The Future of ‘Doctor Who’ Might Continue With or Without Disney

As Doctor Who prepared to return for its latest season, rumors swirled that it would be a make-or-break moment for the show, as threats of Disney terminating its funding deal for the series and even outright cancellation loomed. But while we’re not quite at the point of finding out what Disney’s stake in Doctor Who‘s future might be, a new report suggests that the end is far from nigh for the Time Lord regardless.

A new report from British tabloid The Daily Mirror suggests that, despite recent reports that Doctor Who could be cancelled, or at the least go on an extend hiatus, plans are in place for the series to continue regardless of whatever decision Disney makes about its co-funding deal to distribute the series on Disney+ internationally. Disney executives, while speaking positively about its support of the show, have also previously stated that any further continuation of the co-funding deal would only be made after reviewing Doctor Who‘s ratings with the conclusion of the current season.

According to The Mirror, whether or not Disney renews the deal, Doctor Who will take a break in 2026 and return to screens in 2027 (whether or not that will see Ncuti Gatwa bow out as the Doctor in the process remains to be seen), with the spinoff UNIT series The War Between Land and Sea set to fill the gap for Who fans next year. The tabloid further suggests that Russell T Davies will carry on as showrunner, with scripts currently in the works for at least two more seasons.

Whether or not Disney renews its funding support may also not have as great an impact on Doctor Who itself, either. The Mirror’s report suggests that much of the approximately roughly ₤10 million of funding per episode was spent on the technical cost of improving Doctor Who‘s visual effects for streaming in 4K quality, something the series would be able to cut back on if it returned to being solely funded by the BBC, which streams high-definition programming at 2K.

With just three episodes left of the current series to broadcast, more definitive information on the future of Doctor Who is no doubt coming soon. But at least at the moment fans can breathe a sigh of relief that things may not be as dire as they potentially seemed earlier this year.

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