‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special Cancelled As The BBC Looks For New Creative Direction
by Erik Amaya
Doctor Who is once again in a state of flux.
After a tumultuous relationship with Disney and a wild two years of The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) facing gods and warping realities, a promised 2026 Christmas special was meant to wrap it all up. But, it seems, the promise never really existed.
Per a press release from the BBC this morning, the Beeb, “[former executive producer] Russell T. Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode.” In lieu of that, the company will put the show on a “competitive tender” for creatives and outside companies to pitch their takes. But the tender also means the special would be incompatible with any future plans by other producers. Or, as the BBC put it, “rather than bridge the gap with a one-off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory.”
In a subsequent post on Instagram, Davies claims he never wrote the special — despite others in the production team previously stating there were multiple endings planned — and that the special was something he and the Beeb “cooked up” to “guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there’s no need for it.” He goes on to say no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor and that he’s as excited as anyone for what comes next.
Pulling off the journalist cap for a moment, I have to admit this is incredibly disappointing as the most recent season ended on a cliffhanger, leaving any production team coming in with one bit of business to clean up. Luckily, Doctor Who lore already has a way out of Billie Piper seemingly becoming The Doctor. Back in the classic series, fellow Time Lord Romanadvoratnelundar (Mary Tamm) — Romana for short — regenerated in the first story of her second season by trying out a number of forms before settling on an appearance resembling actor Lalla Ward (played, of course, by Ward herself). Getting out of the cliffhanger isn’t hard, but that a new team will have square it away is trouble enough and indicates Davies was reaching for anything to secure the show’s future while he was still a part of it.
This also means other unresolved plots, like “The Boss” and The Doctor’s reunion with his granddaughter, Susan (Carole Ann Ford), will also be lost in the mists of time as new companies and people come in to try their luck with Doctor Who.
Honestly, the loss of Susan is more upsetting to me than a cancelled Christmas special.
Nevertheless, as a long-time fan, I’ve been through this before. I started watching the show during the so-called Wilderness Years, a 17-year period when there was no Doctor Who on television beyond the 1996 TV movie. In that time, it sustained via comics, novels, and audio dramas. It’s easy to see how those outlets will continue to keep the idea alive while we all wait for someone to step forward and take control of the TARDIS. And here at Comicon, expect the focus to be on those other Who media options — starting with the upcoming Doctor Who: Circuit Breaker comic book series. Additionally, the whole of the series (minus the missing episodes) is available in a variety of formats and easy-to-access places like YouTube (in the US, anyway). There is also an animated program on the horizon, which the BBC confirmed is in production. And, even if history seems to prove the show is viable for about 20 years before needing a rest, Doctor Who will return as a live action television show some day.
Time will tell. It always does.
