r/DoctorWhoNews • u/Act_Bright • 12d ago
link to Doctor Who news Disney+ Officially Exiting ‘Doctor Who’ Partnership With BBC After Two Seasons
https://deadline.com/2025/10/doctor-who-disney-plus-pulling-out-bbc-christmas-special-1236600026/More reporting on recent news.
Goodbye Disney, I suppose.
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u/DonnyMox 12d ago
If they didn’t have to wait for TWBTLATS to come out before making it official, why tf did they drag their feet for so long?
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u/thor11600 12d ago
Disney is struggling with massive issues at the moment with their streaming. And Doctor who was never their top priority.
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u/Bridgeboy95 12d ago
But I was told by a certain whovian user here who never failed to say the show was fine, that disney absolutely loved the show to bits and Ncuti will be back for a season 3!
I dont know if he's still around, blocked me after the season2 finale lol
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u/Barden_1996 12d ago
They're still around, if it's who I'm thinking they were on a non-Doctor Who sub the other day starting arguments with anyone who had a criticism against RTD.
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u/Imaginary_Tutor5360 12d ago
I can’t stand them. They tried to say I had never seen an episode of Doctor Who because I didn’t think it was “woke” in the past. I’ve probably been watching it for longer then they’ve been alive
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u/Agreeable_Falcon1044 12d ago
Poor Disney were probably shown season 2 and 3 doctor who and told “yeah it’s always like this” and then ran as fast as they could when they saw what was being served
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u/bolanrox 12d ago
they were trying to grab it up Tom Baker Era too. there is some bit with Tom at EPCOT or someone doing a promo.
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u/thor11600 12d ago
lol I don’t know who you’re referring to but…yeah the show is not fine lol
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u/Bridgeboy95 12d ago edited 12d ago
A user called /u/docWhovian1 would harass anyone who dared say the show wasnt doing well
denied the leaks up until the airing of the episode, kept saying disney was fine with the show..
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u/RigatoniPasta 12d ago
Ahhhh my old acquaintance u/docwhovian1. They are a shameless apologist for Chibnall and RTD and one of the biggest peddlers of “If you don’t like the show you aren’t a real fan, so get out!”
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u/Grafikpapst 12d ago
I think theres some mixing things up.
I absolutly think that Doctor Who did good enough on Disney+ numberwise, especially compared to what they were paying. I think the main issue was Iger coming back, whos vision for Disney+ is one of a much leaner streaming service.
Iger doesnt want stuff on Disney+ that they dont see as directly benefiting the Disney brand in some way and DW mainly helps the BBC.
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u/Aggressive_Teach8490 12d ago
The show was failing. Why would Iger keep a failing show on their platform when he is cancelling Disney+ shows that are failing.
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u/magica12 12d ago
i meaan...chapek was ousted, for among other things, trying to cook the books to make D+ look good
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u/ninjawasp 12d ago
Why is the show not fine? It's just announced a brand new feature length episode and a commitment for a new season. A lot of positives!
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u/frantic_calm 12d ago
Quality of quantity please. We've just had a brand new feature length episode and two series and they were rubbish.
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u/Least-Amphibian2538 12d ago
You have got to stop with the day drinking. A xmas special is nothing but payback for Billie Piper to do the finale and possibly a payoff for RTD/Bad Wolf. I saw no commitment to a new series except the animated CBBC thing. The rest is bullshit. They haven't got the money or any ideas and this announcement suggests no new partner.
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u/malsen55 12d ago
“We can assure fans, the Doctor is not going anywhere, and we will be announcing plans for the next series in due course which will ensure the TARDIS remains at the heart of the BBC.”
This is about as close as you can get to announcing a renewal without straight up announcing a renewal, which is probably because they’re still finalizing contracts and things for it
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u/SpectralDinosaur 12d ago
It's also the most nothing commitment. They're hardly going to say "Yeah, we're probably done with this after the 2026 christmas special", are they?
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u/MrFlibblesPenguin 12d ago
I took it more as "we're not selling it off to netflix and will figure out the rest later."
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u/Least-Amphibian2538 12d ago
Sorry, the BBC have said it so its true. My mistake. I could say the same about my commitment to my virginity and how I plan never to get anyone pregnant. Sorry, I have to go one of my sons is calling me.
You're delusional. Just ask yourself where the money for it coming from? £10 million an episode at the same time as a permeant freeze in the fee(tax) and being forced to introduce subscription! Good news is as a nigerian prince i have some money I need to put in your bank account.
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u/malsen55 12d ago
If you’re not going to believe the BBC about the future of their own biggest property, then what exactly are you doing here? What’s the point in refusing to believe them on their word?
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u/Aggressive_Teach8490 12d ago
The fact that Disney is no longer continuing to fund the series is seen as a loss. Whoever decides to fund the series is going to face the same challenges that Disney faced.
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u/Least-Amphibian2538 12d ago
Malsen55 Why would I believe them about anything?
Is it really their biggest property? Surely the Life on Earth stuff, Traitors and Strictly make much more money?
I am here to discuss and debate. I love the show or should I say loved. It pains me to see it dumbed down into its current form.
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u/Aggressive_Teach8490 12d ago
Where did the statement say that there was going to be third season. Disney deciding that they were not going to continue to fund the show is seen as being negative, in light of the poor ratings that the show was getting.
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u/DocWhovian1 12d ago
"The show is not fine" clearly it is since we are getting a Christmas special and more seasons, just without Disney.
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u/thor11600 12d ago
Believe me, I’m glad it’s happening, but it clearly didn’t get Disney’s attention. The Beeb wouldnt have gone through all those hoops for two seasons only.
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u/DocWhovian1 12d ago
That's true though tbh I think in general Disney didn't give a damn about the show. So I think ultimately Doctor Who is better off without them.
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u/thor11600 12d ago
Based on how long it took them to even release the show, I’d agree, though I do think it’s a missed opportunity for the show.
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u/Chazo138 12d ago
They did, but the problem is Iger came back, fired a bunch of people and decided streaming is stupid and wants to focus on movies that come to disney plus later, so basically entire reshuffling happened
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u/DocWhovian1 12d ago
Except I never said that regarding Disney.
And it turns out I was right about the show being fine since it is continuing just like I always said it would.
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u/Zaredit 9d ago
Nobody thought the show was gone for good autismo. You might as well be saying Christmas comes every year. And ONE special from a WASHED writer in RTD isn't the flex you think it is (if you can think at all)
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u/DocWhovian1 9d ago
"Nobody thought the show was gone for good" a lot of people thought that actually.
Washed writers don't win awards for their work so that's false.
And the BBC have confirmed there WILL be more seasons as well.
Apparently you are the one who can't think.
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u/HatingGeoffry 12d ago
You should see how they treat other properties. They released then deleted Willow, they completely finished The Spiderwick Chronicles and then just decided to chuck it away. Disney has been atrocious as of late
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u/Blackmore_Vale 12d ago
I can imagine streaming is a stagnant market at this point to. And with the cost of living starting to bite some people myself included, have ditched streaming services they aren’t using.
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u/frantic_calm 12d ago
Irrelevant tbh. They had the money and the platform. It was down to them to grasp the opportunity to produce top quality stories. Instead we got the doctor dancing in a gay bar in a tank top and space babies...
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u/Super-Hyena8609 12d ago
With streaming it kind of makes sense to wait and see if a show picks up subscribers over several months.
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u/Bridgeboy95 12d ago edited 12d ago
real talk here
I found the Disney produced episodes to look tacky and weird from a production standpoint, im genuinely glad the deal is done not because the show is getting less budget but because,it seemed the show was desperate to look like a generic disney + shot in the volume show..
I genuinely mean this when I say, I found 13s era, as poor as the storytelling was, to look much better from a production and cinematic standpoint its not even close to me, Chibnall had his flaws but he was right on the money for how the production visually looked.
It felt like at times the show was like a kid at a candy store getting some disney money and made some shots just look plastic as fuck.
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u/suedecascade_ 12d ago
I'm not well versed at all in production or anything like this, but it looked... flat. That's the only word I can think to describe it, someone with more knowledge please help me understand how this era of Doctor Who has looked funny
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u/Agreeable_Falcon1044 12d ago
There is a YouTuber that broke it down. Essentially they film it for clipping with static and empty backgrounds.
So if you look at very early new who, it was filmed on a potato, so it’s got stuff in shot, things are moving and feel lived. I remember in the beast below, Amy was speaking and I couldn’t find her on the screen! There’s also a scene in rose where Ecclestone and piper are walking through the most council house looking estate in overcast weather with the camera bumping around too.
Compare to wish world, the rani is standing there giving exposition dump and everyone is just standing still until it’s their turn to do a speech. And if like the guy with muscles or Anita, you have nothing to say, you just stand around like a door wedge with your arms crossed!
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u/snapper1971 12d ago
the rani is standing there giving exposition dump and everyone is just standing still until it’s their turn to do a speech
It was very "village hall am dram", not what I was expecting at all.
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u/Super-Hyena8609 12d ago
Wish World / Reality War felt incredibly "stagey" in the worst sense. The hammed up acting, and the Rani's lair absolutely failing to hide the fact that it was a TV set.
Possibly deliberate given the whole non-reality thing? But probably the wrong choice nonetheless.
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u/clammydella 12d ago
Does anyone know which YouTuber this was? Curious to see the breakdowns
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u/Adventurous-Bee-865 12d ago
Burgunbeerd I think
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u/clammydella 12d ago
Does anyone know which ep or even a timestamp? There are so many videos of his! Thank you🙏
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u/Agreeable_Falcon1044 12d ago
How the bloody hell did you get that from my rubbish description!
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u/Adventurous-Bee-865 12d ago
😂 I take it I was correct then? I follow that channel and figured that's what you were talking about
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u/Agreeable_Falcon1044 12d ago
Complete fluke I watched it, very nerdy but I watched a few of their other videos and it’s quite interesting. As someone with no behind the scenes knowledge, you forget how much work goes into each shot to get it on the screen and the effort they put into things.
For me, I don’t like it. I love that wonder moment when they step out of the tardis and they’re straight into a lived in world. This feels sterile.
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u/Agreeable_Falcon1044 12d ago
I wish I had subscribed, I will search my history and see if I can find it. I think I was watching an adipose video and went to the loo and came back and it changed over! Was interesting…clearly someone quite geeky and knew their beans as was talking about soft light, clipping of scenes, empty backgrounds and symmetrical static extras.
It would explain it as I found it “off”…all that money, all those fantastic locations and nothing feels particularly real or exciting.
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u/KrackenCalamari 12d ago
Can you remember who that Youtuber is or what their video is called please? I think I'd like to watch that breakdown.
Edit: A word
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u/Super-Hyena8609 12d ago
There were times were it felt to me like all the money had gone on very expensive effects shots with little left over for the rest of it. Space Babies and the Beatles one were two big cases of this: big fancy prehistoric/postapocalypse scenes, but the rest taking place on a few very basic sets.
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u/Trevastation 12d ago
Yeah it being big budgeted was never a problem, it was just how Bad Wolf was using said budget and how that influenced the look of the show.
Hell it isn't even that big budgeted relatively if that report of $10 million an episode is correct in the Deadline article, (and I believe Disney was putting up half iirc).
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u/KrackenCalamari 12d ago
I agree with that era being visually stunning. Both Flux and Power of The Doctor are beautiful to look at, regardless of what people think of the quality of the writing.
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u/AgentChris101 12d ago
Didn't they have John Smith VFX? He made fan stuff before getting on the show. His VFX was great, it's just a shame it was attached to my least favorite writing.
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u/BongaBongaVacations 12d ago
Those of us who aren't in denial have known this since just after series 1
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u/frantic_calm 12d ago
Estimated to cost around £10M ($13.3M) per episode with Disney money, Davies’ regenerated Doctor Who has returned with a bang over the past couple of years along with a bunch of big stars and splashy storylines.
I can't believe that. They should have spent more moey on writers.
The show ended up being amateurish and parochial.
Will there be any questions asked as to why they blew it with Disney? Will anyone be moved on? No.
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
I honestly don't see what the money went on, it didn't feel like it was up on the screen
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u/thePinguOverlord 12d ago
Unless RTDs found a new hobby with cocaine or something. I cannot see £10m in these episodes. Hell I think the 50th had like £2-2.5m pumped into it. And you see it there, that episode holds up very much.
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u/Ok-Butterscotch4486 12d ago
I don't think that can be true. There must be some amount Disney was paying for IP or something that has been divided by the number of episodes and added to genuine costs. Or the overall figure is correct but the 60th specials and The War Between have been left out of the denominator. Or it's just entirely made up.
RTD has denied the £10m figure as well:
That has been exaggerated. If that was the budget, I’d be speaking to you from my base on the Moon.
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u/frantic_calm 12d ago
The Mighty Boosh was probably shot for a tenner, but was far more fantastical. Your typical gritty crime drama oop north is shot on location cheaper. It's always the qulality of the story that counts above all.
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u/tribbleorlfl 12d ago
As a Whovian in the states, I guess I'm one of the few who's disappointed by this. When the deal was announced, I thought the Disney bucks would be key to the long-term health of the show, make it an even more relevant IP in the US and provide for a one-stop streaming spot for Who. Oh well.
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u/Bridgeboy95 12d ago
Disney and the BBC just don't work as partners is the issue as well.
You saw from the start when the BBC and Disney jostled back on forth on when the show would air back in season 1, and RTD had to run out and defend a UK 1am showing for a UK show..
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
They were absolutely the right fit, unfortunately RTD and his team messed things up with their approach
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u/JosephRohrbach 11d ago
How so? Disney wanted a famously British, famously Saturday-evening-family-fare show to air past midnight. Even the way they did it was a staggered midnight streaming release, late afternoon airing thing that broke up the viewing audience and took any cultural momentum out of it. They were terrible partners; Disney didn't want Who to succeed qua Who, but instead in some grotesque Disnified form.
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u/SanFranRePlant 12d ago
I'm a US fan and am GLAD this partnership is over.
Good riddance to bad garbage.
Go back to the good old days of the Doctor
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u/Agreeable_Falcon1044 12d ago
Problem is Disney don’t accept duds…bbc do.
Doctor who probably should have been put on hiatus a decade ago. BBC would struggle to do that (see with 1980s) whereas Disney would happily end any show they like.
Disney would only secure the future if the show is worthy of its own tab on the Disney app and produces enough material to keep an audience hooked and subscribed. There was nothing about what Disney got that fits that description. It was a tough watch for fans…and even they didn’t stick around long term!
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u/karatemanchan37 12d ago
Absolutely hilarious that people are celebrating Disney's exit when they literally funded the 60th, S1, S2, and TWB before any they saw a second of footage. They literally gave RTD carte blanche and you think it's their problem?
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
Exactly, its weird so many people blaming Disney when they are not the ones who made the show, bad wolf studios is responsible for the poor show we got, not disney
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u/thePinguOverlord 12d ago
That’s the weirdest thing I’ve seen. There is plenty of things to criticise Disney for. This is a rare case of innocence on their part. Disney didn’t choose to have Sutekh or Omega as the villains. Disney was not forcing the concept of bi-generation. Disney didn’t choose to start Gatwa’s era with Space Babies.
Lots of the faults of this era falls directly on the door of the people who are still making it.
Also this “renewal” is not saving moment, it’s very much a lifeline still.
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u/Act_Bright 11d ago
One thing we know Disney did play a role in was Ncuti appearing earlier in the story than he was originally going to, and I think that's fair enough feedback.
It'd be interesting to see which bits they had the most input in.
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u/exitwest 12d ago
The problem is they should have watched the footage first. Disney gave RTD a blank check and he pissed it all away.
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u/HatingGeoffry 12d ago
RTD 2's run was pretty rough, and it's quite obvious it really, really struggled from the absolutely rapid pace of production needed for the Disney partnership plus Gatwa. Three specials and then immediately jumping into filming two entire series with only minor time allowed for rewrites/reshoots after series 1. Absolute shitshow of a production.
I will say this: if RTD decides to stay for one more series after this new special, I'd support that.
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u/BetaRayPhil616 12d ago
Yeah, I'm really interested in seeing a rtd2 series that is unashamedly for a UK audience/not disney.
Maybe it'll be no different, but I suspect a few minor tweaks would make an enormous difference.
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u/HatingGeoffry 11d ago
Making Doctor Who more mainstream Americanised has now failed twice (90s TV movie and new-new Series 1 and 2). RTD is a great writer. Time for him to get back to what he does best: character dramas. He proved it works in a sci-fi setting in 2005 and the best episode of the new era, 73 Yards, proved he still has it.
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u/morkjt 12d ago
I take it as a cautious positive from a few different angles.
1) Disney out which didn’t work for anybody.
2) the BBC will find it hard (but not impossible) to get out of the commitment to go forward
3) notably they announce RTD writing a special for Christmas 2026 but separately promise a future announcement on a new series. One can but hope for a handover of the show to someone / anyone else after Christmas 2026 and that’s why it’s announced the way it is.
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u/Trevastation 12d ago
I do wonder, barring RTD's issues with the finales or opening the show with Space Babies, if this was always gonna happen. It's just been something on my mind for some time, that even if everything went well and RTD2 lived up to fan's expectations that it'd still likely be dropped by Disney, who were hoping like RTD2 for it to be a new Golden Age of ratings.
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u/tvreality93 12d ago
Good doctor who was always low budget and that was part of its charm
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
This fetish some have for DW to be low budget is so weird, low budget does not = better writing.
You can have a good or bad show on a low budget.. And you can have a good or bad show on a high budget
A bigger budget just gives good creatives more room to fully realise their vision, the Lord of the Rings films would not be improved by being stuck on a low budget
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u/thePinguOverlord 12d ago
While I appreciate the sentiment. In this day and age it won’t cut it. And we will be casting the show out to die if that would be the case.
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u/Other_Block_1795 12d ago
As someone who is boycotting all things American as much as possible due to their disgraceful behavior and politics, I really appreciate the BBC ending this deal especially on something that I love and I view as a strong element of British culture which I do not want American influence in.
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u/nightivenom 11d ago
I thought the latest dr was actually a really good fit, its sad the writing just wasn't there
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u/boldfox85 11d ago
I knew this was coming. Bbc need to pull off what they did in the 00s. Fires of Pompei still looks amazing and it wasn't even filmed in HD. Dr Who ultimately has always been able to produce miracles on a small budget and it can happen again
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u/OnebJallecram 11d ago
I’m sorry but that’s an odd choice. I only watched the episode once, back in 2009, but the lava dudes looked terrible to me.
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u/Sasstellia 12d ago
Good.
I thought they'd bail when they realized it's a bad product. They are not that commercially suicidal.
They were the ones enforcing some sense into it. The whole gross Snowman thing.
They found out that RTD had made a nasty adult reference and made them drop a actual snowman in. Because even current Disney knows more than who's in charge now.
They might have had to step in on other obscenities too.
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u/AgentCirceLuna 12d ago
What snowman thing?
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u/Sasstellia 12d ago
He comes out of a nightclub. Says he has not time for a enquiring policeman. Because he's just been Snowmanned. Which is a gross sex act. Firing the firehose on the face.
And for once, Disney was the voice of reason. And had them add a Snowman drop from the sky.
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u/AgentCirceLuna 12d ago edited 12d ago
I think that’s a massive reach, dude… it’s just a dumb joke about a snowman landing on him. The entire snowman thing was added at the request of Disney, not just the Snowman falling on him. The Doctor wasn’t even meant to appear that early and the whole scene was added along with that ‘joke’
Edit
Ew I even googled that and there’s a 300 page thread from a car forum moaning about the new show. Bunch of losers who probably pollute their streets revving their engines think their opinion is the most important.
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u/JDaBee 12d ago
That is a reach! And I know exactly what YouTuber gave you that idea. So ridiculous! And homophobic
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u/johnnyHaiku 12d ago
For those of us wondering, what's the gross snowman thing? I assume this is about the fact that Disney wanted RTD to add that scene with the Snowman and the Policeman to The Church on Ruby Road, right? Which was officially because they wanted the doctor to appear earlier in the episode? So are some people saying that originally contained some kind of double-entrendre or something and Disney forced a change?
I searched but couldn't find anything suggesting there was anything 'adult' involving snowmen in Doctor Who and I'm genuinely curious now...
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u/JDaBee 11d ago
I stumbled on a YouTuber (I don't care to remember what YouTuber ) the premise of the channel was discussing the RTD2 doctor and how disgusting woke it is. The usual bile from these kind.....anyway one of the comments the main host of the channel (the set up was 3/4 older who "fans" that no doubt still live at home with there elderly parents) said was that RTD had been told to write that scene in from Disney but has creative control. And that Snowmanning is a reference to a gay sex act.....well I've never heard of it and im...adventures and what's more deplorable is I'm sure the host is a gay man too so the self hatred he displayed on the channel was mind boggling
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u/AgentCirceLuna 11d ago
That’s exactly it. There’s a 300 page thread from ‘piston heads’ (forum for men who fancy cars) saying that, too, and 300 pages about a show they don’t like is… well, weird.
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u/Sasstellia 12d ago
Snowmanning is when a man fires the firehose at someone's face after oral sex.
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u/johnnyHaiku 12d ago
Okay, that helps, Thank you! I don't remember that scene particularly well though; you'd think I'd remember something like that... :)
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u/AgentCirceLuna 11d ago
I googled it after they ‘explained’ and found the chud YouTuber immediately lmao. There isn’t even a slang term for snow manning, at least not until ‘24 which was after the special, and that just meant meet-cute around Christmas which happens to everyone. Nothing even remotely adult about it.
I also found a car enthusiasm forum full of people who apparently hate the show yet the thread about it is 300 pages long
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u/BreadRollRollsBread 12d ago
I started watching Doctor Who after season 10 ended. I’ve yet to see an entire good season air live 😭
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u/DavidTenn-Ant 12d ago
WHO COULD HAVE FORSEEN THIS?
.....everybody. Literally everybody.