The iconic "Doctor Who" call box

BBC, 2026

The BBC announced on Wednesday that it scrapped the previously scheduled Christmas special and will put Doctor Who out to "competitive tender." That means that it will solicit proposals from production companies interested in taking over the iconic television franchise.

The decision comes after a series of setbacks for the show.

In October 2025, Disney+ announced it was ending its relationship with the show after partnering on two seasons with the BBC. At the time, the BBC said the show would return with a Christmas special in 2026 penned by showrunner Russell T. Davies.

Disney pointed to the cost of the show (and estimated $13 million an episode) as a primary reason for the decision, along with disappointing ratings for the two seasons.

Season fifteen also ended on a strange note for fans, when the Fifteenth Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa sacrificed himself to save the baby Poppy, companion Belinda’s (Varada Sethu) daughter. When that happened, he seemed to hand things over to Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), the popular companion to the Ninth (Christopher Eccleston) and Tenth Doctors (David Tennant).

Here is the complete text of the BBC announcement:

Today we’re announcing an update on plans for the future of Doctor Who.

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.

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 previously announced new Doctor Who animation series for CBeebies is currently in production.

Details of the tender will be announced in due course.

The BBC retains all IP in Doctor Who. BBC Studios will continue to lead the global distribution of Doctor Who as well as licensing, consumer products, digital and immersive experiences on behalf of the BBC.

While no names have surfaced in speculation over who might take over the show, the most likely candidates would be either Netflix or Amazon, both of whom have the budgets to handle such an expensive show.

The downside for either company is that licensing rights for the show are spread across several other networks and companies, which might make the show less attractive to a global streaming platform.