Following the release of the BBC Annual Report, BBC Studios CEO Tom Fussell stressed the “crucial” nature of BBC Studios’ partnership with Disney along with the strength of Doctor Who, according to Deadline.

Fussell says that BBC Studios is “really committed to Doctor Who and is continuing to look at ways in which we can bring the show to fans.”

“Fans love the Doctor Who brand,” Fussell said. “It’s been that way since before I was in short trousers.”

Fussell had this to say to The Hollywood Reporter:

“We’re really committed to Doctor Who. We really want to carry on looking at ways for fans to interact with the brand. We look after the brand, whether it’s at Comic Con, merchandising, or whether it’s the distribution deal we’ve done. The BBC and Disney haven’t made a decision yet. When they do, they’ll announce it. There’s no point me speculating on it. But Doctor Who is a much-loved brand by everyone in BBC Studios, and we love being part of that stor[y].”

According to the 2025/2026 BBC Annual Plan, Doctor Who is one of a number of “returning series” included in their plans for “a year of great homegrown creativity.”

Because no new episodes have been commissioned, the future of the programme is unclear and is the subject of fan speculation and concern on social media and forums.

At the end of the Season Two finale The Reality War, fans saw Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerate into the form of Billie Piper with no known commitment to cast Piper as the Doctor and no knowledge whether or how the show will proceed from that point.

The reasonable belief is that the BBC must wait until Disney makes a decision to go forward with more Doctor Who before they can commission further series. Fans are eager to know how this scenario will play out.

The original Disney deal was for a total of 26 episodes consisting of three 60th anniversary specials, two eight-episode series, two Christmas specials and a five-episode spin-off series.

After the spin-off series, The War Between the Land and the Sea, transmits later this year, there is no new “whoniverse” content on the horizon. Fans are anxious to know what comes next.

Following a recent industry trend, neither Disney nor BBC Studios have opted to host a panel for The War Between the Land and the Sea at San Diego Comic Con this month, though there will be a new exhibit in San Diego containing some “easter eggs” from the spin-off.

The War Between the Land and the Sea will transmit on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK (where available). While the trailer for the spin-off says “coming soon”, several official sources have said the five-part series will begin transmission later this year.