BBC Boss Promises ‘Doctor Who’ Will Carry On—With or Without Disney

The end of Ncuti Gatwa‘s run as Doctor Who was confusing for multiple reasons. But beyond the “Wait, what’s Billie Piper doing here?” of that regeneration scene is a larger question about the show’s future. With no additional seasons scheduled, no updates on the BBC-Disney partnership that powered the Fifteenth Doctor’s seasons, and the most recent showrunner Russell T Davies distancing himself from any Who-related inquiries, fans have been left wondering if, not when, the show will return. Today, there’s a flicker of new hope.

According to the Radio Times, the BBC’s Chief Content Officer, Kate Phillips, addressed the Doctor Who conundrum at the ongoing Edinburgh TV Festival. “Any Whovians out there, rest assured—Doctor Who is going nowhere,” she said, then made reference to the upcoming Doctor Who spin-off, a limited series set in the same universe as the show but not featuring the Doctor character.

“Disney has been a great partnership and it continues with The War Between the Land and the Sea next year,” Phillips said. “But, going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC.”

For emphasis, she added, “The TARDIS is going nowhere.”

The Radio Times also quotes the director of BBC Drama, Lindsay Salt, as saying the network will “always stay committed” to Doctor Who, though there’s no update beyond that.

The takeaway is that the BBC isn’t closing the door on future seasons of Doctor Who—a show it was making for decades before Disney came around and enhanced its budget and broadcast reach. No shock there. The Doctor will return; that much seems certain. But it also seems everything else remains tangled in time and space for now.

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