In the wake of the BBC press release of June 10, former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies explained how reports that the programme is cancelled are wrong.

“It’s extraordinary to see newspapers, who should know better, saying the show has been cancelled. It’s the opposite,” Davies explained to Dave Cooper on Gaydio. “It’s being put out to tender. And I understand that’s an industry phrase. People might not understand what a show being put out to tender means. Equally, at the same time, those people are complaining on devices which have a search engine. Go and look it up.”

“What it means is they programme is pitched to be made by an independent company as opposed to the BBC. Independent companies include BBC Studios, by the way, which is separate to BBC Public Service. So they’re in the running, I imagine. I don’t know. I’m not part of this process because that’s a very legal process, but it’s happened to Casualty. Casualty has been sitting there for years as a BBC show. It was put out to tender last year. Now, it’s going to be made independently by BBC Studios.”

“So, the same thing is happening here with Doctor Who. And I think – and I’m not in charge of this process – that means, many years ahead, no-one’s going to… apply for a tender for one year. It’s not worth it… You got to lock it in just to make it financially worthwhile! I think this guarantees years of the programme. But no, go ahead and call it cancelled everyone. You’re wrong. You’re literally wrong!”

The BBC has stated its intent to put Doctor Who out to tender this year. When this happens, the BBC will post a public notice on its commissioning website stating the basic criteria required for a pitch by a production company. A more confidential document containing sensitive commercial data will likely be sent to pre-approved or officially shortlisted independent production companies.

The public document will contain a specific tendering period with a deadline. Once the tendering period closes and a production company is selected, the BBC will announce the winning production company and the general terms of the contract some time afterward.

The BBC announcement about putting Casualty out to tender was made on 23 April 2025. The formal Invitation to Tender (ITT) was issued 20 May 2025. The deadline to pitch was 3 June 2025. The BBC officially announced that BBC Studios had won the competitive tender to produce the next three series of Casualty on 17 December 2025. Production on Casualty began in spring 2026.

The BBC’s Doctor Who tendering period may be longer to accommodate more complicated negotiations. Unlike Casualty, Doctor Who has been sold outside the UK. Fans should also consider that Doctor Who production will take longer because the programme has greater production values and more elaborate special effects.

This is why the more reputable websites have been reporting that it will be years before fans will see a new episode of Doctor Who, not that Doctor Who has been cancelled.