'Doctor Who' Announces New Multimedia Story While TV Hiatus Continues

The Doctor Who fandom expanded tenfold when the series regenerated on Disney+ in 2024, with new viewers drawn in by star Ncuti Gatwa, the series' first Black man to inhabit the role, and the first openly gay portrayal of the two hearts alien. The series reached a fever pitch that year, filling the 50,000-strong Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con on a Friday. Imagine the shock that only a year later, this same fandom would discover the massive comedown in presence by the franchise, now that its future with Disney+ hangs by a thread.

Doctor Who's presence was limited to a single off-branded panel (i.e., not sponsored by the BBC or Disney+). The sudden resignation of Gatwa, and the lackluster finale rewriting it to accommodate his exit, produced a poor final impression. Furthermore, the lack of a renewal by Disney+ (depending on which rumor you believe is either due to low ratings or the changing political climate or both) has landed it the label of a troubled production. The show didn’t even have a proper spot on the exhibit floor. Instead, it took the TARDIS set outside and turned it into an “activation” where its paltry merchandise is also on display for sale, but only online, about as far away from the Disney+ logo as one can get.

But that doesn't mean there's no Doctor Who news this week. Instead, the BBC has announced Circuit Breaker, a story collaboration between BBC Studios, BBC Audio, Big Finish Productions, Doctor Who Magazine, East Side Games, Penguin Random House, and Titan Comics. The new story will star PBS favorite Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor in an "ambitious interconnected narrative that will unfold across multiple formats, inviting fans to experience the mystery from every angle," crafted by best-selling author Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson.