On BBC Today on BBC Radio 4, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies acknowledged that he doesn’t yet know if the there will be a third new series after Season Two.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m loving it. We don’t know if there’s a third series yet. This [Series Two] will go out in the summer and then they’ll decide it. The BBC will decide, as well, its future. But I’m happy to stay with it. I love it. It’s more fun than anything else.”

The BBC deal with Disney+ plus allowed for three 60th anniversary specials, two Christmas specials in 2023 and 2024, two eight-episode series in 2024 and 2025 and a five-episode spin-off titled The War Between the Land and the Sea. The deal has yet to be renewed and, as Davies has said before, the decision for that won’t happen until after Season Two completes transmission.

When a streamer is brought in to finance a show, much depends on their decisions and their choice of timing to make those decisions. Davies explained the BBC/Disney+ deal to BBC Today.

“The BBC made a move to go to a streamer. It’s still on BBC One here. It’s still on the iPlayer. It’s just the rest of the world it goes out on Disney+. And the BBC thought, and they went to me, because they thought that the show deserved to look as good as Stranger Things, as the Star Wars shows. Why should we be the humble little show being made in a shoe cupboard? And I think that’s the way everything is heading. Let’s face it, every single drama you ever watch on television has had American money or co-production money in it for about 25 years. So, this is actually nothing new. This is just the next step. And it’s a lovely experiment. We’ve had a great time. And think we’ve made shows that really show that off and we show Britain at its best as well. British crews, entirely British crews, entirely British writers and directors. It shows us off worldwide!”

Does this mean Davies is troubled about the uncertainty of a renewed commission with Disney? He gave BBC Today this optimistic response.

“It’s a fool who doubts Doctor Who’s future! I think it’s like 61, this year and yes, it would have found some different shape, some different form. There is a version that could go out late at light on BBC Three.”

“It’s always has survived like this. There’s been radio shows. It’s been novels. It’s been comic strips. It’s a great, fundamentally brilliant idea all the way back in 1963.”

Doctor Who returns this Christmas Day with Joy to the World. Then fans can look forward to eight episodes of Doctor Who Season Two coming in the first half of 2025 and five episodes of the spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea which is, at present, slated for later in 2025.