The BBC has canceled plans for a Doctor Who Christmas special Doctor Who

The BBC has canceled the Doctor Who Christmas special as it considers the future of the series after Ncuti Gatwa. ended his run as a Time Lord.

The broadcaster also said the long-running sci-fi series, which was set in 1963, was set to be a “competitive series” this year as part of its Royal Charter deal following the departure of showrunner Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf.

The Doctor Who The special has been a series of UK TV festivals, with previous actors playing the role of Time Lord in the episode. Gatwa made his entire career as a 15-year-old^Th Doctor in The Church on Ruby Road in 2023, and David Tennant made his debut as the 10th Doctor in The Christmas Invasion in 2005.

Jodie Whittaker made her first screen appearance as the 13th Doctor in the 2017 Christmas special Double Upon a Time, shortly after the reincarnation of Peter Capaldi.

In his announcement on Wednesday, a BBC admitted that the news will be disappointing for fans who have already been promised a spectacular Christmas in 2026.

“After much consideration, the BBC, Russel T Davies and Bad Wolf have agreed not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas series,” it said.

The broadcaster said they chose to focus on the future of the show and that when the Tardis returns it will perform “in all its glory”.

Davies and Bad Wolf joined Doctor Who as part of a major reboot in 2021. Their exit means BBC Studios, which owns the rights to the series, or an independent producer will be able to restart the show.

Davies wrote on Instagram

: “It’s GOODBYE from me to Doctor Who but HELLO to the show’s big future, with the BBC announcing it’s starting the show.

“As a result, there won’t be a Christmas Special – we just made it to ensure the future when nobody knows what will happen, but now we know, there’s no reason for that.”

He said fans will have to wait a little longer for a new Doctor, “but you’ll be waiting for a BIG Doctor who is more than once. So it’s worth it”.

“Clearly: there’s no script, I’ve never written, and no actor has been approached to play another Doctor. You might not agree, well, sit in that chair and wait to be proven right. You’re waiting a long time.

“Now I’m as excited as anyone to see what’s coming!

The shock comes at a critical time for Doctor Who. Disney+ ended their production deal with the series last year, Gatwa dropped from the top spot and viewers struggled to pick it up again.

The incident has raised doubts about the future of the show, but the BBC insists it is committed to ordering new episodes.

The agency also revealed that the previously announced Doctor Who series for CBeebies is in development.