without Disney’s support.
Good riddance, let Doctor Who finally die.
No more regenerations. pic.twitter.com/HFbLLp9ysw
— MasteroftheTDS (@MasteroftheTDS) October 28, 2025
It could be that the Doctor has finally run out of time to redeem himself. Beyond the promised 2026 Christmas special, on which everything may hinge, his future remains uncertain.
What do you think? Is Disney dumping Doctor Who the final nail in the Tardis? Let us know in the comments!
Was there ever really any doubt? Davies seemed to be on a mission to kill the show–the sabotage was so blatant it virtually defied believability…
A sad byproduct of the ravages of dick-juice to the head.
russell, the depraved love muscle.
They destroyed a White IP. From their perspective, it is, Job done. They’re patting themselves on the back, here.
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Oh, boy. This will be the best Christmas special ever! Not that the actual special will be any good with Davis injecting identity politics into every line and set, but the after episode reviews will be “must see” TV.
I wonder what piece of previously bedrock canon they’ll change this time. Maybe the Daleks are just misunderstood and they just want to make the time stream and galaxy a safe place for their families, but the Emperor is forcing them into combat making them abandon their Dalek wife and little Dalek babies so the Doctor has to become Dalek Moses to save them.
I expect my idea is 1000x more interesting and entertaining that whatever Davis poops out.