the BBC is moving forward with Doctor Who without Disney’s financial backing, a decision that followed concerns the show wasn’t improving despite the influx of funds.
Disney+ Deal Didn’t Deliver Expected Results
The BBC confirmed Disney had walked away from the co-funding agreement months ago, leaving fans to speculate about the future of the long-running sci-fi series.
- Director Peter Hoar, who has worked on multiple “Doctor Who” episodes, admitted “something went wrong” with the Disney+ partnership.
- Despite the additional investment, Hoar believes the show didn’t become demonstrably better.
- The BBC will continue “Doctor Who” with a Christmas special in 2026, while exploring long-term plans.
- Hoar is now focusing on rebooting the classic BBC sci-fi series “Blake’s 7.”
Peter hoar, who directed episodes featuring both Matt Smith and Ncuti Gatwa, reflected on the situation, telling Deadline, “I don’t think anybody would doubt the skills at the front line of that show but something went wrong.” He added, “I think there were lots of areas you could point fingers at but ultimately it wasn’t a better show with more money.”
Hoar framed the end of the Disney+ deal as potentially positive, noting that funding is becoming scarce across the streaming landscape. “We haven’t got the money anymore, nobody has,” he said.
A Reboot and a Gap in the Market
Hoar shared his thoughts while discussing his upcoming project: a reboot of the 1978 BBC science fiction series “Blake’s 7,” alongside producer Matthew Bouch. bouch observed a “gap in the market in the UK – particularly with the well-publicized dropping off of Doctor who – for genre-based British IP.”
Meanwhile, actor and writer mark Gatiss suggested the series might benefit from a hiatus.
Lindsay Salt,the BBC’s Director of Drama,expressed gratitude to Disney+ for their partnership and collaboration,stating,”The BBC remains fully committed to Doctor Who,which continues to be one of our most loved dramas,and we are delighted that Russell T Davies has agreed to write us another spectacular Christmas special for 2026. We can assure fans, the Doctor is not going anywhere, and we will be announcing plans for the next series in due course which will ensure the TARDIS remains at the heart of the BBC.”
