New Seasons Of Doctor Who To Premiere Globally On Disney+ In 2023
Throughout each and every one of the good Doctor's regenerations — including this last one that brought Jodie Whittaker's run to an end, as reviewed by /Film's Hoai-Tran Bui — longtime "Doctor Who" fans have seen their favorite time-traveling protagonist crossing paths and making strange bedfellows with a whole assortment of odd characters over the decades. Well, that was nothing compared to what we'll soon experience with upcoming seasons of the hit BBC series.
In a joint release, BBC and Disney Branded Television have announced today that new and upcoming seasons of "Doctor Who" will debut on both BBC and another unlikely platform: Disney+ streaming. Although this partnership excludes the U.K. and Ireland, where viewers will be able to watch the series on BBC as always, the rest of the world can look forward to seeing new episodes of "Doctor Who" hit Disney+ once the new season premieres in late 2023. The announcement was revealed by none other than Ncuti Gatwa, the next Doctor, as showrunner Russell T. Davies returns to work his magic on the series once again after first leading its revival back in 2005. In a statement, Davies had this to say about the news:
"I love this show, and this is the best of both worlds — with the vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can launch the TARDIS all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the UK."
Doctor Who enters a new era
BBC and Disney unveiled a new logo to mark the occasion, which clearly calls back to the classic badge of the '70s and '80s. As it turns out, there's a pretty good reason for all this nostalgia — the return of "Doctor Who" in 2023 will also coincide with the 60th anniversary of the sci-fi series. As revealed in the spoilery teaser for the next season, the expected regeneration of Jodie Whittaker's Doctor into Ncuti Gatwa has come with some unexpected complications. With the shocking return of David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, fans will have to wait a bit longer to fully unravel the mystery of how and when Gatwa will step in to play the Fifteenth iteration of the fan-favorite character.
In the meantime, fans Stateside will have to get used to the idea of watching future installments of "Doctor Who," which was previously made available on BBC America, on Disney+ streaming. No word on what this new deal will mean for the "Doctor Who" episodes that currently stream on HBO Max, which until now was the U.S. home for the recent seasons of the series.
BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore had this to say about the major announcement:
"We are thrilled to announce this exciting global partnership with Disney who are the perfect partners to bring this very British show to the rest of the world. Russell T Davies' vision for Doctor Who has always been out of this world and we are committed to ensuring that audiences across the globe get the opportunity to enjoy the Doctor's epic adventures with the scale and ambition that they deserve. Joining forces with Disney will elevate the show to even greater heights and reach new audiences so it's an extremely exciting time for fans in the UK and across the world."
"Doctor Who" will return in November of 2023.