Doctor Who has found a new home on Disney+ after the BBC inked a new deal with the streaming giant, leaving their 50 plus year partnership with the ABC.
A new logo for a new era! Doctor Who returns in 2023 on the @BBC in the UK and @DisneyPlus in the rest of the world 🔷✨
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 25, 2022
Read more here ➡️ https://t.co/X7Z4Lfzr6J pic.twitter.com/FlGCp6GA5a
The new deal is huge for the BBC and the Doctor Who franchise, which has been on air since 1963, because it will now gain access to Disneys seemingly endless amount of money and world wide marketing opportunities in joining one of the world’s biggest entertainment companies.
Die hard fans of the franchise who had fallen in love with the show and it’s ‘low budget’ sci-fi origins have voiced their concerns about their beloved show becoming too Disney and loosing its soul.
The show was already in a period of transition with Jodie Whittaker departing the series and being replaced in the short term by returning Doctor David Tennant until 2024 when Ncuti Gatwa (best known for his role as Eric Effiong in the hit series Sex Education on Netflix) is welcomed as the 14th Doctor.
Ncuti Gatwa, the next Doctor, joins us to answer some questions about all things #DoctorWho ❤️❤️➕🟦 pic.twitter.com/6Z4aGH5XqV
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 25, 2022
But any concerns raised by long time fans that Disney will “Disney-fy’ the show can be put to rest by the signing of former show-runner Russell T. Davies, who revived the show and brought it back to all its glory for the BBC back in 2005.
In a statement issued by the ABC on Wednesday morning, they announced the end of one of the broadcasters longest running partnerships.
“After a long friendship, spanning more than 50 years, the universe has called the Doctor in a different direction and Doctor Who will no longer appear on the ABC beyond the current season,” ABC said.