Is the Doctor Who Cancellation Panic Over? BBC Boss Reveals Major Update!

The BBC has finally confirmed that Doctor Who will return to the broadcaster, regardless of whether Disney decides to stay involved. The veteran sci-fi show originally ran from 1963 to 1989, before Russell T Davies spearheaded the 2005 reboot. However, the show’s future has looked unclear ever since Ncuti Gatwa’s run as the Fifteenth Doctor came to an end. Before Gatwa signed on to play the Time Lord, the BBC struck a multi-season deal with Disney to co-produce the show and host the episodes on their Disney Plus streaming service in the US. However, amid plunging viewership numbers and a less-than-stellar reception to Billie Piper’s season finale regeneration, speculation has swirled that Disney could pull out of its co-production deal with the BBC. In June, Davies said they still ‘don’t know what’s happening’ with Who’s future, amid fan fears a Disney exit could call time on the show altogether.  However, the BBC’s new chief content officer has now said the BBC is committed to Doctor Who regardless of whether or not Disney are in the picture.  Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Kate Phillips said the series will remain on the BBC ‘with or without Disney’. She told the crowd: ‘Any Whovians out there, 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.’ To truly hammer home the message, she concluded: ‘The Tardis is going nowhere.’ Meanwhile, director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt confirmed that there isn’t a concrete update on the show yet, but said that the BBC will ‘always stay committed’ to the series. So when exactly might it return? Alas, that we still don’t know.  But it’s clear that the latest season, which turned out to be Gatwa’s swansong as the Doctor, was no ratings bonanza. The season averaged 3.2million viewers over its eight-part run, which marked a half a million decline from the previous season. Meanwhile, Jodie Whittaker’s final season as the Doctor in 2021 raked in an average audience of 4.9million viewers for each episode, according to Deadline.  Doctor Who is available on BBC iPlayer and Disney Plus. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you. Arrow MORE: ‘I’ve seen a sneak peek of BBC’s Celebrity Traitors – I’m already spellbound’ Arrow MORE: Strictly Come Dancing’s George Clarke just ‘let slip’ a massive spoiler Arrow MORE: Gladiators in injury crisis with four stars forced out because of serious accidents