Doctor Who Christmas special cancelled as showrunner leaves sci-fi programme

The Doctor Who special planned for this Christmas has been cancelled and Russell T Davies is leaving the long-running sci-fi series.

Davies said it was "goodbye" from him to Doctor Who but "hello to a big new future for the show", as he shared on social media a drawing of the Tardis - the spaceship from the hit show.

The 2026 Christmas special was due to be written by Davies and produced by Bad Wolf, and would follow on from the series finale in May last year, which saw Ncuti Gatwa's incarnation of the Doctor regenerate into Billie Piper.

The corporation announced last October there would be a 2026 Christmas special, but confirmed on Wednesday it will no longer happen.

Davies, an award-winning screenwriter and TV producer, said on Instagram: "There won't be a Christmas Special - we only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there's no need for it.

"You'll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who...but you'll be waiting for more Doctor Who than a one-off. So it's worth it!"

He also said he was "excited as anyone to see what comes next" and reflected on the possible changes to come, adding: "Will they keep the theme tune? Will they lose the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?!

"It's all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who - exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future."

The BBC said that the series, which launched in 1963, will be put out to "competitive tender" this year as part of its Royal Charter agreement.

The broadcaster is inviting production companies to put themselves forward to help co-produce the next series, BBC News reported.

Cancelling the Christmas special was "not taken lightly", the corporation said, and the BBC admitted the move will be "disappointing for fans".

It added that "in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that 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".

A spokesperson for the BBC added: "Doctor Who remains an important part of the BBC and this tender underpins the BBC's continued commitment to Doctor Who, ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come."

In addition, the corporation assured that its previously announced Doctor Who animation series, which will air on CBeebies, is currently in production.

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Doctor Who is about an eccentric Time Lord who travels in a spaceship larger on the inside, which disguises itself as a 1960s British police box.

Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy and William Hartnell are among the stars who portrayed The Doctor in the original show, which was cancelled in 1989.

It was later revived in 2005 by Davies.

Actors including Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Jodie Whittaker have played the leading role in the last two decades.

(c) Sky News 2026: Doctor Who Christmas special cancelled as showrunner leaves sci-fi programme