Doctor Who is on a break until the 2026 TV schedule arrives, with its first new episode set to arrive by Christmas of next year. Unfortunately, the BBC will continue production of the show on its own for the time being, with Disney stepping away as a co-producer of the flagship series.
The good news is that fans have the new episodes of Who to look forward to as well as a spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, which is coming next year. Unfortunately, I can't help but feel a bit worried about the parent series' Christmas comeback after hearing the update EP Russell T. Davies' shared with the Radio Times.
How Far Along Russell T. Davies Is With The 2026 Doctor Who Christmas Special
Doctor Who's 2026 Christmas Special has a lot to accomplish, with its audience expecting answers about why The Doctor turned into someone who resembles iconic character Rose Tyler. Thus far, actress Billie Piper has deflected any questions about whether she's playing The Doctor, leading some to believe there's more nuance to the role than the scene conveyed.
Russell T. Davies was asked about where he was with the story, given we're close to a year out from its worldwide air date. Here's what he had to say about what the official progress is on the script, as of writing:
Not at the moment because I'm busy on [The War Between the Land and the Sea]. I'm also shooting a show in Manchester, so next year, my plate clears, and we'll get to work on that. I know exactly what happens in it, don't worry about that.
The Doctor Who showrunner is confident in his ability to turn around a script in time and have an episode ready for the world come Christmas of next year. I appreciate his reassurance and have no doubt he'll have an episode ready. The question is, though, whether that episode will answer the questions we have about the big questions surrounding The Doctor's regeneration, and I worry he's underestimating the challenge of doing so.
Why I Can't Help But Worry After Russell T. Davies' Response
I think it's fair to say we're the Doctor Who has reached a critical period. That may have been part of the reason Russell T. Davies went with such a big twist, not long after a previous big twist in which The Doctor bi-generated and kept his former self intact post-regeneration.
The show is taking big swings in an effort to gain new viewers but in doing so, it's created a lot of big questions for the fans who are still tuning in season after season. If these twists are mishandled or don't live up to the hype, they risk losing more fans than attracting more eyes to the series.
Bringing back Billie Piper was a great move, and I have no doubt Doctor Who fans who remember her from some of the series' best episodes will want to see how she does in this new role. This is a huge opportunity to pull in a bunch of lapsed fans, and hopefully, get them to stick around for all the adventures to come.
Given that, it would bring me much more comfort to hear that Russell T. Davies has more than just the idea of what he wants to do, but a fully-finished script that is up there with some of the best things he's created for the show. It's a lot to ask as a Who fan but, let's be honest, he was brought back to the franchise to inject life into it. He's done the best he can so far but, in light of the collapse of the Disney partnership and the budget that came with it, the BBC is going to need his storytelling to keep folks on board.
We'll see if he's up to the challenge, as Doctor Who is on break and will eventually go into filming for its 2026 Christmas special sometime in the new year. In the meantime, readers can watch some of the more recent episodes using a Disney+ subscription.
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