BBC vows 'Doctor Who' will stay on air despite Disney uncertainty

Highlights:

• BBC confirms its commitment to Doctor Who regardless of Disney’s future involvement.
  
• Kate Phillips, the BBC’s new chief content officer, reassured fans at the Edinburgh TV Festival.
  
• Ratings for Season 15 dropped to an average of 3.2M viewers, down from last year’s figures.
  
• Ncuti Gatwa has exited the role, regenerating into Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler.
  
• Spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea is next in production.
  

BBC reassures fans over Doctor Who’s future

The BBC has confirmed that Doctor Who will remain on the broadcaster “with or without Disney”, following speculation about the sci-fi series’ future.

Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, told delegates at the Edinburgh TV Festival:

“Rest assured, Doctor Who is going nowhere. Disney has been a great partnership — and it continues with The War Between The Land And The Sea next year — but going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC … The Tardis is going nowhere.”

Lindsay Salt, the BBC’s director of scripted, echoed the commitment, adding that the show still performs well with younger audiences.

Ratings concern for Season 15

Despite the BBC’s reassurance, official viewing figures paint a challenging picture. According to BARB seven-day consolidated ratings analysed by Deadline, Season 15 averaged 3.2M viewers across eight episodes — around 500,000 fewer than last year.

Comparisons with Jodie Whittaker’s final series highlight the decline: her 2021 run averaged 4.9M viewers, 1.7M higher than Gatwa’s most recent outing.

While broadcasters prefer 28-day data for a fuller picture, seven-day figures usually reflect the overall trend, suggesting viewership has weakened significantly.

What’s next for the Whoniverse

Season 15 concluded on a cliffhanger as Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler.

Produced by Bad Wolf, spin-off series The War Between The Land And The Sea is the next project in the Whoniverse and will continue under the BBC–Disney partnership for now.

Showrunner Russell T Davies previously admitted that the future beyond the spin-off was uncertain, but the BBC has now made clear the franchise is not going anywhere.