Russell T. Davies Exits ‘Doctor Who’ as BBC Seeks New Partner
The 'Doctor-Disney' experiment is officially over, and the BBC has taken back 'Doctor Who.'
There have been rumors for weeks that the Doctor Who 2026 Christmas special would be canceled, as summer rolled in and pre-production failed to start. But it’s now official: Not only will Davies not be doing the Christmas Special, but he and Bad Wolf (aka Sony) are out of the show completely now that the Disney deal has collapsed.
In the official language of the BBC: “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.”
Most people will not remember, but Davies’ entire motivation in “rescuing” Doctor Who was that he had become convinced the BBC 2026 charter would not happen, after the massive Tory landslide in the 2019 election. In multiple interviews around the time Bad Wolf took over the show, he claimed the move to Disney was a way to keep the series safe from the eventual gutting of the British Broadcaster.
However, Davies’ declaration of the BBC’s impending demise was apparently premature. While Labour is currently in dire straits, it’s still in power; the BBC charter is well on its way to being renewed, and many of the onerous excesses imposed on it by the Tory government are being blessedly removed. It’s not just that the Disney deal didn’t work – it’s that the entire reason driving it in the first place is no longer a concern.
