Doctor Who may no longer return this Christmas as previously announced, according to a new report.

British newspaper The Sun has claimed that BBC bosses are discussing a delay for the series' upcoming special episode until Easter 2027, amid an ongoing hunt for the show's next lead actor. In response, the BBC declined to comment on the report.

Ncuti Gatwa, who portayed the Fifteenth Doctor, departed the show abruptly in its most recent finale, via a reshot ending that left the series on a huge cliffhanger. It's this cliffhanger that the forthcoming Christmas special was set to resolve, with fans expecting the reveal of the Sixteenth Doctor before the credits rolled.

For the first time since 2005, Doctor Who's ongoing story has been left in limbo with no actor currently cast in the series' main role. The series' production status is also up in the air following the departure of co-funding and streaming partner Disney, with only a firm committment from the BBC for the series' upcoming Christmas special.

The upcoming episode is set to explain why viewers saw Gatwa's Doctor suddenly replaced by returning star Billie Piper, who previously played David Tennant's sidekick Rose Tyler. Fans believe Piper's return represents the show being placed in a holding pattern, with her temporary appearance a bid to stoke nostalgia before a full replacement star is found.

There are questions, too, about the production team behind the series, following criticism of its recent scripts and the stewardship of showrunner Russell T Davies. But any change here potentially presents further problems for the BBC — as any new showrunner would likely need to be found first, in order to recruit a new lead actor for themselves.

Today, The Sun claimed that the BBC have found it difficult to cast a new Doctor Who star following the "baggage" of Gatwa's run, which failed to find a large international audience and suffered criticism for its writing and storylines even among dedicated fans.

What can be said for certain is that the Christmas episode's December airdate is now seven months away, with no sign that production is set to begin anytime soon. Indeed, fans watching Piper's current schedule have noted that the actress is currently busy filming Netflix's third season of Wednesday, and will likely continue to be for several months. Still, others have noted that the BBC has turned around Christmas episodes of Doctor Who in much shorter time — with production beginning as late as September in some cases.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social