This year’s previously announced Doctor Who Christmas special has been cancelled and there is no confirmed date for the show’s return.
Plans for the special were announced last October at the same time it was confirmed that the BBC’s tie-up with Disney+ would not be renewed.
The US streamer’s decision followed a poor audience response to the show’s most recent two seasons which were produced by Bad Wolf and helmed by Russell T Davies whose original 2005 revival of the series was a huge ratings and cultural hit.
Bad Wolf and Davies had previously teamed up to produce three specials starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate to mark the show’s 60th anniversary, all three of which drew bigger audiences and better reviews than the subsequent two seasons.
The Christmas special had been widely expected to tie-up any loose ends from the preceding episodes, including a cliffhanger which saw Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor apparently regenerate into Billie Piper.
However the BBC has now announced that the show’s future production will be put out to competitive tender later this year and that, as a result, “the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode.”
SEE ALSO: What happens when the BBC puts a show out to tender?
In a statement it added: “This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but 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 which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory.”
Many new BBC shows are created and produced by external studios, although some of these are owned by the BBC’s commercial arm.
Under the BBC’s Charter – the agreement under which it operates – it’s required to also allow external companies to bid for contracts to produce existing BBC-owned series and formats.
Shows previously put to tender include Casualty, Mastermind, and Bargain Hunt.
The BBC retains full ownership of tendered shows, with successful bidders simply paid to handle production duties, and its statement stresses that this will also be the case with Doctor Who.
However, the tendering of a drama is a months-long process after which scripts must be written, actors cast, sets built and locations secured, which means Doctor Who is likely to remain off air until 2028 at the earliest.
Unlike streamers which cancel much-loved shows, the BBC can at least be certain that disappointed fans cannot easily cancel their £180 per year Licence Fee in response to today’s news.