The finale of Doctor Who season 15 certainly brought surprises that we didn’t expect. Without getting into major spoilers, The Doctor has a new face. At least, that’s what it seems. There are questions about whether this regeneration is real, or whether this is another “twist” as the recent two seasons has loved to bring.
The only way we’ll know is by watching Doctor Who season 16. Now we need to know if that’s even going to happen, because while there are rumors, it doesn’t look like anything has been officially confirmed.
Ncuti Gatwa previously said Doctor Who season 16 would film in 2025
During an appearance on Graham Norton’s talk show in late 2024, Ncuti Gatwa had said that Doctor Who would film the next season in 2025. This hinted that it was definitely going to happen, but then something odd happened.
While the live studio audience heard Gatwa’s words, it wasn’t included in the broadcast on the TV. This would suggest that Gatwa said something that the BBC didn’t want getting out, and it hints that while everyone was ready for a new season, the BBC wasn’t.
Focus is on the Doctor Who spinoff right now
The Doctor Who universe as a whole isn’t going anywhere, though. The War Between the Land and the Sea is happening, and a trailer was released after the Doctor Who season 15 finale. This is a miniseries, created by Russell T. Davies for both the BBC and Disney+, which suggests that the two networks are happy with continuing the worlds for now.
This could be why there’s a delay in the new season. After all, BBC and Disney will want to spread out the episodes of the franchise to keep people tuned in. We could get the miniseries in 2026, pushing the next season of Doctor Who to 2027.
Doctor Who season 16 could still happen
The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes, with half of those having to air. We are at more than the halfway point right now, and there are still 10 episodes left in the deal. This would hint that there could be another season.
This is the problem with these joint-venture deals, though. The renewal no longer really relies on the BBC anymore. It partially relies on Disney, and that could both positively and negatively affect things.
With Billie Piper coming in as presumed Sixteen, it does suggest that there will be a renewal announcement soon. That was always planned for after season 15 aired, hinting that the focus for 2026 was always going to be on The War Between the Land and the Sea. So, for now, we’ll just have to see what the execs think, but it doesn’t look like Doctor Who is going anywhere just yet.
Doctor Who is available to stream on Disney+.
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