The TARDIS is on the move - new episodes ofDoctor Whowill have a new streaming home on Disney+. The move will happen in time for newWhoto stream on the platform in 2023, and only change where viewers outside of the UK and Ireland getting their Whovian fix.
IncomingDoctor WhostarNcuti Gatwamade the announcement in an appearance this morning onLive with Kelly and Ryan. For viewers in the UK and Ireland, nothing will change;Doctor Whowill remain streaming on the BBC. But for the 100 countries in Disney Plus' reach,Doctor Whowill exclusively stream on the platform. Talks between the BBC and Disney werereported back in July, resulting in this new deal. It is unclear if the streamer will carry prior episodes of the show as well, whether from its post-2005 revival or from its original 1963-1989 run, or any of its many spinoff programs. Coinciding with the deal, the BBC also unveiled a new, retro-styled logo for the show, hearkening back to the diamond-shaped logo the show sported in the 1970s whenTom Bakerportrayed the Doctor.
The announcement comes at a time of great upheaval for the program. Days ago,The Power of the Doctor, the final outing for Thirteenth DoctorJodie Whittaker, aired; it was also the swan song for the show’s current showrunner,Chris Chibnall, who has steered the program since 2018. Replacing them are two figures from the past;David Tennant, who played the Doctor from 2005 to 2010, and will reprise the role in three specials next year, andRussell T. Davies, who first revived the then-dormant series in 2005. Joining Tennant will be returning co-starCatherine Tate, and new facesNeil Patrick HarrisandYasmin Finney. Following Tennant’s specials, theDoctor will be played by Gatwa, who becomes the first actor of color to play the time-traveling alien.
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Doctor Whohas had a long and eventful history on the BBC. First aired in 1963, the series focuses on the Doctor, a human-like alien who travels through space and time in the TARDIS, a time machine resembling a blue police box, alongside a number of human (or occasionally non-human) companions. The Doctor periodically regenerates into a new persona, a plot device devised to accommodate the departure and replacement of the lead actors. The show was felled by declining viewership in 1989; an abortive 1996 revival produced a single TV movie, but the show was conclusively revived in 2005, achieving a great level of international popularity that continues to this day.
Doctor Whowill return in late 2023. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
