In 2023, Doctor Who embarked on a new path. The iconic British time travel series prepared to mark its 60th anniversary with special episodes featuring David Tennant — the celebrated Tenth Doctor — returning as the Fourteenth Doctor. Accompanying the star’s comeback was the return of showrunner Russell T. Davies, who spearheaded the 2005 revival. The most significant shift for audiences in the United States, however, was a careful partnership between the BBC and Disney+, where Disney provided budget support in return for international distribution rights outside the UK.
This fragile alliance, however, was not successful. Disney+ exited the agreement following Season 2, which starred Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Currently, the future of Doctor Who is uncertain, yet the possibility of another co-production arrangement remains on the table.
In a recent interview, the BBC’s Director of Drama, Lindsey Salt, offered an update on the show’s prospects without Disney’s involvement. She stated that discussions regarding the program’s future funding are not currently taking place, as the team’s full attention is on the impending Christmas special.
“There are different ways of setting up a show,” she commented. “We just need to make sure we do it in the right way and make sure we take the right time to do it. Ultimately, it’s one of the BBC’s most treasured brands, so it’s not going anywhere.”
Despite the outcome of the Disney deal, Salt indicated that a co-production agreement with an American studio is still a potential path forward. A prominent theory suggests HBO could be the leading candidate, especially with the impending UK launch of the HBO Max service and existing similar partnerships for new series by Richard Gadd and Michaela Coel. “We’ll wait and see how we figure it out. HBO have been great partners creatively,” she noted. “There’s a lot of stuff that is changing out there.”
Consequently, the landscape is shifting, leaving the future of the longest-running sci-fi series open to numerous possibilities. The show endured for over fifty years without American collaboration, but in an era where television episode budgets can match those of films, meeting fan expectations might necessitate some assistance from across the Atlantic.
HBO appears to be a plausible option, given that the 2005 revival series was available on HBO Max until its removal in late July 2025. Presently, there is limited access to Doctor Who for US viewers, though a new agreement could potentially alter the situation entirely.