It’s claimed that the Doctor Who Christmas Special isn’t happening this year for Season 2 starring Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor.
On Wednesday, I just went over how users on X have stated Disney+ isn’t moving forward with Doctor Who Season 3. Well, one of the users added that popular YouTuber Nerdrotic also said that they don’t have a Christmas special approved.
Update: Rumors claim Disney is demanding the removal of showrunner Russell T Davies.
“Christmas special won’t be happening”
Now the UK plays catch up, as The Sun reports that the Doctor Who Christmas Special has been scrapped due to low viewership ratings.
A source filled in The Sun, “There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Doctor Who at the moment and it looks like the beloved Christmas special won’t be happening.“
The source continued, “It seems the ep just wasn’t commissioned. People had no doubt be hoping that next series would be in the bag and that would include the festive edition.“
The site’s source added, “But things are very much hanging in the balance and bosses don’t even know if Ncuti will be returning – let alone if there is time to bash out a new episode for Christmas Day.“
As noted, normally the Christmas Special is filmed a year in advance but that apparently didn’t happen.
Ncuti Gatwa reportedly quit
The report about the Doctor Who Christmas Special being canceled follows claims that Ncuti Gatwa has quit to avoid further harming his career. It’s reported that he plans to move to Los Angeles for future projects. The Sun also states that his team is well aware of the backlash.
Under Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker, the ratings for Doctor Who dropped significantly. They brought back David Tennant for those three specials, but they were the lowest-watched of Tennant’s career. Under returning showrunner Russell T Davies and Gatwa, Doctor Who is at its lowest ratings in its entire 60-year history.
Rumors now claim that Doctor Who will be canceled and could be placed on the backburner for five or even ten years. The BBC denied the initial reports that Doctor Who has been shelved:
This story is incorrect, Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs. The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes – and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.
