‘Doctor Who’ Season 3 Decision Gets Update

Ever since the Doctor Who Season 2 finale aired on Disney+ on Saturday, May 31, everyone has been wondering when we’d hear about its future. That is very much still up in the air. Starting with the 60th anniversary specials in 2023, Doctor Who has been produced by Bad Wolf, with BBC Studios for Disney Branded Television and BBC One and BBC iPlayer. But that deal only goes through the episodes of the upcoming spinoff, The War Between the Land the Sea. It’s been repeatedly said that a decision will be made after those episodes stream on Disney+. And now, comments from executive producer Jane Tranter reiterate that.

In a recent issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Robert Shearman (who wrote an episode in 2005 as well as novelizations) said (via Cultbox), “It’s weird because the show is probably as dead as we’ve ever known it. … No one’s going to start writing Doctor Who books with a Billie Piper Doctor, because no one knows what that means. In a funny way, the closing moments of ‘The Reality War’ seem to put a full stop on things. We didn’t have that before.”

Ncuti Gatwa‘s Doctor regenerated at the end of the Season 2 finale into Billie Piper, but no one has said thus far who she’s playing; the Sixteenth Doctor, companion Rose Tyler (whom she previously played), or perhaps even Bad Wolf or The Moment. (Read here for a breakdown of Piper’s history on the show.)

Tranter responded to those comments from Shearman on BBC Radio Wales on Friday, October 17. “‘As dead as we’ve ever known.’ That’s really rude, actually. And really untrue,” she said (via Deadline). “The plans for Doctor Who are really simply this: the BBC and BBC Studios had a partnership with Disney+ for 26 episodes. We are currently 21 episodes down into that 26-episode run. We have got another five episodes of [spin-off series] The War Between the Land and the Sea to come. At some point after that, decisions will be made together with all of us about what the future of Doctor Who entails.”

She continued, “It’s a 60-year-old franchise. It’s been going for 20 years nonstop since we brought it back in 2005 [when I worked at the BBC]. You would expect it to change, wouldn’t you? Nothing continues the same always, or it shouldn’t continue the same always. So it will change in some form or another. But the one thing we can all be really clear of is that the Doctor will be back and everyone, including me, including all of us, just has to wait patiently to see when — and who.”

So, for now, while we wait for that news — which likely won’t come until 2026 — what do we know about where a Doctor Who Season 3 would have to pick up and what it would cover as the adventure through time and space continue? Read on for all the updates.

Has Doctor Who been renewed for Season 3?

Not yet. Given past comments from the BBC, though, we shouldn’t be worried about that.

“The decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs,” a spokesperson for the show told RadioTimes.com in February 2025. “The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes – and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines.” Nothing about that has changed, as Tranter’s recent comments confirm.

Wait, why would there be three Doctor Who Season 3s?

Yes, you read that correctly. Doctor Who originally premiered in 1963 and ran for 26 seasons, until 1989. It was then revived in 2005 with the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), at which point it started over with Season 1 and ran for 13 seasons. Then, after the 2023 specials (including the Christmas one), the count started over again at Season 1 with the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) for the episodes that premiered in 2024.

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Who would be the Doctor in Doctor Who Season 3?

Following Gatwa’s exit after two seasons — not uncommon for the lead — that’s very much up in the air.

The number of seasons for each Doctor is as follows: William Hartnell‘s First Doctor (three), Patrick Troughton‘s Second Doctor (three), Jon Pertwee‘s Third Doctor (five), Tom Baker‘s Fourth Doctor (seven), Peter Davison‘s Fifth Doctor (three), Colin Baker‘s Sixth Doctor (two), Sylvester McCoy‘s Seventh Doctor (three), Paul McGann‘s Eighth Doctor (one TV movie), Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor (one), David Tennant‘s Tenth Doctor (three), Matt Smith‘s Eleventh Doctor (three), Peter Capaldi‘s Twelfth Doctor (three), Jodie Whittaker‘s Thirteenth Doctor (three), David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor (three specials), and now Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor (two seasons).

While the Fifteenth Doctor did appear to regenerate at the end of the Season 2 finale, there were some question marks surrounding it and Billie Piper’s return. We might not know who the Doctor is — if it’s Piper or if the Sixteenth will come after her — until Season 3 airs, pending how much secrecy they want to maintain around her role.

Who else would be in the Doctor Who Season 3 cast?

That’s unclear beyond the usual guest casts for each episode. The Doctor needs a companion, and Gatwa’s had two: Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu). Ruby did leave behind adventures with the Doctor, though she did return for a few Season 2 episodes. And the Doctor did see off Belinda at home before regenerating in the Season 2 finale. But either could return, or maybe a new season would feature a new companion just like the current one did.

When would Doctor Who Season 3 premiere?

It’s hard to say. Not only would it depend on filming, but Doctor Who has never stuck to a set schedule. Since the sci-fi series returned in 2005, there have been new episodes every year, though some have just had a Christmas or other special versus a full season. At this point, it doesn’t seem likely there will be any more Doctor Who episodes in 2025, meaning 2026 the earliest for a Season 3. So what does that mean for …

Will there be a Doctor Who 2025 Christmas special?

The annual event has yet to be announced for this December and one wasn’t part of the aforementioned order of this set of 26 episodes. We’d be shocked if one was announced as a surprise, so it will probably be 2026 before there’s even the possibility of another festive special.

What would Doctor Who Season 3 be about?

Beyond the Doctor and a companion traveling through time and space, it’s impossible to say. In fact, with the twist involving Piper’s return, that might not even be guaranteed.

Where can you rewatch previous Doctor Who episodes?

This is where it gets complicated! The episodes featuring the First through the Seventh Doctors are available on BritBox. The TV movie with the Eighth Doctor isn’t available anywhere. The episodes featuring the Ninth Doctor through the Thirteenth are no longer available in the U.S. (they were previously streaming on HBO Max). And everything from the 60th anniversary specials on are available on Disney+.