The BBC and Disney joined forces to produce Doctor Who in 2022, with Russell T. Davies returning to helm the show he'd previously run from 2005 to 2010, bringing it to massive levels of international success. The show's popularity had waned during the latter part of the long run of Davies' success Steven Moffat and that of a further showrunner, Chris Chibnall, forcing a rethink of the BBC's approach. The decision was made to partner with Disney to ensure there was one global streaming location for the show, rather than the previous hodgepodge approach.
The initial return of the show, in 2023 with three specials featuring the return of David Tennant as the Doctor to celebrate the franchise's 60th anniversary, was successful, but the subsequent Series 14 (confusingly rebranded as "Season 1" on Disney+) starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor saw a sharp decline in ratings, despite critical praise for several episodes. Series 15 repeated this pattern. Both seasons also saw sharp criticism for their messy and incoherent finales, and a greater reliance on magic and strange storytelling decisions rather than science. Gatwa also made a late choice to leave the series, resulting in extensive reshoots, including his somewhat bizarre regeneration into what appeared to be a new incarnation played by Billie Piper, who had previously played the Doctor's companion Rose from 2005 to 2007 and a Time Lord sentient weapon, the Moment, in the 50th Anniversary Special in 2013. Both the BBC and Russell have been vague on if Piper is indeed playing the Sixteenth Doctor or not.
Disney also went some seismic changes during this time period, with a change in chief executive and a decision to refocus on films and entertainment rather than producing a vast number of streaming shows (a strategy also blamed for the decline in popularity of both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe). Doctor Who's performance on Disney+ also appears to have been moderate at best, though given Disney's rumoured budget for the show (reportedly only $3.5 million per episode, matched by the BBC, a far cry from the $30 million+ spent per episode on some of its premium franchise shows), the investment was also not steep.
Other criticisms include that Disney was unable to secure the global repeat rights for the existing series, which remain scattered across multiple streaming platforms and physical media options worldwide. There are also rumours of creative clashes, with Disney and some BBC executives reportedly keen to chase those Doctor Who fans who watched Davies' first era as little kids and teenagers and are now in their twenties and thirties, whilst Davies wanted to chase the modern family audience, something that does not necessarily exist in the same way it did in 2005 (with little kids now more likely to be watching YouTube videos or playing Roblox).
The BBC announcement confirms that Doctor Who will return with a new Christmas Special to air in December 2026, and discussions about Series 16 have now begun. The existing sets remain intact at Bad Wolf Studios in Wales. The departure of Disney will certainly result in a reduced budget, though something on the order of $3-4 million per episode would still be quite high by British standards. Despite the low initial broadcast ratings for the previous series, the show continues to perform surprisingly well in physical media sales (which are otherwise drying up) and legacy streaming. The BBC also has limited other options for well-known, popular franchises with built-in audiences.
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