Doctor Who's Disney Partnership Is Over – And That's Only Good News For Fans

"Doctor Who" is a show about change, and it just made a particularly big one. The two-season partnership between the BBC and Disney+ is now officially over, which means that the Doctor — who regenerated into a mystery character played by Billie Piper in the "Doctor Who" season 2 finale – is back on their home turf. Here's the official statement from the BBC Director of Drama, Lindsay Salt:

"We'd like to thank Disney+ for being terrific global partners and collaborators over the past two seasons, and for the upcoming 'The War Between the Land and the Sea.' The BBC remains fully committed to Doctor Who, which continues to be one of our most loved dramas, and we are delighted that Russell T Davies has agreed to write us another spectacular Christmas special for 2026. We can assure fans, 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."

What begins like a full-on cancellation announcement almost immediately shifts into promises of future glory. Granted, it also means that we won't be getting more "Doctor Who" before late 2026 ("The War Between the Land and the Sea" is a spin-off miniseries that focuses on UNIT and classic "Doctor Who" villains Sea Devils), but that's old hat for avid Whovians who are accustomed to long waits between short seasons. 

As a big "Doctor Who" fan myself, I'm inclined to think that there's reason for joy here. After all, many fans found the Disney+ era of "Doctor Who" pretty divisive, and this parting of ways might be just what the show needs to reinvent itself once more. Here's why.

Many of the best "Doctor Who" episodes are visibly impacted by the show's infamous shoestring budget, yet their ambitious writing makes fans forget such trivialities. "Heaven Sent" is a Peter Capaldi one-man show in a nondescript castle, with some skulls and glowing walls thrown in. "Midnight" is one of the show's cheapest and best episodes, focusing on a handful of people in a sightseeing vessel. "Blink" is a virtually Doctor-free episode about a creepy house, Carey Mulligan, and Weeping Angel statues that move when you're not looking. This has always been the show's strong suit; it does occasionally throw stunning visuals at the viewer, but it's still a series where great acting and writing can and should come before special effects. "Doctor Who" requires suspension of disbelief by default, so as long as everything else is on point, the occasional flimsy wall or obvious rubber mask is easy to ignore. 

This, I'd argue, is where the Disney+ era went wrong. Not with Ncuti Gatwa or "wokeness" — Gatwa was an amazing Doctor, and inclusivity is the whole point of the show, thank you very much — but because these past two seasons tended to solve issues not with ingenious writing but by throwing money at the problem. Suddenly, the show was full of lavish musical numbers, beautiful sets, and strength-enhancing gadgets. Meanwhile, individual episodes became straightforward case-of-the-week mysteries where recurring elements didn't really pay off (hi, Villengard Corporation!). Even the era's central theme, the Pantheon of Discord, was a delivery vehicle for recurring big, VFX-assisted boss fights. Combine that with a heavy-handed use of remixed "Doctor Who" Greatest Hits (hi, David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and Billie Piper!), and the Disney+ era too often chose style and cheap thrills over substance. 

To clarify, I did enjoy the Disney+ era, in the same way I enjoy all "Doctor Who." I'm fully willing to note that there were good episodes (here's me enthusing about the Fourth Wall-breaking "Doctor Who" season 2 episode "Lux") and some ambitious storytelling. Still, on the whole, I can't help but feel that "Doctor Who" isn't and shouldn't be a Disney-adjacent show. It should be its own weird, comparatively little thing that's always slightly off from the norm, combining quintessential Britishness with an all-inclusive approach and inventive plots full of heart and heartbreak. It should take bold narrative swings that are memorable face-plants at their worst and pure magic at their best. It should even worry about the budget, at least for a little bit.  

My favorite Doctor and massive "Doctor Who" fan himself, Peter Capaldi, has had some harsh words about the show's prop quality during his tenure. Still, duct-taped costumes and props that barely hold together didn't stop his Doctor's era from delivering fondly-remembered stories like "Listen." I do think that the BBC should probably open its coffers a little bit more when it comes to "Doctor Who," especially now that it's back being the sole provider for the franchise. Still, the story should always, always, come first. 

And this, I hope, is what the powers that be will be focusing on now. With the Disney+ era now officially over and a strong implication that current showrunner Russell T Davies is leaving the franchise after the 2026 Christmas special, we can expect plenty of exciting "Doctor Who" news in the hopefully not-too-distant future ... and, of course, the impending arrival of "The War Between the Land and the Sea."