Doctor Who may not return for 'at least three years'
The BBC announced on Wednesday (10.06.26) that Doctor Who has been put out to competitive tender as showrunner Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf quit.
Doctor Who may be off the air for at least three years.
Sources told Deadline that the sci-fi series may not return "until 2028 at the very earliest" - with one producer predicting a wait of up to "five years" for season 16 - after the BBC announced on Wednesday (10.06.26) that it has scrapped the 2026 Christmas special and put the show out to competitive tender as showrunner Russell T Davies, 63, and producer Bad Wolf quit.
The corporation has not said when Doctor Who will likely return.
But 64-year-old Steven Moffat - showrunner from 2010 until 2017 - insisted that the series "always survives".
He told Radio Times magazine: "No clue what’s going on, all news to me. No idea what’s coming either.
"But brave heart, everyone. It’s a cliffhanger - the Doctor ALWAYS survives those."
In a statement, the BBC said putting Doctor Who out to competitive tender is to ensure the show's future.
A spokesperson said: "As part of securing the next phase of the show for future generations, and in line with the BBC’s Charter and Agreement requirements, the BBC will put Doctor Who out to competitive tender this year.
"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."
The BBC understands fans will be "disappointed" that there will be no festive episode for 2026, eight months after its announcement.
Its statement continued: "After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode.
"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 Doctor Who animation series for CBeebies is currently in production.
As the BBC issued its update on the future of Doctor Who, Russell took to Instagram to announce his departure after being at the helm from 2005 until 2010, and then returning in 2023.
He penned: "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.
"You’ll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who… but you’ll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a one-off. So it’s worth it! (sic)"
Russell told Doctor Who fans that he "never wrote" a script for the cancelled Christmas special, and that "no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor".
He continued: "You may disagree; fine, sit in that chair and wait to be proved right. You’ll wait a lonnng time. (sic)"
Russell - who, in December 2025, told BBC Newsbeat that plot details for the planned Christmas special had been shared with the corporation's bosses, and left them "with jaws agape, loving it" - is "excited as anyone to see what comes next".
He concluded: "Will they keep the theme tune? Will they lose the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?! It’s all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who, exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future, vworp vworp. @bbcdoctorwho. (sic)"
In a statement posted to Instagram, Bad Wolf said it "has been a joy and a privilege to have been at the helm of the TARDIS alongside the brilliant Russell T Davies" since 2021.
The production firm added: "Doctor Who is - and always will be - a show that shines light into the darkness and it has been an absolute honour to have been its torch bearer for 26 episodes with the BBC and Disney+.
"Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey through Space and Time and most of all - thank you to the fans. (sic)”
The 2026 Christmas special would have marked the first Doctor Who episode since Disney+ pulled out of the series after its two-season partnership with the BBC.
In October 2022, the streamer struck a deal with the corporation to become the global home for the show outside the UK and Ireland, with the BBC remaining its exclusive home in the UK.
The special would have come after the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) regenerated into the Ninth and Tenth Doctors' (Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant's) sidekick, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), at the end of season 15, episode 8's The Reality War.
