Russell T Davies Teases ‘Doctor Who’ Production With a Brand-New Doctor and Companion Next Summer
‘Doctor Who’ has spent the past year in an unusual place for a show that has survived more than 6 decades: limbo. With a new Doctor still unannounced and production partners changing, fans have been desperate for any sign that the TARDIS is about to take off again.
The turbulence has been hard to miss. In June, the BBC canceled the planned 2026 Christmas special, and showrunner Russell T Davies and production company Bad Wolf officially exited the series as it was put out to competitive tender. Disney+ had already stepped away from the co-production deal after Ncuti Gatwa left the role of the Doctor after just 2 seasons.
Now Davies, who is no longer involved in the show, has offered some of the most concrete reassurance yet. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show, as reported by Variety, he said viewers will start to see production on the series with a brand-new Doctor and a brand-new companion next summer. He also insisted that a new series is definitely happening.
The timeline fits with what the BBC has been doing behind the scenes. The broadcaster officially launched its tender on September 17, publishing an Invitation to Tender inviting producers to pitch a new vision for the show. The BBC says it wants ideas that keep ‘Doctor Who’ relevant, surprising, brave and inspiring for both longtime fans and new audiences.
Some requirements are firm. Producers need to develop at least 1 new companion, and the BBC retains all IP in the series, including any innovations created for the new season. Pitches were also invited to include third-party investment, which matters because the show’s high cost helped doom the Disney partnership.
BBC Studios, which has produced the series for most of its run, has said it will compete for the job. Its CEO, Tom Fussell, has said the company wants to be the producer for another 60 years and will go for the tender with gusto. Deadline reported in July that a launch date was likely at least a couple of years away, so Davies’ summer comment appears to refer to production rather than the show’s return to screens.
The biggest question is still the lead. Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler at the end of the last series, but there has been no confirmation that Piper is taking over the role. Davies has previously said that no actor was approached to play the next Doctor, and that the Christmas special was never written.
That leaves the casting entirely open for whoever wins the tender. The BBC has said the show will go on, and a separate animated ‘Doctor Who’ series for CBeebies is already in production. Beyond that, the next era of the live-action series is still waiting to be defined.
Davies led the revival from 2005 to 2010 and returned to the show in 2023 alongside Bad Wolf and Disney+. His exit marks the end of that era, and his latest comments suggest he is keeping an eye on the show from the outside. They also arrived alongside his criticism of the BBC director-general’s remarks about an AI-generated ‘Doctor Who’ episode, a sign that he is still willing to speak out about the show’s future.
For fans, the message is cautiously encouraging. The tender is underway, the BBC is committed, and the man who brought the show back says production will begin next summer. What remains unknown is who will make the show, who will play the Doctor and when audiences will finally see them.
Who would you most like to see lead the next era of Doctor Who?
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