Update: Russell T Davies is exiting Doctor Who, and the BBC canceled the Christmas Special.
Rumors claim the Doctor Who Christmas special could be in trouble, with the BBC reportedly struggling to find a new actor to take over the TARDIS after Ncuti Gatwa’s exit.
The report comes after Disney+ dropped its big-budget partnership with the BBC, leaving the sci-fi series in limbo following Gatwa’s two-season run.
Doctor Who Christmas special could be axed
According to The Sun, the planned 2026 Doctor Who Christmas special is now “hanging in the balance” because BBC bosses have not locked down a new Doctor.
The outlet claims the BBC has been trying to find an actor to take on the role of the 16th Time Lord, but the part is no longer seen as the easy career win it once was.
A source told the outlet that “despite reassurances” Doctor Who would return with a new series, there has been “no confirmation from execs” about when that will happen.
The insider also said the BBC had “proudly announced” the Doctor would return in this year’s Christmas special, but with less than seven months to go, that now appears uncertain.
Role described as a ‘poisoned chalice’
The report claims the BBC is having trouble finding anyone willing to take on the Doctor after the backlash to the most recent era.
“The problem is that they have found it difficult to find anyone who’ll take on the part of the 16th Time Lord, partly because it now feels like a role that comes with all the baggage of the most recent series,” the source said.
The Daily Mail also picked up the report and described the once-coveted Doctor Who role as a “poisoned chalice.”
The timing is not great for the BBC. Ncuti Gatwa’s run ended with the Doctor regenerating into Billie Piper, who previously played Rose Tyler. However, Piper is not believed to be taking over the role permanently.
Christmas special may not be the same
The Sun’s source also warned that even if the BBC does manage to put something together, the 2026 special could end up feeling lesser than previous Doctor Who Christmas specials.
“There are fears that even if they do manage to pull something together, it is going to be a poor cousin to previous Christmas specials which have always been adored by fans,” the insider said.
That would be another blow to the franchise. Doctor Who Christmas specials have often been treated as major TV events, especially during the David Tennant and Matt Smith eras.
Now, the latest rumor suggests the BBC may not even have the actor it needs to make the next one work.
Disney+ dropped Doctor Who after Gatwa’s run
The rumored Christmas special problems follow Disney+ ending its involvement with Doctor Who.
The Disney deal was supposed to give Doctor Who a bigger global push and a larger budget. Instead, the Ncuti Gatwa era failed to break through in the U.S. and did not make the Nielsen streaming charts.
The series also faced fan backlash over its creative direction, including storylines involving non-binary aliens, incels, and other material that critics argued pushed the show away from the broad family adventure tone that made Doctor Who popular in the first place.
Gatwa also drew backlash during press for telling detractors not to watch.
“Don’t watch. Turn off the TV. Go and touch grass, please, for God’s sake,” Gatwa said in 2024.
Well, a lot of fans apparently did just that.
